White abalone (Haliotis sorenseni) belong to a group of plant-eating marine snails that were once common in California. They once numbered in the millions off the California coast, but are now critically endangered. In 2001, white abalone became the first ever marine invertebrate to be Listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. White abalone are one of NOAA Fisheries’ Species in the Spotlight. This initiative highlighted animals considered most at risk for extinction and prioritizes their recovery efforts.
Our current focus zeroes in on the Northern Channel Islands within the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Historically, this region was key habitat for California abalone species. We are asking all divers exploring Point Conception down through the Southern California Bight to be our eyes in the water.
As part of the Wanted Alive! White Abalone campaign, Finding Hal is sponsored and funded by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, implemented through EcoQuants. Partners involved with the campaign (but not hosting this web portal) include the NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, Aquarium of the Pacific and NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources.
The Aquarium of the Pacific is a proud partner of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary in the vital mission to protect and recover the critically endangered white abalone through the Wanted Alive program. Leveraging our deep biological and operational expertise, the Aquarium provides extensive scientific diving teams and logistics support for field research charters and community science initiatives, while directly collaborating on crucial in-water data collection. Our commitment extends from the ocean to the public; through financial sponsorships of program outreach materials, dedicated staffing, we bring the story of the imperiled white abalone directly to our 1.7 million annual guests, inspiring community action and fostering the next generation of marine stewards.
The collection of Wanted Alive! White Abalone information is authorized under the OMB Control Number included in the Citizen Science & Crowdsourcing Information Collection page.
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