"Somethin' Fishy" Chapter 21. Abalone! 1970-80s

When strong westerly winds flattened the waves, conditions were perfect
     for diving in protected bays like the southern end of MacMasters Beach.
This was often the signal to go ‘ab-diving’ (diving for the abalone
shellfish).

The limit per diver was 8 per day – insufficient to feed a big family –so at John’s signal the whole family would go down and ‘get their heads wet’ to increase the quota. Of course if a few ‘abs’ happened to be ‘helped’ to release their grips on the rocks into to eager young hands, nobody noticed. John would only do this if these wonderful shellfish were plentiful.

In later years for a time, commercial “ab” divers were permitted to take all the mature abalone they wished, utilising a boat equipped with air pump and hooker (breathing tube). One such diver turned up in the bay one winter. With greedy eyes, he instructed his young assistant ‘Just keep bagging ‘em as I send ‘em up mate – then pass the net back down to me again! Don’t stop until I tell ya to!’ The boy nodded obediently.

John observed the morning’s proceedings through binoculars from his beach
house, alarmed at the over harvesting of this species beyond sustainability.
Watching net after net being hauled up and tipped into bags on board, he
wondered how much longer this could go on. Suddenly something amazing
happened.

The diver down below, busily working away and sucking on his air hose
was suddenly met with a problem – NO AIR! Heading for the surface, he was utterly astounded to see his boat coming down – laden so chock-a-block with abalone, IT HAD SUNK!!!

Swimming around in circles up above, was his not-too-bright but VERY OBEDIENT assistant! John chuckled…visualising all those abalone happily crawling back into their rock crevices again down below. This was one time when greed did not pay!


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