The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) wardens contacted 1,112 people and seized 79 abalones during an abalone checkpoint last month in Sonoma County. The checkpoint, the first of four planned abalone checkpoints in May and June along Northern California's coast, resulted in 66 citations for a variety of abalone-related infractions.?Į?????????????????????? "Checkpoints provide a method to help DFG educate the public about laws, regulations, and resource conditions," said DFG Lt. Steve Riske, the April 30 operation commander. "They can also prevent, discourage, and allow for the detection of violations, and apprehend violators of fish and game laws."?Į?????????????????????? Abalone season opened on April 1 along the state's north coast. Divers can take red abalone, Haliotis rufescens, only north of San Francisco Bay, and only by hand without the use of scuba equipment. Regulations allow the take of three abalones each day, with no more than 24 during the season. There remains no commercial take of abalone, and California has banned all abalone harvest south of San Francisco since 1997.?Į?????????????????????? Riske said wardens routinely conduct checkpoints during abalone season along the coastlines of Sonoma and Mendocino counties. DFG plans at least one more checkpoint later in May and two in June that will target the "Lost Coast," the region north of Rockport marked by its inaccessibility and sheer cliffs that dominate the rocky shoreline. Well hidden with few paths to the water's edge, wardens know the area draws abalone poachers who wish to hide from the watchful eyes of honest people.?Į?????????????????????? Wardens caught two people who were sneaking 19 abalones in a soft-sided ice chest that they hid behind the seat of their truck. Both face possible felony conspiracy charges with the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office related to the illegal take of abalone.?Į?????????????????????? DFG had 33 wardens on scene at Russian Gulch in Sonoma County. They worked with five Department of Parks and Recreation rangers, a Sonoma County Sheriff's deputy, and a ranger from the county's Regional Park Department.?Į?????????????????????? Wardens stopped 403 vehicles during the six-hour operation. In addition to the abalone, wardens seized 130 illegally taken turban snails, two greenling, and 36 pounds of mussels.?Į?????????????????????? Wardens used metal gauges to measure the size of each abalone. They scrutinize the tools used by the harvesters, ensuring that abalone irons are less than 36 inches long with no sharp edges. They also check that divers remove no mollusk from its dense shell, a violation of the Fish and Game Code.?Į?????????????????????? The majority of violations stemmed from divers failure to complete the required abalone report card permits. DFG cited a dozen people for possession of abalone out of the shell, five people tried to alter the report cards, and four people had abalone too small to be legal.?Į?????????????????????? "The vast majority of the people we contact during these checkpoints are positive towards the effort of the Department," Riske said. "The two main comments we get from people are that they are glad we're out there, and they wish we would do more of them."?Į?????????????????????? Other violations included no fishing licenses, over limits of invertebrates, and pollution near state waters. There was also a pair of health and safety, and vehicle code violations cited during the checkpoint.