Northern Abalone Restoration: Size Matters

Known for its beautiful shell and its outstanding flavor, pinto abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana) have been harvested from the Salish Sea for centuries. That is, until overharvest resulted in the complete closure of the fishery in 1994. Since then abalone populations have not only failed to rebound, they have declined to the brink of extinction. Last year the SeaDoc Society funded scientists from the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife and the University of Washington to evaluate the use of hatchery-reared abalone to restore the population. In March 2007, scientists tagged and released 281 juvenile abalone of different sizes at multiple study sites in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. They checked on these "outplanted" abalone frequently for the year following introduction and learned some very important information: abalone over 25mm had almost a sixfold better chance at survival than smaller ones. Additionally, the researchers found that abalone were more likely to survive in certain habitats. Critical information like this will be used to restore pinto abalone. Private donations from citizens like you enable the SeaDoc Society to gather and share the information needed to protect and restore our marine fish and wildlife and their ecosystem. Thank you!