In Reply to: Poachers Threaten Monterey’s Endangered Black Abalone posted by CDFG Press Release on June 03, 2009 at 12:41:59:

Those of us who purchase the abalone stamp fund 1.5 full positions on the Special Operations Group which is tasked with the really tough jobs. About 35-40,000 divers per year purchase the stamp and put several hundred thousand dollars into science, warden overtime on low tide weeks, SOU operations and to pay for the report cards and the data they generate.

Abs can be sold by poaching networks for upwards of $100 each. This is a serious problem in NorCal.

For those who have never engaged in this activity you should be aware that there is a large stock of large sized abalone available to freedivers in NorCal where they are closely monitored. California recreational freedivers enjoy the world's finest diving for these tasty shellfish. This fishery is one of the very few that is not in great trouble because it is being managed on a precautionary basis as a result of the Abalone Recovery and Management Plan. The ARMP was funded with diver dollars.

Stephen G. Benavides
steve@sgbcpa.com