A red abalone is surrounded by a barren of purple sea urchins
A red abalone is surrounded by a barren of purple sea urchins. (Katie Sowul/California Department of Fish and Wildlife)

All West Coast Abalones at Risk of Extinction on the IUCN Red List

Climate Change, Kelp Forest Loss and Overfishing Impact West Coast Abalones

All seven of the United States’ abalone species that live on the West Coast are listed as Critically Endangered or Endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, Red List of Threatened Species. This is the first global Red List assessment of the species. The West Coast listings were based on an abalones assessment led by Laura-Rogers Bennett of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or CDFW, and University of California, Davis.

Six species — red, white, black, green, pink and flat abalone — are listed by IUCN as critically endangered. The northern abalone, also known as threaded or pinto abalone, is listed as endangered.

Read more on ucdavis.edu

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