To ya all:

I dove for abalone from 1963 - 1976 in the Santa Barbara area and north
of San Francisco.    I watched the commercial abalone fishermen (using
hookah) bring in piles and piles of abs on their boats every day
....while us sport's fishermen could only bring in 5 at a time. At that
time abalone sold for about $8 - $9 a pound.

I also saw the law go into effect to protect the otters (who eat abs).
The otter population has grown and grown....and continues to eat all
those abs.

Unfortunately the limit and protection was not put on soon enough (what
else is new)! There never was a season on abs while I was in
California.  You could take them all year long.  AND we took some pretty
big ones 10-12" rufescens.

Jim

--
Jim and Bobbi Cordy
of Merritt Island, Florida.

Jim Specializes in Self-Collected
Caribbean & Florida Shells

Bobbi in Shell Creations