Abalone Book Talk

Endangered black abalone.\Photo courtesy of MARINe

Ann Vileisis will discuss her new book, “Abalone:  the remarkable history and uncertain future of California’s iconic shellfish,” in an online talk on Monday, Nov. 23, at 7 p.m.  The event is hosted by the Oregon State University Port Orford Field Station and the Oregon Kelp Alliance, among others.

Prized for their iridescent shells and delectable meat, abalone have a long and rich cultural history in California; but with increasing stresses to marine ecosystems today, these unique mollusks now face enormous challenges. Ann Vileisis is an award-winning author (“Discovering the Unknown Landscape,” about wetlands, for one example), not to mention president of the Kalmiopsis Audubon Society in Curry County, where she lives.  She will provide a deep dive into the environmental history of abalone, based on her book. She’ll cover abalone restoration efforts as well as lessons that this California story has for Oregon and for everyone who cares about marine life.  (We have abalone in southern Oregon waters as well, and one problem we have up here is that restrictions designed to preserve them are pushing Californian abalone-hunters up here.)

Tune in to the talk using this short URL: http://beav.es/o9i. Password: abalone.