Doug -

Perhaps those in the Monterey bay area can answer better, but having
lived in
that bay area for almost 20 years I have noticed the otter (once
endangered)
was re-introduced and expanded in other sites to increase the population.
When last there, the otters were many and always eat Abalone whether red,
white, pink, gray or red/white/blue.   I think they are being fished out.

All are protected, only the red is allowed to be picked in nominal amounts.
No tank diving allowed.  If this is kept true, perhaps they are simply
deeper.

If all the colors are protected and the red is the only one that is picked,
the red would deplete.  Perhaps to many Abalone stamps for the salt water
fishing license were issued ?  I suspect there is poaching going on when
the farms need seed parents or they are fished out and sold.

Since they live at various levels along the shelf a variation of temperature
they might just be lower than typical diving.

The fisherman had news articles indicating the otter was wiping out their
fishing spots.  I don't know the commercial business to know their plight.

Martin

Doug Stemke wrote:
> I've hear so much of the reduction of Haliotis species across the West
> Coast, I was wondering about the status of Haliotis cracherodiia? As species
> listed as 'Fairly Abundant' and ranging from Coos Bay, Oregon to Baja
> California as well as being a littoral species I would suspect that it would
> be a fairly easy species to monitor. With such a large range across the West
> coast it would seem that possibly some populations would be hit and others
> ok.  My understanding is that this species wasn't hunted much commercially.
>  If it is a species under threat from global warming, are populations
> further north in Oregon doing ok?  If truly the whole species has crashed is
> it possibly the effect of a pathogen or perhaps the loss of its algal food
> sources (the latter would seem unlikely).
>
> I say all of this without much first-hand knowledge.  In three trips in over
> 25 years to parts of California, I've never found so much as a fragment of
> any Haliotis species, let alone a live one in the sub-tidal zone (although
> admittedly I haven't been there during Spring Tides).  So I'd appreciate any
> info from those of you from the West-Coast particularly if you've witnessed
> this species reduction.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Doug
>
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--
Martin H. Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
TSRA, Endowed; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal.
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder
IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.
http://lufkinced.com/

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