Kim C. Hutsell wrote:
>
> > The abalone in California was wiped out because the commercial fishermen
> > could take thousands of them...the sports fisherman could only take five
> > when we were there.  The sports fisherman is being punished.  In Japan
> > they have seasons on their abalone and move the seasons around their
> > coast...so certain areas can collect for a certain amount of time and
> > then it is closed and another area is open....Calif.  could have done
> > that years ago.
> Bobby,
>
> I echo your sentiments about California abs and the misinformation that sport divers
> were to blamed for much of the decline. This wasn't helped by an ignorant TV reporter
> who stated, on air, that the decline was due to over collecting by sport divers.  I
> could have strangled him!  The truth is, what wasn't wiped out by commercial ab divers
> has fallen victim to 'whithering foot' disease.  There are still pockets of healthy
> abalone out there (I'm not saying where) but had the seasons been regulated a long time
> ago, the abalone population wouldn't be in the sad state it's in now.  Of course,
> hindsight is always 20-20.
>
> We seem to live in an all-or-nothing society.  Either something is completely
> unregulated and unprotected or it's completely banned from collection.  There's no
> middle ground.  Probably because no one bothers to do anything about a potentially bad
> situation until it's too late. What's worse, some species are protected for no apparent
> or logical reason.  It's my understanding that all species of Trivia are protected in
> California waters.  Where do they come up with this stuff???? If one knows where to
> look, trivia are abundant in these waters on no one is collecting them commercially.
>
> K. Hutsell
> Field Research, Marine Malacology
> San Diego
 
We dove the California coast for 13 years.  You definitely have to know
where the shells are and their habitat.  We used to get Calliostoma on
top of the kelp in the fall and never see them again the rest of year??
We know for sure...that shells move around a lot...as we have studied
their environment for almost 35 years.
Dr. Abbott always said those of us who are in the field all the time are
the ones who know.  But no one ever asks us....there needs to be a way
to get the word out...that the group at COA probably know more about
sheller's rights than anyone (except probably for a few that are
greedy).
 
--
Jim & Bobbi Cordy
Specializing in Self-Collected
Caribbean & Florida Shells