Restoring Abalone in Washington: The Road to Recovery

Pinto Abalone are Washington's only native sea snails, and they've been an essential part of the ecology, culture, and economy of the pacific northwest for many generations. While abalone harvest in Washington dates back at least one hundred years, abalone began to be overharvested and illegally poached over many decades, leading to the collapse of their populations in Washington.
Since 2002, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Puget Sound Restoration Fund, and a host of many other partner organizations have been working to help bring this iconic and essential marine species back from the brink of extinction in Washington. Thanks to critical investment by the legislature, the abalone restoration project is reaching new milestones and continuing to see growing success, with more than 36 different recovery sites across the Salish Sea, and expanding teams conducting outplanting of genetically diverse, hatchery-raised juvenile abalone to these recovery sites.
You can learn more about Pinto Abalone at wdfw.wa.gov/pinto-abalone.