Northern abalone
Status and Habitat Associations of the Threatened Northern Abalone: importance of kelp and coralline algae
SeaDoc Science Saving Snails
They may not have had pinto ponies like they did on the Great Plains, but the Coast Salish had a pinto of their own: the pinto abalone. Salish people ate them and valued their iridescent shells for jewelry; they were a valuable trade item for centuries.
Unfortunately, pinto abalone (a.k.a. Northern abalone) are in big trouble.
Climate Change and Northern Abalone
SeaDoc sponsored research:
In Washington, Northern abalone are in decline and exhibit recruitment failure despite closure of the fishery. The long-term persistence of northern abalone in this region is a concern in light of threats from ocean warming. The likelihood of future ocean warming poses challenges for abalone restoration, suggesting that improved monitoring and protection will be critical.
The SeaDoc Society sponsored researcher Laura Rogers-Bennett's investigation into Northern and Flat Abalone. See the citation and download the PDF.
Is climate change contributing to range reductions and localized extinctions in northern (Haliotis Kamtschatkana) and flat (Haliotis Walallensis) abalones
Species of concern within the Salish Sea Marine Ecosystem: changes between 2002 and 2008
Species of concern in the Puget Sound Georgia Basin: changes between 2002 and 2006
Northern Abalone Restoration: Size Matters
New research, funded by the SeaDoc Society, has evaluated the use of hatchery-raised pinto abalone to restore abalone populations. The results are encouraging...
Abalone Declines
Abalone are a part of the Pacific North West’s natural heritage. Today however, many people associate abalone and the abalone fishery with California, rather than the Puget Sound Georgia Basin which is home to the Northern abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana), also called the Pinto abalone.
When One Endangered Species Eats Another
What do you do when one endangered species eats another?
Sea otters, once extirpated in Washington, are now recovering thanks to several transplantations from Alaska. They eat up to 25% of their body weight a day in abalone, clams, crabs, sea urchins, and other invertebrates. This is a concern, because the northern (pinto) abalone also has declined precipitously in Washington and efforts are underway to bring back this culturally and ecologically important mollusk. Complicating the issue, young abalone might hide under sea urchins for protection and Washington has a sizeable state and tribal commercial urchin harvest.
