Red Abalone

Red Abalone, Haliotis rufescens
The Red Abalone (shell shown at left with new 2008 tagging requirements) is a member of the Mollusk Family, prized for it's meat. Red Abalone is the only species of Abalone that can be harvested in California. Do to poaching and over fishing, Abalone populations have dwindled in the last few years, forcing the Department of Fish and Game to more closely regulate the species with strict methods of take, and daily and yearly limits. Currently one may take 3 per day and 24 per year. Freediving and Rock-picking are the only two legal methods of harvesting abalone.

Abalone feeds mostly on kelp, specifically Bull Kelp, and can live upwards of 30 years. The legal size for Abalone is currently (2010) 7 inches measured across the widest part of it's shell. Divers and rock pickers must carry a fixed caliper measuring device to be sure of a legal sized abalone.