Pinto Abalone

Pinto abalone is identified as a "species of concern" from Sitka, Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. The Species of Concern Program provides opportunities for NOAA Fisheries and its partners to work together on research and on-the ground conservation efforts that benefit the species and improve our understanding of their status.

Beginning in 2011, NOAA Fisheries provided support to partners in Washington State to continue to expand their pinto abalone restoration work. This three-year project addresses multiple objectives to achieve successful restoration of abalone, including monitoring of remaining wild abalone populations; optimizing captive spawning and rearing methods; developing tagging methods for monitoring outplanted abalone; and developing effective outplanting methods. The information generated from this project will be valuable not only for pinto abalone, but for restoration of abalone species throughout the coast. This work is being carried out by several partners, including the Washington Department of fish and Wildlife, Puget Sound Restoration Fund, University of Washington, Western Washington University, Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, and Baywater Inc.                       

Above : Tagged pinto abalone outplanted back into the wild ( Photos: courtesy of Carolyn Friedman, University of Washington. Josh Bouma, Puget Sound Restoration Fund)