Deadly Season
Abalone harvest's costliest start in decades calls safety, licensing into question

By DEREK J. MOORE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Four people have died while abalone hunting this month, marking the deadliest start to the season in at least 20 years.

Perhaps even more disturbing, heart attacks, drownings and fatal shark attacks on abalone hunters have made the sport the single most lethal ocean-going pursuit on the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts in the past 10 years, claiming at least 30 lives.

That represents 42 percent of coastal water deaths during that period. The other 58 percent includes boating accidents and being swept from the beach by waves, each accounting for 16 deaths.

The figures, which are based on a review of Press Democrat archives and do not include falls from cliffs, underscore the potentially deadly risks associated with abalone hunting, which is as much a part of the North Coast lifestyle as surfing or beachcombing.

And yet, more protections are afforded the invertebrate creature than those who seek it out.

Enthusiasts must abide by size and catch limits, a ban on artificial air and other rules while harvesting the prized mollusk. To go diving or rock picking, a person must simply be over the age of 16 and pay for a fishing license and abalone report card, which is used to record daily and annual tallies.

Despite the number of overall fatalities associated with the sport -- at least 61 deaths on the North Coast since 1987 -- there has not been any significant push to change licensing requirements.

"There has been great talk of changes to the regulations for harvesting abalone in general, but the safety issues have not come up or been a focus," said Adrianna Shea, spokeswoman for the California Fish and Game Commission, which oversees natural-resource protection in the state.

The issue fundamentally is one of responsibility -- the responsibility of individuals to know the risks and take appropriate precautions, and the responsibility of society to sometimes protect people from their own unwise choices.

People stand a better chance of being injured or killed on the drive to the coast than from anything they might do once they get there. But licensing, seat-belt laws and other driving standards are in place to mitigate the risk.

"What we've seen this month has elevated the whole issue to a higher point," said Bruce Rogerson, a retired risk manager who lives in Fort Bragg and is a member of the Mendocino County Water Safety Coalition.

Rogerson acknowledged that any proposals for change would be met with resistance.
"When you introduce licensing requirements, that can tend to be pretty controversial," he said. "But it may be that it's reaching that point. We haven't taken a position on that within the coalition."

Many abalone hunters already feel burdened by government interference. Harvesting is restricted to the waters north of San Francisco Bay, with limits of three abalone a day and 24 a year.

Risks discounted

Many people also discount the risks of the sport, saying for instance that a person can die of a heart attack anywhere. It's not the sport that raises the risk, so the argument goes, but a person's own ill health.

Three of the four people who died this month may have suffered a medical emergency, according to the Mendocino County Coroner's Office, which is awaiting more definitive test results.

Arthur "Sam" Boyd, 70, of Atascadero, died April 18 in Caspar. The same day, Selina Sau Yee Cheung, 60, of Gilroy, died near the Point Arena lighthouse.

The following day in the same area, Mang Jay Yang, 36, of Suisun died. Then on Sunday, Craig Sangalli, 51, of Oakland perished near Fort Bragg.

Sangalli and Yang, whose drowning death was likely unrelated to a medical emergency, had been diving for abalone. The others were rock picking.

The fact all four were from outside the North Coast speaks to what some have referred to as the "Sacramento syndrome," which refers to people who drive long distances to get to the coast, where exhaustion and unfamiliarity with conditions can sometimes make a lethal combination.

Two-thirds of the abalone hunters who've perished on the North Coast in the past 10 years were from outside Sonoma and Mendocino counties, according to Press Democrat records.

"It's been this way for a long time," said Roger Rude, a retired Sonoma County sheriff's lieutenant and avid abalone diver. "There have been fatalities and there will be fatalities, even if people are, quote, 'licensed.' They are still going to go out and get in over their heads because they are people."

Rude used to oversee the sheriff's helicopter unit and over the years participated in numerous rescues of abalone hunters.

"What you're trying to do is protect the stupid from themselves. That's where I think government goes overboard," he said.

Sport is soaring

Interest in the sport is soaring. In 2005, the last year for which statistics are available, more than 35,000 hunters took 235,000 abalone, according to Steve Martarano of the California Department of Fish and Game.

The potential for trouble has not gone unnoticed.

The Mendocino Land Trust sounded the alarm on potential safety problems at Cantus Cove, in the rural enclave of Caspar, after two abalone divers had to be rescued there last year.

In the September 2006 report submitted to the California Coastal Commission and California Coastal Conservancy, the trust recommended more outreach and education programs on the coast to try and prevent future problems.

Six months later, Boyd's death while rock picking in Cantus Cove on April 18 underscores that maybe more should be done.

Susan Juhl, whose home overlooks the cove, said she's grown weary of emergency vehicles parking in her driveway when rescues are under way. At the very least, she said, a sign warning people of the dangers might help.

"There's undertow and a lot of slippery rocks," she said. "Of course, I wonder how many close calls there have been."

Increasing safety awareness has proved challenging, however.

Rogerson with the water safety coalition said the group's efforts to distribute brochures and laminated cards at dive shops, gas stations and other points of contact have been hampered by a lack of money and interest.

"Shark attacks get people's attention," he said.

Licensing would affect all

Licensing changes would affect every abalone hunter no matter where they lived and do more to guarantee that the information was received. Such changes would require the Legislature to grant that authority to the Fish and Game Commission, as was the case for other hunters, who must undergo a 10-day safety course before getting their tags.

The sheriff's helicopter increases patrols of the coast on the opening weekends of the abalone season, which runs from April to November with a break in July. As many as three lifeguards patrol state parks on the Sonoma Coast, but with 14 miles of shoreline to cover, it's a tall order to help everyone.

Warning signs are another option. But where to put them would be a considerable challenge given the innumerable access points to abalone hunting areas, which cross over county, state and private property.

Language barriers are an issue. Of the 16 people who died while abalone hunting on the North Coast since 2000, half had Asian surnames.

Whether abalone hunters would actually heed those warnings is another story. At Salt Point State Park, signs inform visitors about tides, water visibility, small craft advisories and other information.

Nevertheless, 17 abalone hunters have died there in the past 20 years, making it the single deadliest spot on the coast.

"I can be standing with someone one-on-one and tell them, 'I don't care if you drove from Sacramento. The surf is bad, the kelp is blooming and it's not safe to surf the water,' " said Heidi Horvitz, the supervising ranger at Fort Ross State Historic Park. "And you know what they tell me? They tell me, 'I've been diving for 20 years. Don't you tell me what I can do.' "

News researcher Teresa Meikle contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer
Derek J. Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com.