Once Thick Off CA Coast, Black Abalone Listed As Endangered By National Marine Fisheries Service

[hatrack]

The black abalone that were once thick in the waters off the California coast earned a dubious distinction today when biologists took the final steps in putting the mollusk on the Endangered Species List.

Though it is debatable how much will change for the black abalone — which, like all other abalone, is off-limits to Southern California fishermen — scientists say the listing of the species speaks to the larger issue of the health of the ocean and could be used by environmentalists in their fight against global warming. “What it means for abalone is that we need to be serious about restoring the integrity of the ecosystem that supports them and supports us,” said Gary Davis, the retired chief of ocean science for the National Park Service. “If we are going to put all the pieces together, we can use these abalone as flagships for the environment and the ecosystem.”

The wording in the listing of the abalone brings up how global warming may affect the endangered species if ocean temperatures were to rise. That inclusion has activists at the Center for Biological Diversity thinking about making the black abalone a poster child in their fight against global warming. The center petitioned to put the abalone on the list two years ago.

The abalone, which were once found in great numbers off the Channel Islands, suffered a one-two punch that led to their rapid decline and population crash in the 1990s, said Melissa Neuman, a fisheries biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service, which published the listing in the Federal Register today. After 30 days, the listing becomes official.

EDIT

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/jan/14/once-plentiful-abalone-put-on-endangered-list/

[ClarkUSA]

1. No wonder otter populations are crashing.

:(