The California Fish and Game Commission last week voted to close the 2018 abalone season completely, the first-ever closure of its kind prompted by a continued scarcity of kelp, the mollusks’ main food source, along the North Coast.
At their Dec. 7 meeting in San Diego, commissioners weighed the economic impact of a season closure against advice from state biologists that too many underweight and dead abalone were discovered during state surveys to justify a recreational fishery next year.
Last year, state regulators shortened the season by eliminating the months of April and November. But state biologists determined that the move did not achieve goals set out in Fish and Wildlife’s 2005 Abalone Recovery and Management Plan.
Economic toll
Blake Tallman, owner of Subsurface Progression in Fort Bragg, said he was not surprised by the decision, but said it will take a heavy toll on businesses like his shop, as well as campgrounds, motels, restaurants and other businesses that cater to abalone divers.
Tallman said he plans to focus on other types of ocean-going recreation like spear-fishing, scuba diving, paddle-boarding and kayak fishing.
“Hopefully it will be a steady enough summer to get us through the rest of the year, and we’ll see what happens after that,” he said.
According to a 2016 Fish and Wildlife study, the recreational abalone fishery contributes up to $44 million a year to North Coast economies. The study said around 33,000 divers have used the fishery annually between 2000 and 2014, taking an average of 245,000 abalone per year.
Sea star die-off
The chain of events that resulted in the abalone’s food shortage are not fully understood, but biologists think a die-off of sea stars in 2013 led to a population explosion of red sea urchins, which wiped out the kelp in many areas. Though regrowth of kelp has started, it is still scarce in many areas, biologists say.
Tallman said he recognizes issues surrounding the kelp die-off need to be addressed, but also suggested the state needs to improve its monitoring abilities of both kelp and abalone. He said abalone surveys might be more accurate if they covered more area.
“There are still a lot of areas where abs are healthy,” he said, “but there aren’t a lot of eyes in the water.”
Tallman said he plans to take photos of areas where abalone are thriving and send them to the Fish and Game Commission. He said comments and evidence regarding abalone and the economic impact of closing the season will be useful as the state puts together a new long-term management plan.
Comments can be sent to the commission by email to fgc@fgc.ca.gov or by mail to California Fish and Game Commission, 1416 Ninth St., Room 1320, Sacramento, CA 95814.
