Restoration of the Endangered White Abalone, Haliotis sorenseni : Resource Assessment, Genetics, Disease, and Culture of Captive Abalone

Once a valuable fishery, white abalone in 2002 became the first marine invertebrate placed on the federal Endangered Species list. This project seeks to gather basic natural history, genetic and disease susceptibility data that will serve as the scientific underpinning for developing and implementing a recovery plan. Specific goals include: conducting field surveys to determine how many white abalone are left in Southern California and
where they live, collecting brood stocks for captive breeding programs, and conducting lab experiments to find how temperature and feeding regimes influence key stages in the animal’s life history. The scientists will also study the susceptibility of white abalone to withering syndrome and
evaluate treatment protocols suitable for captive-rearing programs. Findings will help ensure that released abalone will not infect remnant wild populations.