Hi. My name is Able. I was once a magnificent red abalone. Now I’m just a junk bowl on the desk of the dipshit who normally writes this column. I contain some presumably reusable toothpicks, an expired condom, probably a raisin and a smelly glass pipe. And my partner here is a red abalone shell […]
abalone
Posted inNews
Abalone, Titans and Taters
This week, we’re looking at the 10-year closure of the North Coast’s recreational abalone fishery and how we got here. We’ll also introduce you to one of the army of volunteers that make visiting the redwoods possible. Finally, you should throw a potato party and we’ll tell you why. Hit subscribe for weekly updates on […]
Posted inNews
Abalone, Sea Stars and Possibly Too Much Pie
This week, we’re looking at the 10-year ban on abalone and the newly discovered cause of the starfish wasting disease that is among the die-off’s major factors. We’re also behind the scenes at the Humboldt County Fair apple pie contest. Hit subscribe for weekly updates on Humboldt stories.
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Summer Fun, Abalone, Witness Coffee and Stobaugh
Our Summer of Fun issue is here with all the camp, craft, arts and outdoor options for kids in our county. We’ve also got an update on the plight of our local red abalone and Humboldt’s marine ecosystem. There are possible developments in the conditional release of a convicted sexually violent predator and his placement […]
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NCJ Preview: Abalone, KHSU and Help in the Storms
This week we’ve got an update on struggling abalone populations and steps toward rebounding. What’s the deal with KHSU? This week we’ve got some information and local opinion on how things are and aren’t progressing in terms of local content, especially during disasters. We’ll share the few details available on the woman found dead in […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Bull Kelp vs. Bullshit
Climate change-related shitstorms are not funny. So if you came here for humor this week, you’ll have better chances reading the crossword puzzle. I know someone will say, “But there’s no actual shit falling from the sky, so global warming is a hoax.” That’s fine, but I’ll even let doubters choose the type of shit […]
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Top 10
A new year should be seen as a time of hope, a chance to pause, reflect and to set our sights on becoming better people and a better community. When we look back on 2018, we recall times of intense division — we squabbled over land uses, political campaigns, recovery services and criminal justice. There […]
Posted inNews
‘A Miracle Didn’t Happen’
When the California Fish and Game Commission took the unprecedented step last year of shutting down the North Coast’s 2018 red abalone season, the idea was to give the last vestige of the state’s once great fishery some time to bounce back. The decision came in the aftermath of what scientists call a “perfect storm” […]
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The Grand Juror Who Was Banned for Life
The California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously in closed session June 20 to permanently ban former Humboldt Bay Harbor, Conservation and Recreation District Commissioner and current Humboldt County Civil grand juror Aaron Newman from obtaining a recreational hunting or fishing license. The commission’s action is rare. According to California Department of Fish and Wildlife […]
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Former Harbor Commissioner Banned for Life From Recreational Hunting/Fishing in California
The California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously in closed session this afternoon to permanently ban former Humboldt Bay Harbor, Conservation and Recreation District Commissioner Aaron Newman from obtaining a recreational hunting or fishing license. The ban stems from a 2014 criminal case in which Newman faced allegations that he’d habitually poached abalone and lied […]
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A Year Without Abalone
The North Coast’s red abalone are dying, starving really, the latest casualties in a literal sea change taking place off our shores due to what scientists are calling a “perfect storm” of ecological events. As detailed in the Journal’s March 8 cover story, “The Plight of the Abalone,” large swaths of the region’s once lush […]
Posted inNews
‘Perfect Storm’ Has North Coast Marine Ecosystem Reeling, Abalone in Crisis
Cynthia Catton’s voice catches a bit as she describes diving along the North Coast this summer to survey the region’s red abalone stock as part of annual state monitoring efforts. She had known the situation was bleak but that didn’t prepare her for what she would see. “At all of the sites we saw a […]