At a glance
- IUCN category
- CR · Critically Endangered
- Animal group
- Invertebrates
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
Conservation overview
The white abalone is a marine snail of the eastern Pacific and one of the first marine invertebrates listed as endangered in the United States. It is assessed as Critically Endangered.
Overfishing left survivors too scattered to breed successfully in the wild.
Range & habitat
Rocky seabeds off southern California, USA, and Baja California, Mexico.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Past overfishing
- Very low numbers limiting reproduction
- Disease
Why it matters
The white abalone is a landmark case for marine invertebrate conservation, showing how overharvest can collapse a slow-recovering species and how captive breeding is being used to rebuild it.
Sources
Sources for White Abalone
- IUCN Red List — look up White Abalone (authoritative status)
- NOAA Fisheries
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't white abalone simply recover on their own?
Abalone reproduce by releasing eggs and sperm into the water, so individuals must be close together to breed. Overfishing left survivors too far apart, so captive breeding is being used to help.
Why is the white abalone Critically Endangered?
Published assessments cite past overfishing, very low numbers that hamper reproduction, and disease. See the IUCN Red List for the current assessment.
Last updated: