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The Abalone: "Marvelous Mollusk In Need Of Help"
by Ranger Jim Serpa
The water stung my face like a thousand tiny
needles as I tried to breathe in and out calmly.
I had just jumped into the 51 degree ocean from
a small ledge that waves were now washing over.
The visibility wasn't really all that bad,
considering the swell and wind had picked up
during the night. I patiently waited for my
partner, off-duty North Coast Ranger Kirk
Marshall, to join me. What would cause me
to brave these frigid waters, you might ask?
The simple answer was abalone, more specifically
Red Abalone, Haliotis rufescens. With abalone
off limits down in our neck of the woods,
Southern California, I had persuaded Kirk to
take me out just north of Van Damme State
Park to try my luck. Kirk jumped in and as
I acclimatized to the water temperature, he
took a deep breath and dove down. Next thing
I knew Kirk came up with a large Red Abalone.
Amazing!
The abalone is a member of a group of
animals called mollusks. These animals are
often characterized by a soft body and a large
fleshy foot. This foot can exert a gripping
power of 180kg and is what has helped put the
abalone in the predicament it is in today.
The foot, when prepared correctly, is simply
delicious. Now, that is not to say it is
without work. Abalone are often covered in
a layer of thick growth and are difficult,
at best, to spot. After you remove the animal
from the shell you slice the foot into thin
"steaks" and pound them until tender. Following
this you can cook them several ways, but care
must be taken so as not to overcook them or
they take on the consistency of a fine innertube.
The most common abalones in Southern
California are the Green Abalone (H. fulgens),
Pink Abalone (H. corrugata), Black Abalone
(H. cracherodii) and the Red Abalone (H.
rufescens). The most abundant abalone up
north is the Red, which happens to be the biggest
member of the species, as well as the tastiest.
There is a story I've heard that tells of
the local Indian tribes offering the Spanish
explorers some of their cherished abalone.
The Spaniards couldn't bring themselves to
even taste this cousin to our garden snail.
If the story is true, boy-o-boy, did they
miss out!
Abalones are strictly herbivorous, preferring to dine on
local types of brown and red algae. Different species tend
to be found in different depth zones, probably dictated by
temperature. The Black Abalone is usually found in the surf
zone, Greens are spotted a little deeper, Pinks are often
found in more sheltered areas and Reds inhabit the coldest
areas. Like many mollusks, abalones possess a file-like tongue
(radula) for scraping food. They also have short sensing tentacles
sticking out from under the shell that vary in color depending
on the species. 
There are a series of holes
found on the abalone shell which differs by
species but cannot, by themselves, be used as
an indicator of the species. The abalone breathes
by pulling water under the shell, passing this
oxygenated water over its gills and then
expelling it, along with other wastes, back
through these holes.
Drawing of abalone above from Pacific Intertidal Life: A
Guide to Organisms of Rocky Reefs and Tide Pools of
the Pacific Coast, from Alaska to Baja California,
by Ron Russo and Pam Olhausen, © 1981 Nature Study
Guild Publishers, used by permission of the publisher.
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Abalone blood lacks a clotting agent and they often bleed
to death if even superficially cut. This brought about the
law which forbids divers from using anything but a specially
designed "ab iron" to pry the abalones from their secure hold
on a rock. These "ab irons" reduce the likelihood of injury
to the muscle foot, which in turn cuts down on unnecessary
abalone mortality. Scientists are now studying properties
in abalone blood that make it useful in fighting penicillin
resistant bacteria.
Many abalones, especially adults, will
travel little, if at all, after they have
found a desirable location in a crevice or
under a ledge. At Doheny we have one pink
abalone that has moved only once in the four
years since I placed him in our tide pool
exhibit. Shortly after moving, the abalone
went back to its favorite spot.
Normal predators, excluding man, include
otters, crabs, lobsters, sea stars, certain
fish, predatory snails and the octopus. This,
along with the fact that many of the abalones
planktonic larvae are swallowed before they
even settle on a rock, and the large number
of juveniles that are crushed by strong wave
action, makes it seem a miracle any survive
at all!
The abalone is in trouble, especially in
Southern California. According to a recent
article in the Orange County Register, the
California Department of Fish & Game states
that 200,000 abalones are taken illegally
each year off California. This poaching,
along with warmer water temperatures, disease,
normal predation, pollution, careless divers
and the prolific sea urchin competing for
similar food are causing their quick disappearance
from California waters. Of the five most
common species found in California three are
considered rare and one is on the verge of
extinction. Only the Red Abalone in Northern
California seems to be holding it's own.
California Fish & Game is adding more coastal
wardens to help stop the illegal decimation
of one of California's most cherished resources.
Here at Doheny we have three species of
abalones on exhibit: one red, one green and
two pinks. They dine on a steady diet of
giant kelp (macrocystis) and feather boa kelp
(egregia). Our abs have become fairly tame
and actually allow us to place the kelp, by
hand, under their tough gripping foot. These
fascinating mollusks allow us to get on our
soapbox from time to time share there plight
with our many visitors. This in the hope that
through education will come appreciation which
in turn will translate into protection. |
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