Species profile
Red Abalone
Haliotis rufescens
At a glance
Red Abalone (Haliotis rufescens) is an IUCN Critically Endangered abalone regulated in 6 of 66 jurisdictions tracked by CatchRules across the U.S. and Canada.
The strictest bag limit is 1 (Federal Waters (DFO)); the most generous is 5 (Alaska).
Confirmed by 2,841 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with California, Oregon, and British Columbia the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- The largest abalone in North America, with shells reaching 12 inches (30 cm).
- Has only 3–4 open respiratory holes — fewer than any other North American abalone.
- Can live 35–40 years or longer in healthy kelp forest habitat.
- Its thick, richly flavored meat is considered a prized West Coast seafood delicacy.
- Found from southern Oregon to Baja California on rocky, kelp-covered reefs.
Where Red Abalone are seen
Jurisdictions with rules for Red Abalone
Background
Haliotis rufescens (red abalone) is a species of very large edible sea snail in the family Haliotidae, the abalones, ormer shells or paua. It is distributed from British Columbia, Canada, to Baja California, Mexico. It is most common in the southern half of its range.
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Red Abalone article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other abalone on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.