Highly valued for its edible muscular foot and mother-of-pearl shell, the pinto abalone has declined significantly in recent decades and faces extinction unless it'ss protected — and soon — under the ...

A savored delicacy for sea otters and native coastal people alike, these hard-shelled marine snails were prized for the iridescent colors and the occasional pearl found inside their shells. Like most ...

Abalone shells have long been sought for their iridescent interiors made from layers of nacre, otherwise known as mother-of-pearl. Many coastal California Native American tribes used these shells ...