Photo 1: A Northern Abalone Shell. (Photo taken on York Island.)
Northern Abalone: Haliotis kamtschatkana
This gastropod was a highly sought after commercial species as the meat is considered a delicacy. However, due to serious conservation concerns, the fishery has been closed since 1990. It is illegal to harvest abalone anywhere along the entire coast of British Columbia.
The Northern Abalone is largely oval in shape and like other species of abalone it is aherbivore with an iridescent mother-of-pearl inner shell. The abalone pictured above was probably killed by a sea otter as it was found on a hill on York Island away from the water with scattered urchins tests and chiton bones nearby.
