Infestations of California's abalone aquaculture facilities with an exotic parasite from South Africa is an interesting study in one of the downsides of the mariculture industry. This saga started when South African species of abalone were imported into one California abalone facility, established a foothold there, and spread to most (every) other aquaculture facilities throughout California (and who knows where?). Last year, a letter signed by more than 100 marine scientists was sent to Governor Pete Wilson sounding an alarm over California's handling of the aquaculture industry. That letter resulted in a flurry of public and private exchanges between scientists and aquaculturists. The result is a useful look into how things "work" in mariculture. With the recent news of abalone farms possibily spreading the cause of Withering Syndrome, this look into how things work seems scary to me.

• Letter to the Governor (Andrew Cohen)
• Initial Response (Carolyn Friedman)
• Specifics (Carolyn Friedman)
• General Information on Sabellid Worm (Carrie Culver)
• An Aquaculturist's Perspective (Ray Fields)
• Perspective From South Africa (Kevin Ruck)
• Response to South African Perspective (Andrew Cohen)