Abalone recovery workshop held

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More than a dozen people from up and down the coast came to an abalone recovery action plan workshop in Port Alberni last month.

The five-year, $1.5 million Fisheries and Oceans study on ways to rebuild decimated abalone populations is being presented in a number of west coast communities.

"The purpose of the meeting was to report on what the abalone recovery program is," said Nuu-Chah-Nulth southern region biologist Jim Lane. "Are they any closer to getting more abalone in the water? I don't think so."

According to the report, over the next 10 years the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) plans to spend $761,000 for population rebuilding, $565,000 for population surveys, $96,000 on the coastal watch program, $650,000 on enforcement, and $416,000 on communications.

Most of the targeted funding will go towards preventing poaching, which is considered the biggest obstacle to abalone recovery.

Abalone aquaculture operations such as the Huu-ay-aht-Bamfield Project are showing signs of success as they will be ready to start out-planting their tank-grown abalone this summer.

"DFO also wants to gather abalone in the Broken Island area and put them all in the same area so they'll have a better chance at reproducing since they're broadcast spawners," said Lane. "They've still got a number of issues to sort out though, including their duty to consult with First Nations, which hasn't been done yet as far as I know," he said.

Closed in 1990 to all harvesting, the Northern Abalone (also known as Pinto Abalone) was declared a threatened species by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in April 1999. Scientists estimate abalone populations decreased by more than 75 per cent from 1977 to 1984 because of over-harvesting and various ocean conditions.

DFO will review the comments collected at the workshops and will develop a further impact study.