Engaging North Coast Communities in Red Abalone Restoration: A Feasibility Study Survey

1.Which county in California do you live in?

2.Are you familiar with abalone in California?

Yes

A little

3.If abalone is a valuable resource to you, please choose reasons why. Select all that apply.

Other (please specify)

4.On a scale of 1-5, how supportive would you be of a publicly funded project to restore red abalone in Northern California?

5.What specific organization(s) would you like to see involved in a red abalone restoration project?

6.Even if you did not have a specific answer to the question above, which type of organization do you believe should be in charge of directing restoration efforts and associated funds?

State agency (e.g., California Department of Fish and Wildlife)

Non-governmental organization (non-profit)

California Tribal Governments

Private businesses

Educational institution (e.g., university, community college, high school)

None of the above

Other (please specify)

7.If a red abalone restoration project is developed, what should the project include? Select all that apply.

Monitoring abalone populations and habitat

Activities to help kelp/habitat recovery efforts, including reduction of purple sea urchins

Culturing red abalone to put in the ocean to boost population recovery

Reintroducing sea urchin predators in Northern California (e.g., sunflower sea stars)

None of the above

Other (please specify)

8.An abalone restoration project would need a consistent, reliable source of long-term funding to support abalone restoration work. Which types of funding sources would you support, if any? Select all that apply.

Local or county taxes (e.g., sales tax, Transient Occupancy Tax)

The creation of a cross-county Business Improvement District (BID)
BIDs are funded through assessment fees on local businesses and property owners who opt in. These assessments are not taxes, as taxes fund the government. Instead, BID funds are used exclusively for the benefit of the businesses that pay the assessment, and in this case would be allocated for red abalone restoration by supportive businesses.

A state bill with long term funding support passed by California legislators

Adding a required additional fishing license stamp (fee) on saltwater fishing licenses to fund abalone restoration

Voluntary (e.g., optional donations through community event ticket sales, optional fishing license stamp, philanthropic donations, etc.)

None of the above

Other (please specify)

9.If a red abalone restoration project is developed, what would you consider a successful outcome over a 10-year period? Select all that apply.

More public/community stewardship activities for kelp and/or abalone restoration

An increase in scientific understanding of abalone populations and requirements for restoration

An increase in monitoring efforts

Increasing restoration of abalone habitat

Increasing abalone numbers year after year

Reopening of the recreational abalone fishery

None of the above

Other (please specify)

10.If the only outcome during an initial 10-year period was an increase in public stewardship activities and increasing understanding of abalone populations, would you still consider the project a success and worthy of continued funding?

Yes

I'm not sure

12.Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you for taking the time to participate!