Abalone fishing in Southern California has been banned since 1997. Photo: California Department of Fish and Wildlife//Facebook
Taking abalone in Southern California has been prohibited for decades. On September 6, someone tipped off authorities about a vessel off Catalina Island that was breaking the rules.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, a suspect was arrested after admitting they had a green abalone. The wildlife officers had located the vessel in Los Angeles County’s Alamitos Harbor with three suspects aboard. One of the perpetrators confessed and showed the officers the abalone.
Officers arrested and released the suspect with the abalone, and the suspect will appear in court at a later date.
Historically, abalone were an important food source for indigenous people of the West Coast. Eight abalone species are native to California waters. But the shelled sea snails were overfished in the 20th century, which led to the implementation of a series of varying management rules.
Ultimately, in 1997, the state banned taking abalone south of San Francisco, and in 2018, a temporary ban was also implemented in Northern California as a marine heat wave decimated kelp forests, a key food source for abalone. According to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the red abalone species has declined by 85 percent since 2014. Last year, state officials extended the current Northern California ban until at least 2036.
“The statewide prohibition on abalone take is a fundamental component of our efforts to restore California’s iconic abalone fisheries. Abalone grow slowly and need high densities to reproduce successfully,” explained California Department of Fish and Wildlife marine region manager Craig Shuman. “Compliance is essential to allow abalone populations the time they need to rebuild so that future generations can once again enjoy a sustainable and thriving fishery.”
