SeaDoc Science Saving Snails

They may not have had pinto ponies like they did on the Great Plains, but the Coast Salish had a pinto of their own: the pinto abalone. Salish people ate them and valued their iridescent shells for jewelry; they were a valuable trade item for centuries.

Unfortunately, pinto abalone (a.k.a. Northern abalone) are in big trouble. Commercial harvest in British Columbia and recreational fishing in Washington caused the abalone numbers to decline precipitously, forcing the closure of most fisheries by the 1990s. Even with protection, populations of these important herbivores have continued to decline and the species is now in danger of extinction.