Needle in a haystack': White abalone seen alive off California for first time in 5 years

A live white abalone sighting off California's Channel Islands marks a hopeful milestone for the critically endangered species, seen for the first time in five years. The discovery occurred during a May survey near Santa Cruz Island aboard NOAA's Shearwater research vessel, credited to Julie Burse of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Jaimee Butler of the Aquarium of the Pacific. NOAA Fisheries later verified the sighting with video footage and collected shell measurements, video records, and environmental DNA samples to guide future surveys. With numbers down about 99% since the 1970s, researchers emphasize habitat restoration and continued monitoring under the Wanted Alive! White Abalone program.