Haliotis sorenseni

White Abalone

White version of the Abalone shell fish, sometimes confused as the only type of abalone due to the spread of western culture and it being the most widely consumed. White abalone, Haliotis sorenseni, may have the smallest population on the West Coast of North America. It is said to have one of the most tender and flavorful meats of all the abalone species. Currently this species is being maricultured for seed to be placed in the ocean in hopes of bringing this species back to safe population levels. Discovered in 1940, the white abalone is the deepest dwelling of eight species of California abalones, ranging from 80 to 200 feet deep. Scripps Institution of Oceanography biologists conducted surveys of white abalone deep water habitat in the early 1970’s, finding high concentrations of about one white abalone per square yard. Such densities were comparable to abundance of shallower species of abalone found in previously unfished or protected areas. Unfortunately, high demand for this species led to a “boom-and-bust” fishery that was essentially fished out in seven years. White Abalone usually has between 3-5 open holes in it's shell. The outside shell color varies anywhere between red to brown while the inside is white and pink. The shell tentacles are lacy, beige and yellow-green in color.

The meat of abalone The inside surface of an abalone shell

Abalone comes in 8 types : red abalone, pink abalone, black abalone, green abalone, white abalone, pinto abalone, threaded abalone, and flat abalone.

Resources

• Abalone: Species Diversity
• Team Spawns Rare White Abalone
• White Abalone - An Extinct Possibility?