Join Sonoma County Abalone Network

Abalone season opens April 1…
Your SCAN membership dues are due!
   

For $20 a year, you can support an organization that works to preserve our abalone fisheries statewide.  It is vitally important to urge your friends who dive to join SCAN, because through the power of numbers we will make our voices heard. Consider joining as a life member for $500.

   Your SCAN board members have been working hard bringing the perspective of the everyday, legal abalone diver to the state Fish & Game Commission.  We have testified to the Commission, met with DFG staff, and provided written comment. This is more work than might be imagined, and it sometimes seems overwhelming for such a small group of volunteers.
   In 2011, the DFG proposed to reduce our bag limit to 2 a day, and as low as 12 per year. SCAN worked overtime to make sure that didn't happen, because the data did not justify such draconian measures. At the same time, SCAN supported a 2-month closure at Fort Ross in response to the die-off in August of that year, putting prudent conservation measures into place. This year, we are focusing on amending the Abalone Recovery and Management Plan (ARMP) to move towards regional management and a long-term management plan.
   Your membership dues and financial support help defray the travel costs for our volunteer spokespeople to stand up for us at the meetings. If abalone diving is important to you, consider adding an additional contribution on top of your dues.
   To ensure you receive the upcoming SCAN newsletter by email, we need you to go online at http://www.abalonenetwork.org/donate and renew your membership, make sure we have your mailing address and email contact info. We also encourage our members to demand that all their diving friends also become SCAN members or else they will be getting a free ride. Annual dues are only $20 a year and membership runs from April 1st for 12 months. Remember, the abalone opener means your SCAN dues are needed!