White abalone (Haliotus sorenseni) belongs 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 now they are 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—an initiative that includes animals considered most at risk for extinction and prioritizes their recovery efforts. Source: NOAA Fisheries

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 NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources.

Questions or comments about this site? Please reach out to keighley.lane@noaa.gov

Source: Kat Magaña/CDFW