The Big Day: White Abalone Captive Breeding at UC Davis Bodega Marine Lab
April 21st is my mother’s birthday, and according to her, it’s a good day to be born. This April 21st, I find myself pulling into the parking lot of the Bodega Marine Lab in the dark, pre-dawn hours. I am here at 5:45 AM, 500 miles from home and 300 miles outside the white abalone’s geographic range, hoping to witness the birth of the newest generation of white abalone.
Foster Care for Endangered White Abalone at the Aquarium of the Pacific
I visited the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach on an unseasonably hot day in early April. I meet Briana Fodor, a Senior Aquarist, who ushers me ‘behind the scenes’ into a small, blue-lit room. We’re on the business end of the Aquarium’s Abalone Exhibit in the Southern California/Baja Gallery, which houses red abalone, endangered white abalone, and plenty of food.