Red Abalone – Oregon Conservation Strategy

Overview

Species Common Name Red Abalone
Species Scientific Name Haliotis rufescens

Ecoregions

Nearshore

The Nearshore ecoregion includes a variety of habitats ranging from submerged high-relief rocky reefs to broad expanses of intertidal mudflats in estuaries and hosts a vast array of fish, invertebrates, marine mammals, birds, plants, and micro-organisms. This ecoregion encompasses the area from the outer boundary of Oregon’s Territorial Sea to the supra-tidal zone, and up into the estuaries.

Special needs

Red abalone occur only in rocky intertidal and subtidal habitat.

Limiting factors

Red abalone require sufficient density for successful broadcast spawning. They produce short-term, yolk-dependent larvae, with infrequent recruitment.

Data gaps

Assess spatial distribution and abundance in shallow subtidal habitat.

Conservation actions

Monitor status of populations at index sites. Manage for sustainable harvest. Gather information to fill data gaps.