Northern Abalone

The northern abalone lives along the Pacific coast from Baja, California to Alaska. The northern abalone can be found clinging to rocks along exposed and semi-exposed coasts. Adult abalone prefer good water circulation and are typically found within 10 metres of the surface. Adults may move only a few hundred metres during their lifetimes, which in many cases can be up to 50 years.

Abalone larvae are free-swimming and use tiny hair-like cilia to propel themselves through the water. After a week or ten days of surfing the currents, larvae settle to the bottom, shed their cilia, start to grow a shell, and begin their more sedentary adult lives.

The shell of the northern abalone is mottled reddish or greenish in colour, with areas of white or blue. Flat and oval-shaped, the shell is often camouflaged by growths of algae. The interior of the shell is pearly white with a faint pink and green sheen.

NOTE: DUE TO LOW NUMBERS, THERE IS NO RETENTION OF ABALONE IN BC.

Source: Fisheries and Oceans Canada