Safety Tips for Abalone Drivers
This item appears on the State of California website about the start of the Abalone Season on the Mendocino Coast:
“Starting April 1, the season reopens for divers and shore pickers to hunt for California’s famous red abalone in waters north of San Francisco Bay.
The open season for the delectable mollusk will run from April 1 through June 30 with a one-month closure during July to give the resource a “breather” at a time of year when abalone take has traditionally been high. The season resumes on Aug. 1 and runs through Nov. 30.
Regulations governing the sport take of red abalone have helped to preserve the tradition of abalone diving and shore picking in northern California for nearly 100 years. For 2007, red abalone regulations include:
• Free divers and shore pickers (16 years or older) must possess a valid sport fishing license as well as an Abalone Permit Report Card (also known as a “punch card”). The use of scuba is prohibited.”
For more, check out the state news release.
