FILE - In this Saturday, April 21, 2007, file photo, abalone divers brave Pacific Ocean surf as they hunt for the shellfish at low tide in Fort Ross, Calif. California wildlife managers have curtailed the 2017 red abalone season, axing both April and November from the calendar and sharply reducing the allowable annual catch. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials are recommending the 2018 red abalone fishing season be shut down. Officials made the recommendation yesterday based in part on a survey that revealed nearly 40-percent of all abalone recorded were dead. The mollusks, which feed on kelp, are being affected by a massive kelp die-off and they can’t reproduce as easily when facing starvation. Officials will make the final decision tomorrow on whether to shut down the 2018 season.