Abalone is a shellfish in great demand worldwide as a
seafood delicacy. Although abalone are found in temperate nearshore waters
throughout much of the world, California's indigenous "Red Abalone" (Haliotis
rufenscens) is the largest species found anywhere in the world. The quantity
and quantity of the meat available from each Red Abalone, coupled with
increasing market demand, has resulted in a commercial landing value that
exceeds $50 per animal. Once the product makes its way into restaurants and
seafood markets, the retail value can easily exceed $100 per pound. As a result
of regulatory and legislative actions dating back to the 1940s and 1950s,
commercial harvesting of abalone north of San Francisco has been banned. During
the same period, recreational harvesting has been limited to breathhold
techniques only; use of SCUBA equipment north of San Francisco is strictly
prohibited.
One
result of these regulations is a very healthy abalone resource in waters north
of San Francisco. Annual sport take has been estimated at 2 to 3 million pounds
and has been valued in excess of $10,000,000 to the coastal economies. South of
San Francisco, which has 83% of the state's abalone habitat, decades of
commercial harvesting and recreational harvesting using SCUBA equipment has
resulted in a seriously depleted resource. The 1996 commercial landings from
those waters was less than 160,000 pounds. Unfortunately, the healthy abundance
of abalone north of San Francisco motivates very lucrative illegal harvesting
that, by some estimates, equals 50% of the legal landings on the north coast.
The
Sonoma County Abalone Network (SCAN) was formed in 1994 by George Lawry in
response to persistent reports of abalone poaching from Sonoma County waters.
These reports ranged from petty violations of fish and game regulations to
full-scale commercial operations that have pilfered the public's marine assets.
SCAN's initial focus, out of necessity, has been on petty violators. New
recreational harvesters often learn how to harvest abalone from someone more
experienced. In addition to lore, they also learn about abalone harvesting
regulations from these same sources. Unfortunately, this often results in
inadequate understanding of the regulations and potentially of fish and game
citations. Fines start at $1500 (for the first abalone) and escalate (by $250
per abalone) from there.
SCAN's initial and ongoing focus has been to educate the diving public on how
to interpret abalone regulations. This is done by maintaining a presence at
popular dive sites and taking every opportunity to unobtrusively establish a
dialog with the divers. This activity is an integral part of SCAN's Coast
Patrol program.
SCAN is also involved in a Court Watch program. In late 1995, details of a
local court settlement involving a major abalone poaching ring became public.
Under the deal approved by the presiding judge, the leaders of a poaching ring
responsible for plundering the Sonoma County coast of more than 20 tons of
abalone over a 1 year period would face maximum penalties of 6 months county
jail and $40,000 fines. Considering the magnitude of the loss to the citizens
of California and the county as well as the financial motivations of the
perpetrators, it was clear that the local court system was unaware of the
importance of this resource to a large segment of the community or the dire
consequences of this type of activity on the marine environment. SCAN was
instrumental in organizing the presence of more than 45 concerned citizens at
the sentencing hearing of the defendants and by providing the judicial system
with more than 130 letters from all over the world protesting the light
sentencing. SCAN maintained a regular courtroom presence throughout the eight
months of trials and hearings that followed the original sentencing hearing. In
the end, three of the leaders received 2 to 3 year prison terms and $50,000
fines; even the most minor participant received a 2 month jail sentence and
$10,000 fine. SCAN continues to maintain a courtroom presence on those
occasions when an abalone case is scheduled to be heard.
During the course of the 1995/96 courtroom testimony, SCAN learned that the
most basic fishery-dependent data collection by the California Department of
Fish and Game had been terminated for budget reasons. Because the data
collection involved interviewing divers at the more popular dive sites, SCAN
has been able to fill the gap by combining the data collection as part of its
Coast Patrol activities. SCAN's participation in this activity for 1996 and
1997 involved in excess of 400 volunteer hours and approximately $1250 in
materials and equipment.
Finally, SCAN has occasionally cooperated with law enforcement officials on
observations made at the coast.
SCAN receives financial support through membership dues ($20 per year/$500
lifetime) from its base of 300+ members, donations by affiliated organizations
and dive clubs, and contributions by individuals. Additional information or
membership applications may be obtained by contacting SCAN at P.O. Box 3801,
Santa Rosa, CA 95402. |
