High-grading Abalone Is Illegal and May Kill Those Returned

August 26, 2010

Question: A game warden on the north coast told me recently that abalone high-grading is as much of a problem as poaching, and that it’s often the legal abalone harvesters who are doing it without even realizing they’re doing something wrong. Now we all know the regs say you can take three, so as long as any smaller abs are returned to rocky crevices before leaving the water, and the diver ends up with the three best abalone they can find, what does it really matter? (Rini R., Fort Bragg)

Answer: High-grading for abalone is when legal-sized abalone are extracted from their crevices or detached from their substrate but then later returned in favor of larger animals. This is not legal or sporting and the law prohibits this largely due to concerns for the health of the animals. Abalone are hemophiliacs and can be difficult to dislodge from their protective crevices or substrate. Any cuts or damage they may sustain while being detached by the ab iron can cause them bleed to death. For this reason, all legal-sized abalone detached are required to be retained by the person who detaches it, up to the three per bag limit. In addition, no undersize abalone may be retained in any person’s possession or under his control. Undersize abalone must be replaced immediately to the same surface of the rock from which detached (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 29.15[d]).

In addition, according to DFG Lt. Dennis McKiver, no person shall take more than 24 abalone during a calendar year (CCR Title 14, section 29.15[c]). If the diver takes three legal-sized abalone and puts them back, those abalone still count toward both the diver’s daily and yearly limit. This means that divers must still record those abalone on their report card so as to not exceed their yearly limit.

If a game warden sees someone take an abalone that is obviously larger than seven inches and the person puts the abalone back, this person has just violated CCR Title 14, section 29.15(d). If that person then doesn’t record the abalone, he is guilty of failing to complete the Abalone Report Card as required. Game wardens on the north coast have written several citations for this, usually to trophy hunters looking for that elusive 10-inch abalone. The wardens try to convince people hunting for trophy abalone to measure them before removing them from rocks.

This reg is bullshit for those who know what they are doing. Whats really fucked up is that rock pickers can gouge the shit out of undersize abalone then toss em' back and keep moving on.

+1.... total bullshit....

-1

Take it or leave it....really not that hard. 

Limit is 18 not 24.

Limit is 18 not 24.

Yeah, the original question post was from 2010. I'm wishing it was still 24 as I filled in spots 13 & 14 on Saturday.

Limit is 18 not 24.

Yeah, the original question post was from 2010. I'm wishing it was still 24 as I filled in spots 13 & 14 on Saturday.

I only took one yesterday number 15 a 9-3/8". Still looking for that 10.

This reg is bullshit for those who know what they are doing. Whats really fucked up is that rock pickers can gouge the shit out of undersize abalone then toss em' back and keep moving on.

  Why is upgrading  BULLSHIT?     Most abdivers I see, especially newbs are floundering at the bottom trying to stab the first  ab they see,  then get back to the surface only to realize it's too small.       
    THEY BLEED OUT and die if cut.      Maybe we should ablolish use of ab irons completely.    By hand only.  Dislodge them by knocking it sideways with the palm of your hand.

     If it's not big enough, leave it alone!
     

Why is upgrading  BULLSHIT?

+1 - thanks for writing that, Jim.

-1

Take it or leave it....really not that hard. 

+1 - skilled sportsmen and "those who know what they're doing" are sometimes apparently much different things.

Upgrading is so totally unsportsmanlike - it's not even abalone diving in my book.

Bagging on rockpickers like they're all bad practitioners is way off base and very sad.

 Most pickers don't even see how big the abs are before "prying" them off.
Pickers are responsible for the deaths of thousands of abs every year,that's
why DFG changed the harvest time,It's a fact.
If you stab it,keep it. If you can put it back unharmed,no foul.

Why is upgrading  BULLSHIT?

+1 - thanks for writing that, Jim.

-1

Take it or leave it....really not that hard. 

+1 - skilled sportsmen and "those who know what they're doing" are sometimes apparently much different things.

Upgrading is so totally unsportsmanlike - it's not even abalone diving in my book.

Bagging on rockpickers like they're all bad practitioners is way off base and very sad.

Stockwell, I have witnessed first hand rockpickers stabbing at undersize abalone they cant even see. The they find that they are undersize and thrown aside like garbage. Not one law broken. I have seen rockpickers pry the shell off while the ab is still stuck to the rock. With you its always black and white. No gray area at all. Did I say ALL rockpickers suck? No. The ones I have seen should be banned from the sport. Its bullshit because the DFW doesn't differentiate between the diver or rock picker upgrading as compared to the damage inflicted on undersize abalone damaged. I am in no way endorsing upgrading as a good practice.

 

I am in no way endorsing upgrading as a good practice.

Then what does this mean?

This reg is bullshit for those who know what they are doing.

I don't think there is any other way to read that.

A diver that "knows what they are doing" shouldn't have been affected at all by this. Whether high grading to take home that one trophy 10 incher, or trying to take home more meat. It's not like it's a new thing, high grading is illegal with most species regardless of the method of take.

Rock picking is a whole different story, but even then there are avid rock pickers who "know what they are doing".   

The point of it is to protect the species. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices on the account of others who can't follow the rules to keep doing what we love.

I am in no way endorsing upgrading as a good practice.

Then what does this mean?

This reg is bullshit for those who know what they are doing.

I don't think there is any other way to read that.

What that means is that a conscientious diver with good technique can get an abalone off the rocks without any damage at all. Lets just say you are diving and its an awesome day 40+. You keep diving and you find a ten. Never found one before. You have abalone in your retention in a hanging mesh bag. In perfect shape. Do you really think that one of those abalone are going to certainly die if you put it back? Nope. Now if you want to talk written law, you have an argument. If you want to talk morals and what's responsible and nothing is injured or harmed., that is another argument.

So you are endorsing upgrading. But only for a subset of the abalone taking population and not across the board.

How will we decide who gets to high grade and who doesn't?