252 THE WEALTH OF THE SEA 



The California Abalone Industry 



The abalone industry has already been mentioned 

 in the chapter on pearls and mother-of-pearl. In 

 the United States, abalones were taken for their beau- 

 tiful shells long before the food value of their flesh 

 was recognized by Americans. Just as the American 

 Indians residing on the Atlantic coast utilized clam 

 shells for ornamental purposes and for the manufac- 

 ture of shell money, so the Indians of the Pacific coast 

 used abalone shells for these purposes. 



The early Chinese immigrants first recognized that 

 the California abalones were quite as valuable as food 

 as the Oriental Haliotk, and began to gather these 

 mollusks for their meat. The Chinese built up an 

 important abalone drying and smoking industry, 

 which still exists to-day. It is only recently that the 

 abalone has become a popular American dish. 



The abalone is a large marine snail. Six species 

 are found on our Pacific coast but none on the 

 Atlantic. The abalone, like the common snail, has a 

 well developed head and a powerful adhesive creep- 

 ing foot. Many tragic tales have been told of the 

 adhesive power of the abalone's foot. Various writers 

 record the drowning of Chinese fishermen by the 

 incoming tide while they were held fast to the bottom 

 by an abalone. While such an occurrence is possible, 

 it is highly improbable, and it seems likely that these 

 tales were invented by persons with fertile imagina- 

 tions to account for the mysterious drowning of 

 abalone fishermen. 



Some abalones are taken by fishermen wading in 



