Monterey Abalone Populations?

[jky]

Sorry I don't remember more details, and that may not be the answer at all, but maybe disease has something to do with the absence of abs in Monterey? Even if not, does anyone know of a disease that affected abs in So Cal? And why not Nor Cal?
Gregg

The disease was withering foot syndrome. The latest theory I heard was that it was concentrated and spread from effluent from ab farms.

Nor Cal didn't get as affected as it seems to thrive in warmer water. NorCal is cool enough that the disease is not real active.

Interestingly, the sabellid worm threat was a great worry until WFS was isolated. Then you never heard about them again.

Monterey has fewer abs than further north due to sea otter predation. A better way to say it would be that the ab population explosion is still occuring along the North Coast due to the lack of sea otters.

If you want to compare NorCal and SoCal populations, the biggest difference there was the lack of commercial take and no scuba take in the north.

The above are my opinions only. Anyone with scientific data who wants to refute my statements, feel free.

jky

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

Monterey has fewer abs than further north due to sea otter predation. A better way to say it would be that the ab population explosion is still occuring along the North Coast due to the lack of sea otters.
jky

That's interesting. I've often wondered if the enormous abalone population along Sonoma/Mendo might not be unnaturally inflated because there aren't as many predators (except us )

Has anyone ever read anything supporting that theory? Maybe the abs are *more* abundant now than they were pre-white-guys in California?

Gregg

 

[mech]

I see them only at some of the more advanced sites I go to and yes they are in the cracks and crevices.
One site in particular would be a poachers delight and there are large empty shells scattered around.
I've never seen anything of decent size dead or alive at places like the breakwater.
In socal I've seen different lookings abs.
These were like small but tall (4-6"wide X 3-1/2X4" tall)...maybe a different third greek name classification.

 

[Scubaroo]

FWIW, I found a decent sized (4") green ab along the Breakwater wall on a night dive a week and a half ago. First I've ever seen, I think.

FWIW, my last dive in Monterey was June 2003, but in the 6 months prior to that I'd probably seen half a dozen abalone at the Breakwater on various dives, most larger than 4" (even allowing for magnification). They tended to be well tucked away under rocks though - you had to know that the row of black "fingers" poking out from the bottom edge of a rock was an abalone. They're there if you look for them.

 

[humanFish]

That's interesting. I've often wondered if the enormous abalone population along Sonoma/Mendo might not be unnaturally inflated because there aren't as many predators (except us )

Has anyone ever read anything supporting that theory? Maybe the abs are *more* abundant now than they were pre-white-guys in California?

Gregg

This is a really good point that I forgot to consider when I made my original post.

In fact, you are right. From what I understand, the Russian's at Fort Ross decimated the otter populations along the coast in the 1800's. To this day, there aren't siginificant populations of otters on the Sonoma/Mendo coast...at least to my knowledge.

I've read that we are still reaping the benefits of this offset in the food-chain...

I guess due to the fact that Sonoma/Mendo abalone populations are already "unnaturally" inflated..it doesn't make much sense to even compare the two areas..

thanks for the sharp thinking.....

 

[Cnotthoff]

I have been diving Monterey area for over 30 years. I see more abalone now than back when the otter population was almost wiped out. Yes, otters eat abs, so the ab population has difficulty getting big again. I hope you will be able to see the photo I scanned that shows just a small amount of abalone harvested over the years from that area. The total weight (including shells) landed in California from 1916 to 1994 is over 190,000,000. Otters and abs existed together for thousands of years on the California Coast. Overfishing decimated those populations in less than a century.

Heck, I still feel bad that I didn't go ab diving once this year. That hasn't happened since the early 70's. There are still a few weeks left.

Good Dives,

Charlie Notthoff

Yesterday, after spotting a real live, albeit small(2 inch diameter) abalone yesterday at Lover's Point I got to thinking to myself: "I've seen hundreds of abalone shells in Monterey, most no bigger than a tea plate, but I've only seen one or two LIVING abalone over a dozen or so shore dives in Monterey. Why do they seem to die so young? Being that they feed on kelp and kelp is abundant it wouldn't seem like they are starving to death...so does that leave predation? I know otters like to eat abalone, but what other animals eat them? Are there other factors at play?"

Anybody happen to know?

 

[mweitz]

FWIW, my last dive in Monterey was June 2003, but in the 6 months prior to that I'd probably seen half a dozen abalone at the Breakwater on various dives, most larger than 4" (even allowing for magnification). They tended to be well tucked away under rocks though - you had to know that the row of black "fingers" poking out from the bottom edge of a rock was an abalone. They're there if you look for them.

I've seen a few a BW recently (last Sunday).

Mark

 

[Ben_ca]

I've seen a few a BW recently (last Sunday).

Mark

I guess I don't know what to look for... You'll have to point them out to me Mark.

 

[drbill]

I see abalone fairly regularly in Catalina's Casino Point Dive Park. As others have pointed out, it was withering or withering foot syndrome that affected the remaining population AFTER it was significantly reduced by commercial and recreational harvest in those areas open to such.

The point about otters is an interesting one. The extremely high numbers of abs seen in so Cal during the late 1800's and early 1900's were undoubtedly in part a result of the local extirpation of the sea otter. They were sometimes stacked 6-7 deep on rocks in the open here.

Initially the human harvest may have just reintroduced a "predator" to replace the otter and return a "balance" to the system. However, based on my anecdotal observations diving soCal over the past 35 years, things went overboard at least in popular areas for harvesting them. Withering syndrome wiped out the rest for the most part.

On occasion I used to observe an ab for several years before I'd harvest it for my dinner plate. Now I observe and film them every chance I get in Catalina waters. I film each one so I have a record that might permit future identifixation of individuals to assess the actual number in the park.

Dr. Bill

 

[Abalonediver]

I have also seen plenty of abs in Monterey Bay, although better hidden than up North. I suspect those cute little fur-bearin' otters cause the snails to go deeper or become lunch...