Have you ever gone to a sushi restaurant and wondered what is “uni”? …Civilizations as ancient as Rome have indulged in these gourmet gonads, but despite modern technologies, fishing for sea urchins remains far from easy or automated. Jason Wise, founder of the online streaming service SOMM TV, documents the lives of hardworking Santa Barbara… Continue reading A Taste of the Sea: Nature Documentary ‘The Delicacy’ Dives Into Humankind’s Obsession with Sea Urchin Uni
Topic: Abalone
Youth Podcast Interview: TBF’s Tom Ford on Kelp and Abalone Restoration
10-year old Christian Amyx interviews TBF’s Tom Ford about kelp and abalone restoration, making science and technology easy for 1st-6th graders.
California’s Critical Kelp Forests are Disappearing in a Warming World. Can They Be Saved?
Kelp need our help. Which is why an unprecedented alliance of scientists, fishers, surfers, entrepreneurs, and experts is coming together to revive California’s vital kelp ecosystem, decimated by a warming ocean. “The California coast without kelp is like the Amazon without trees,” says Tom Ford, executive director of the Bay Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring… Continue reading California’s Critical Kelp Forests are Disappearing in a Warming World. Can They Be Saved?
Holding Fast, or Failing? There Are Dozens of Confounding Elements Working Against Abalone Recovery on the California Coast.
For years, abalone have been in serious decline in California. While abalone shells persist, molded into sidewalk benches, nailed onto signposts, and laid on countless tribal gravestones, the animals themselves — seven species of which inhabit California waters — all continue to dwindle from their kelp forest homes. This stark reality is the result of… Continue reading Holding Fast, or Failing? There Are Dozens of Confounding Elements Working Against Abalone Recovery on the California Coast.
Whales are dying, but numbers are unknown. Coronavirus has stalled scientific fieldwork.
As gray whales began their northern migration along the Pacific coast, earlier this month — after a year of unusually heavy die-offs — scientists were poised to watch, ready to collect information that could help them learn what was killing them. The coronavirus outbreak, however, has largely upended that field work — and that of… Continue reading Whales are dying, but numbers are unknown. Coronavirus has stalled scientific fieldwork.
Can the Long-Lost Abalone Make a Comeback in California?
Hunched over a tank inside the Bodega Marine Laboratory, alongside bubbling vats of seaweed and greenhouses filled with algae, Kristin Aquilino coaxed a baby white abalone onto her hand. …To the untrained eye, they appear pretty drab. But in this humming lab, home to more white abalone than in the wild, these invertebrates have captured… Continue reading Can the Long-Lost Abalone Make a Comeback in California?
Santa Monica Bay National Estuary Program’s Action Plan for the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan – October 2018
This Action Plan is one component of the Santa Monica Bay National Estuary Program’s (SMBNEPs) Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), with the goal of providing a long-term framework for action in the Santa Monica Bay and its watersheds. Prepared by TBF and SMBRC staff for approval by SMBNEP’s Management Conference.
Restoring Abalone in Santa Monica Bay
Gone are the days where freedivers or scuba-divers can collect abalone in Southern California. Deep in the crevices of the rocks on the reefs live Abalone, a common name for a group of small to very large sea snails. The Santa Monica Bay was once thriving with seven different species: red, pink, green, white, black,… Continue reading Restoring Abalone in Santa Monica Bay
Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria: Interview with TBF’s Heather Burdick
In this episode of Talk Nerdy, science journalist Cara Santa Maria is joined in studio by Heather Burdick, the Director of Marine Operations for The Bay Foundation. They talk about Heather’s Marine Program work on various projects involving research, monitoring, and ecological restoration throughout Santa Monica Bay. They specifically discuss the Palos Verdes Kelp Restoration… Continue reading Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria: Interview with TBF’s Heather Burdick
Image of the Day: Ab Lab
Disease and overharvesting have depleted the types and quantities of abalones (Haliotis rufescens) found in Santa Monica Bay. The Bay Foundation has been trying to replace the marine snails to their natural habitats since 2010. Most recently, the organization has been spawning abalones in a research laboratory with plans to reintroduce them into the kelp… Continue reading Image of the Day: Ab Lab