Natural Resources Management Plan

In 2007, the Port and the U.S. Navy embarked on updating the 2002 Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan.  The management plan was revised and edited by a technical advisory committed.  The committee consisted of different agencies and non-governmental organizations including the Regional Water Quality Control Board, Fish and Wildlife Services, National Marine Fisheries Service, Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. National Park Service, Fish and Game, Audubon Society, State Lands Commission and California Coastal Commission. 

The management plan was recently updated and the draft is available here for public comment.

• November 2011 - DRAFT Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan

All comments are due March 16, 2012

Please send all comments to:

Port of San Diego
Attn: Environmental & Land Use Management
PO Box 120488
San Diego, CA  92112

E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

In September of 2000, the Port and the US Navy Southwest Division prepared a Natural Resource Management Plan for San Diego Bay. The plan is a guide to assist the users of the Bay to make better, more cost-effective decisions about the development, conservation, restoration and management of San Diego Bay. The management plan also catalogues the plant and animal species around the bay and identifies habitat types. The plan was awarded the 2001 Partnership Award by Coastal America and an updated version of the plan is in development.

Invasive Species

The invasion of non-native, or invasive species poses a serious threat to San Diego Bay's ecosystem. Invasive species are those that evolved elsewhere and whose introduction has or is likely to cause harm to the environment, the economy, or human health. Invasive species have arrived in San Diego Bay from all over the world, by intentional and accidental means. They are transported in the ballast water of international ships, arrive attached to boat hulls, introduced intentionally for fishery or mariculture, released as unwanted organisms by aquarists, or spread naturally through dispersal. The first introduction of invasive marine species into San Diego Bay may have come from the ships used by the early Spanish explorers. Some invasive species have been in their current ecosystem for so long that they were assumed to be natives until recent genetic analyses proved otherwise.

Natural Resources Surveys Show Port Progress

The Port and U.S. Navy have been working cooperatively to fund studies of the natural resources of San Diego Bay.  In 2008, a bay-wide eelgrass survey and a bay-wide fish survey were completed.  During 2009, Vantuna Research Group completed a new bay-wide fisheries inventory and utilization survey.  In 2006-07 the first bay-wide avian species survey was conducted and the report was just finalized.  A new bay-wide avian species survey started in March 2009 was completed in December 2010.

Endangered Eastern Pacific Green Sea Turtles

The Eastern Pacific green sea turtle is a resident of the San Diego Bay. The sea turtles migrate from nesting sites in Mexico, in order to forage in the eelgrass beds in the Bay. A small group of 30 to 60 sea turtles are estimated to reside generally in South San Diego Bay. Years of intensive poaching and harvesting of the turtle have attributed to the sharp decline in the population. San Diego Bay provides a protected foraging habitat for the sea turtles and offers a prime study area for researchers.

California Least Tern Updates and Photos

The Port's Endangered Species Management Program provides enhanced nesting and foraging opportunities for the federally listed endangered California least tern (CLT).

This ongoing program includes the implementation of controlling access to nesting sites; site preparation and vegetation control; predator control, ant predator control; public information programs, and monitoring programs. Nesting sites on Port tidelands include the D Street Fill, Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve, and the South Bay Salt Works. The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority manages San Diego International Airport and the Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve.

2011 California Least Tern Update

2011 California Least Tern Mid-Season Update

2011 California Least Tern Final Report

Some of these pictures of least tern chicks were taken at the San Diego International Airport by Mayela Padilla. The hands belong to Robert Patton, a biologist employed by the Zoological Society of San Diego. He is the only one allowed to handle the chicks.

Birds of San Diego Bay

• Welcome to Bird Watching (PDF)
• Birding Hot Spots of San Diego (PDF)
• Bird Watching Quick Tips (PDF)
• Full Birding Hot Spots brochure (PDF)