Thirty years ago, black abalone ruled the intertidal zones of Southern California and the Channel Islands. By 2009, the species had become so depleted that it was put on the Endangered Species List, but a recent study published by a diverse group of researchers shows that the tides may be turning back in the abalone’s favor.
In certain areas of the islands, where there had been only a handful of abalone just a few years ago, there are now dozens, and the populations seem to be growing at a nearly exponential rate. National Park researcher Steve Whitaker said the resurgence is occurring much faster than he could have ever imagined. At first blush, this appears to be a simple win for black abalone, but to understand if these growth patterns are natural or not, the help of archaeologists is necessary.
The authors of the study used a specialized research method called historical marine archaeology. They compared the sizes of abalone shells discarded more than 10,000 years ago by Chumash people to those found in more recent centuries. “If you really want to know what the population looked like, what better way than to go back as far as you can possibly go?” asked Whitaker.
