A question - Does the collector know how big the abalone is when he pries it off the rock?
I've seen fishermen keep everything they catch, then sort the catch at the end of the day back down to the limit, keeping only the best. I'm curious if some abalone divers are over collecting, then only keeping the best 3 at the end of the day. Would scuba fix that?
Abalone divers are required to carry a measuring gauge with them. See 29.15 (d) and (f) below. Here are the abalone regulations, copied from pp 46-48 of
California Sport Fishing Regulations 2015-2016:
29.15. ABALONE.
(a) Open Area: Except in the area described in subsection (a)(1) below, abalone may only be taken north of a line drawn due west magnetic from the center of the mouth of San Francisco Bay. No abalone may be taken, landed, or possessed if landed south of this line.
(1) No abalone may be taken in the Fort Ross area bounded by the mean high tide line and a line drawn due south true from 38°30.63 N, 123°14.98 W (the northern point of Fort Ross Cove) and a line drawn due west true from 38°29.45 N. 123°11.72 W (Jewel Gulch, south boundary Fort Ross State Park).
(b) Open Season and Hours:
(1) Open Season: Abalone may be taken only during the months of April, May, June, August, September, October and November.
(2) Open Hours: Abalone may be taken only from 8:00 AM to one-half hour after sunset.
(c) Bag Limit and Yearly Trip Limit: Three red abalone,
Haliotis rufescens, may be taken per day. No more than three abalone may be possessed at any time. No other species of abalone may be taken or possessed. Each person taking abalone shall stop detaching abalone when the limit of three is reached. No person shall take more than 18 abalone during a calendar year. In the Open Area as defined in subsections 29.15(a) and 29.15(a)(1) above, not more than 9 abalone of the yearly trip limit may be taken south of the boundary between Sonoma and Mendocino counties.
(d) Minimum Abalone Size: All red abalone must be seven inches or greater measured along the longest shell diameter. All legal-sized abalone detached must be retained. No undersize abalone may be brought ashore or aboard any boat, placed in any type of receiver, kept on the person, or retained in any persons possession or under his control. Undersize abalone must be replaced immediately to the same surface of the rock from which detached. Abalone brought ashore shall be in such a condition that the size can be determined.
(e) Special Gear Provisions: The use of SCUBA gear or surface-supplied air to take abalone is prohibited. Abalone may not be taken or possessed aboard any boat, vessel, or floating device in the water containing SCUBA or surface-supplied air. Abalone may be taken only by hand or by devices commonly known as abalone irons. Abalone irons must be less than 36 inches long, straight or with a curve having a radius of not less than 18 inches, and must not be less than 3/4 inch wide nor less than 1/16 inch thick. All edges must be rounded and free of sharp edges. Knives, screwdrivers and sharp instruments are prohibited.
(f) Measuring Device: Every person while taking abalone shall carry a fixed-caliper measuring gauge capable of accurately measuring seven inches. The measuring device shall have fixed opposing arms of sufficient length to measure the abalone by placing the gauge over the shell.
(g) Abalone Possession and Transportation: Abalones shall not be removed from their shell, except when being prepared for immediate consumption.
(1) Individuals taking abalone shall maintain separate possession of their abalone. Abalone may not be commingled in a float tube, dive board, dive bag, or any other container or device, until properly tagged. Only after abalones are properly tagged, as described in Section 29.16 (b), Title 14, CCR, may they be commingled with other abalone taken by another person.
(h) Report Card Required: Any person fishing for or taking abalone shall have in their possession a nontransferable Abalone Report Card issued by the department and shall adhere to all reporting and tagging requirements for abalone defined in Sections 1.74 and 29.16, Title 14, CCR.
29.16. ABALONE REPORT CARD AND TAGGING REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Abalone Report Card Required. All individuals including divers must have an Abalone Report Card in their immediate possession while fishing for or taking red abalone. Individuals must complete and return the card pursuant to regulations in this Section and in Section 1.74.
(b) Tagging Requirements. An Abalone Report Card includes detachable tags that shall be used to tag any abalone that is taken and retained in the sport fishery. Any red abalone possessed by any person shall be tagged.
(1) Cardholders shall tag any red abalone either immediately upon exiting the water or immediately upon boarding a vessel, whichever occurs first. For the purposes of this section a vessel is defined as any watercraft used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water (reference Section 9840(a) CVC). Cardholders shall not wait to return to their vehicle, beach site or other location to tag any abalone in possession.
EXCEPTION: Cardholders who dive from a non-motorized vessel such as a kayak that is in the water may wait until immediately after disembarking from the non-motorized vessel to tag and record any abalone in possession, but shall not transfer any abalone from his or her immediate possession unless they are first tagged and recorded on the report card.
(2) The cardholder shall fill in the month, day, time of catch, and fishing location on the abalone tag, remove and completely detach the tag from the card, and affix it to the shell of the abalone.
(3) The tag shall be securely fastened to the shell of the abalone. To affix the tag, a zip tie, string, line or other suitable material shall be passed through a siphon hole on the abalone shell and through the tag at the location specified on the abalone tag.
(4) Tags shall be used in sequential order, and shall not be removed from the report card until immediately prior to affixing to an abalone. Any tags detached from the report card and not affixed to an abalone shall be considered used and therefore invalid.
(5) No person shall possess any used or otherwise invalid abalone tags not attached to an abalone shell.
(c) Reporting Requirements. Immediately upon tagging all abalone in possession, the cardholder shall record the month, day, time of catch, and fishing location in the appropriate spaces on the numbered line on the Abalone Report Card which corresponds to the number on the tag attached to the abalone.
(d) Records of Prior Activity. All tags must be accounted for at all times by entry of a record on the Abalone Report Card corresponding to all tags that are not in possession. Any tag that was lost or destroyed shall be recorded as such on the corresponding line on the Abalone Report Card. Any tag that was inadvertently removed and is still in possession shall be recorded as void on both the tag and the corresponding line on the Abalone Report Card.
(e) Abalone tags must be left affixed to the shell, including while stored at a residence or nontransient location, until the abalone is processed for immediate consumption.
(f ) The annual fee for the Abalone Report Card is specified in Section 7149.8 of the Fish and Game Code.