By Zeke Barlow The black abalone that were once thick in the
waters off the California coast earned a dubious distinction
today when biologists took the final steps in putting the
mollusk on the Endangered Species List. ... The wording in the
listing of the abalone brings up how global warming may affect
the endangered species if ocean temperatures were to rise. ...
The abalone, which were once found in great numbers off the
Channel Islands, suffered a one-two punch that led to their
rapid decline and population crash in the 1990s, said Melissa
Neuman, a fisheries biologist with the National Marine Fisheries
Service, which published the listing in the Federal Register
today. After 30 days, the listing becomes official. Years of
fishing greatly reduced the population numbers, but it was the
“whithering syndrome” that was first found on Santa Cruz Island
that dealt the devastating blow to the species, she said. The
disease, which spread rapidly among the population, prevents it
from digesting food and the abalo