> 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