This presentation is part of the Cape Perpetua Speaker Series, hosted by the Cape Perpetua Collaborative.
DESCRIPTION
Oregon’s red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) have been the target of a recreational trophy fishery since the 1950s, but following a perfect storm of negative environmental conditions, the fishery was closed in 2018 due to population concerns. Acquiring new information about red abalone biology and habitat, history of the fishery in Oregon and genetic information, allows researchers and managers to work towards a conservation and fishery management plan. ODFW and Oregon Sea Grant have partnered to collaborate with university researchers, agency staff, and fishery participants to determine a framework for an environmentally conscious conservation and management plan for red abalone in Oregon.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kendall Smith is a second-year master’s student in the marine biology graduate program at the University of Oregon and a 2021-2022 Oregon Sea Grant Natural Resource Policy Fellow. Her assignment and master’s thesis focus on a collaboration with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to research the red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) population in Oregon for application in management and conservation. Kendall received her Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology at the University of Oregon in 2017 and started working at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife as a shellfish biologist in Charleston in 2018 where she worked on sampling, monitoring and research of recreational and commercial shellfish fisheries. Aside from her work in marine biology, Kendall loves to mountain bike, hike and cook.
