Historical information on the California abalone industry

Some Abalone varieties ( the largest - Red, Pink and Green ) are found only in the cool clear waters off the California coast. For thousands of years the Abalone eco-system, like nature - was balanced.With native populations harvesting abalone from the shallow water and the Sea Otter harvesting from the deep. With the European arrival and the elimination of the Indians and the Sea Otters, the abalone population rocked out of balance.



The over abundance of abalone was discovered first around the end of the of the 19th century by the the Chinese and then the Japanese who had been brought to the west coast to build the railroad, They harvested the abalone and dried the meat to fill a high demand in the asian market. Early in the 20th century California locals took over the harvesting with improved technology that allowed them to go deeper and farther. around the same time the Europeans and the Americans discovered the subtle, exquisite flavor of fresh abalone steaks. due to this new demand the abalone steaks were now canned. The supply peaked in the 50's and 60's driving the price through roof, then began to decline in the 70's The return of the Sea Otter, over harvesting and climate change, severely depleted the abalone population, resulting in a complete ban on commercial harvestring of all West Coast abalone.