There are many ways that YOU can help save white abalone! Here are 5 of them ...
1. Visit your neighborhood marine snails
Get to know your favorite sea snails by visiting a local aquarium. White abalone are currently on display at Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro, the California Science Center in Los Angeles, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center in Santa Barbara. Other abalone species, such as the iconic red abalone, are also at public aquaria throughout California and beyond! These are great places for learning about the importance of abalone to our coastal ecosystems, our culture, and our economy.
Get to know your favorite sea snails by visiting a local aquarium. White abalone are currently on display at Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro, the California Science Center in Los Angeles, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center in Santa Barbara. Other abalone species, such as the iconic red abalone, are also at public aquaria throughout California and beyond! These are great places for learning about the importance of abalone to our coastal ecosystems, our culture, and our economy.
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History aquarists Tyler Haven and Tommy Wilson show off a young white abalone in front of their white abalone display. (Photo by Kristin Aquilino)
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These baby abalone “cradles” on display at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium are ideal for holding white abalone during their most sensitive first few months of life. (Photo by Kristin Aquilino)
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2. Support sustainable seafood
The harvest of clean, sustainable, wild and farmed seafood is necessary to support our increasing global population and maintain the health of our oceans. There are many resources that can help you make good seafood choices, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program is one of our favorites. Abalone aquaculture is generally accepted as highly sustainable, and red abalone farms in California, such as The Cultured Abalone Farm in Goleta and Monterey Abalone Company in Monterey, help contribute to white abalone restoration by sharing their expertise and their freshly harvested kelp. |
Doug Bush, manager of The Cultured Abalone Farm in Goleta, CA, holds a stack of sustainably-raised, market-ready red abalone. (Photo by Kat Magana, UC Davis)
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Kristin Aquilino returns from diving for red abalone in Northern California. (Photo by Aaron Coffey)
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3. Report poaching
Poaching remains a major threat to all seven abalone species in the United States, as well as abalone throughout the world. Even when the recreational fishing for red abalone was open in Northern California, it was estimated that one in eight red abalone was harvested illegally. White abalone are also threatened by poaching. If you’re in California and you suspect abalone poaching, call CalTIP at 1–888–334-CalTIP (888–334–2258). |
4. Be heard
Tell your friends and family about why restoring white abalone is important to you, and contact your local, state, and federal representatives to voice your concerns about endangered abalone. The US Endangered Species Act is considered a global standard for preventing extinction, and it is threatened by some who underestimate its value to our nation.
Tell your friends and family about why restoring white abalone is important to you, and contact your local, state, and federal representatives to voice your concerns about endangered abalone. The US Endangered Species Act is considered a global standard for preventing extinction, and it is threatened by some who underestimate its value to our nation.
Kristin Aquilino speaks to members of the Bodega Bay community at a local wine bar. (Photo by Steve Aquilino)
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US Congressman Mike Thompson and California Assemblymember Jim Wood (right) about the importance of abalone to our culture, economy, and coastal environment. (Photo by the office of Mike Thompson)
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5. Consider giving
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association supports the baseline needs of the White Abalone Recovery Program, but we could do much more much faster with your help — and time is of the essence for white abalone, which will likely go extinct in the next 10–15 years without our efforts to restore them. Gifts to white abalone restoration can be made by clicking here or by check to “Bodega Marine Laboratory” with “white abalone” in the subject line mailed to:
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association supports the baseline needs of the White Abalone Recovery Program, but we could do much more much faster with your help — and time is of the essence for white abalone, which will likely go extinct in the next 10–15 years without our efforts to restore them. Gifts to white abalone restoration can be made by clicking here or by check to “Bodega Marine Laboratory” with “white abalone” in the subject line mailed to:
Bodega Marine Laboratory
P.O. Box 247
Bodega Bay, CA 94923–0247
P.O. Box 247
Bodega Bay, CA 94923–0247
A portion of the amazing and dedicated White Abalone Recovery Team — a consortium of state and federal agencies, universities, aquariums, and aquaculture farms — with a newly collected wild white abalone. (Photo credit: Perry Hampton, Aquarium of the Pacific)
