Chinese Abalone Merchants and Fishermen in Nineteenth-Century Santa Barbara, California

Shortly after the California Gold Rush, the first commercial abalone fishery sprang to life along the central and southern Californian coast, an industry founded and developed by Chinese immigrants. By shipping dried black abalone (Haliotis cracherodii) to Chinese communities in the American West, and exporting the product to a ready market in China, Chinese merchants assembled an elaborate trade network that reached from Santa Barbara, California, to China. Here, we offer the first synthesis of archaeological and historical data that describes the elements of Chinese export activities interpreted through a trading diaspora framework. Our results reveal details about an international trade network supported by the formation of self-governing business associations, relationships with trading partners, and interactions with European Americans. This study fills a critical gap in our understanding of the broader context of California’s historical fisheries and contextualizes the strategies of Chinese merchants who took advantage of new opportunities presented by a changing Pacific economy.

Anthropogenic introduction of the etiological agent of withering syndrome into northern California abalone populations via conservation efforts

Populations of abalone have precipitously declined in California over the past several decades, largely as a result of fishing pressure and disease. Because of these declines, farmed seed abalone have been planted in an attempt to research and restore dwindling populations. Withering syndrome is a chronic disease responsible for mass mortalities of wild black abalone, Haliotis cracherodii, in southern and central California and is caused by the bacterium "Candidatus Xenohaliotis californiensis". This bacterium has been observed in wild populations of black and red (Haliotis rufescens) abalone south of Carmel and in farmed red abalone throughout the state. In an effort to elucidate the distribution and source of the bacterium in northern California, the presence or absence of the disease and bacterium was verified at 15 locations north of Carmel. This research revealed that both the bacterium and withering syndrome are present in abalone populations south of San Francisco. In addition, the bacterium (but not withering syndrome) is present at two locations in northern California, both associated with outplants of hatchery-reared abalone, suggesting a link between restoration efforts and the present distribution of this pathogen. These data highlight the need for careful assessment of animal health before restocking depleted populations.