Workshop on Rebuilding Abalone Stocks in British Columbia

An international Workshop on Rebuilding Abalone Stocks in British Columbia was held during February 23-26, 1999, in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. The main goal of the workshop was to develop a realistic strategy to rehabilitate depleted northern (pinto) abalone, Haliotis kamtschatkana, stocks in British Columbia. The workshop was also meant to clarify the roles, expectations, and shared interests of many of the interest groups in British Columbia, emphasizing the key role in the rebuilding plan of local communities, including First Nations and non-native communities. The workshop was attended by approximately 120 participants representing First Nations, local communities, recreational and commercial interests including aquaculture, and international (Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa, and U.S.A.) abalone research and management. Presentations at the workshop were centered around the following five topics: (i) introducing local perspectives; (ii) status of abalone fisheries in Alaska, California, British Columbia, and South Africa; (iii) experiences in rebuilding abalone stocks using abalone aquaculture, larval and juvenile seed, and brood stock aggregations; (iv) additional pieces of the rebuilding puzzle, including abalone genetics and disease, sea otters, and the use of marine protected areas and refuges; and (v) summarizing discussions on a strategy for rebuilding abalone stocks in British Columbia. There are 13 peer reviewed papers in the Proceedings.