Red Abalone

Diving for red abalone is a local tradition in Northern California and forms a large part of our economy. When I began diving 10 years ago, the abalone were abundant, but their numbers have been declining. Climate change has increased the ocean temperature, causing a toxic algal bloom which resulted in an abalone die off in 2011. This was followed by a sea star wasting disease.

Sea stars eat purple urchins, so as sea stars declined, the urchins exploded. The urchins eat bull kelp, which is the abalone’s main food source, and the abalone are starving. The abalone fishery closed in 2018. To save the abalone, we must all make changes in our lives to reduce the effects of climate change.