Wanted Alive:
White Abalone
White abalone (Haliotis sorenseni) are on the brink of extinction. We need your help finding this critically endangered species in the Southern California Bight.
Report a Sighting
White abalone (Haliotis sorenseni) are on the brink of extinction. We need your help finding this critically endangered species in the Southern California Bight.
Report a SightingWhite 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. Learn more about why you should care about this critter.
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. Submit observations of white abalone here.
Community members are essential to our mission. Want to dive on a charter funded by Aquarium of the Pacific to look for white abalone in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary? Fill out this interest form. Or email us at channel.islands@noaa.gov
2026 dive dates: July 28 and August 25
Identifying abalone in the wild can be challenging. These animals are often covered in algae and blend in with the sea floor.
Check out our abalone identification guide, developed in partnership with Oriana Poindexter. They provide information on the morphology, habitat, and diets of five subtidal species found in the Southern California Bight.
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 collection of Wanted Alive! White Abalone information is authorized under the OMB Control Number included in the Citizen Science & Crowdsourcing Information Collection page.
Download our official field materials to take with you on your next dive.