California’s abalone populations once numbered in the millions along the rocky coastline, and have been treasured through the ages by the first native people through the present day. Valued as a food source as well as for the unparalleled beauty of their shells, abalone have been loved beyond their capacity to reproduce as a species. Abalone in California today range from ‘species of concern’ to the U.S. Endangered Species list. As their numbers dwindle, these cryptic invertebrates become ever more elusive, and the abalone is fading from the collective consciousness. 

The current generation of young Californians has little to no knowledge of the cultural significance or biological diversity of the many species of abalone in our waters, as the commercial fisheries have been closed for over 20 years, and the last recreational fishery closed in 2018. Children today may stumble across a beautiful shell on a beach and wonder what kind of creature created such a work of art as its home, but might never consider this treasure once sustained fisheries and appeared on dinner tables for hundreds of years.

This project is a partnership made possible through support from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.