White Abalone - Peter Bronge

White Abalone

Haliotis Sorenseni

  

Algal bloom along California coast

Abalone "foot"

                                         Description & Ecology

The White Abalone is a large sea mollusk native to the California coast and is a member of the Haliotidae family. Their most notable physical characteristic is their large, convex shell that homes the organism and protects it from predators. These humongous sea snails make a living by gripping onto rocky surfaces with their large foot-like muscle and then feeding off of the algae that surrounds them. Abalone play an important role in the marine ecosystem by keeping levels of algae at bay - areas where abalone populations have declined are shown to suffer from very high populations of algae. These algal blooms cause oceanic dead zones, virtually killing or driving away any life that was currently there. Incidences of harmful algal blooms have increased along the California coast since all types of abalone have been run to bare minimum.

Native American Abalone Bead Necklace

Geographic & Population Changes

               For Centuries, coastal Native American tribes such as the Miwok tribe had utilized abalone not just to eat but for use of its shell in things like jewelry, fish hooks, tools and weaponry. Although many tribes found many practical uses for the animal, fishing for abalone was difficult. Skilled tribesmen could dive deep down along the ocean floor and collect abalone in small quantities. Regarding the abalone as an ocean jewel, the native tribes took special care to to sustain the amount of abalone that were in the wild.Within the last hundred years, however, commercial fishing and private entrepreneurship have  has driven abalone numbers down in staggering decline. Abalone have a very slow and infrequent reproduction process and over fishing has caused their numbers to dwindle down severely. Due to its beautiful shell and sought-after taste, white abalone have been harvested from the wild in excess, ranking it the fastest-declining species of abalone among all other type. 

Depicting All Species of California Abalone Populations from 1981 to 1997

Type of Listing

Endangered.

Main Threats

Healthy Abalone vs. Abalone Infected with Withering Syndrome

                                

                                 - Over fishing

                                 - Infrequent Reproduction

                                 - Disease

                 

               Commercial farming of abalone coupled with their slow and infrequent reproduction cycles has caused all species of California abalone to decline over the years. In addition to these factors, abalone are also susceptible to infectious viral diseases, the most harmful being a sickness called withering syndrome which shrinks the size of the abalone foot, causing the entire organism to weaken and making it less viable for life. 

Recovery Plan

White Abalone Coastal Habitat Region

             Efforts have been made to reduce the amount of abalone that can be harvested from California shores in hopes of restoring parts of the abalone communities that once thrived. Some businesses have tried to start abalone farms in which abalone are raised in captivity, however most have deemed to be unsuccessful as abalone live prosperously only under conditions that are found in the wild. The NOAA, or National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, has made efforts to fund protected oceanic zones, instill habitat protection through regulations, crack down on poachers and illegal trade and educate people in efforts to stabilize abalone communities along the California coast.

What Can You Do?

                The best thing anyone can do is to get educated. Know the facts, know the causes. The decline of abalone is not insignificant. Abalone play a key role in maintaining California's homeostatic conditions by keeping algae levels at minimum. Since the decline of abalone along California, harmful algal blooms have become more and more frequent, causing all forms of life to vacate or die in their toxic wake. Even partial restoration of the abalone community would have dramatic effects. For centuries, abalone have been used and enjoyed for their taste, elegance and beauty - let us act now to preserve this wonderful creature.

Sources:

https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Laboratories/Shellfish-Health/Abalone-Diseases

http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/protected_species/abalone/abalone.html

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/recovery/plans.htm

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/invertebrates/abalone/white-abalone.html