Illegally Harvested Abalone Shells

Poached Abalone shells_©PeterChadwick_AfricanConservationPhotographer

Bleached abalone shells that have been illegally harvested lie in huge piles along the coastline of Robben Island, South Africa where they have been washed ashore. Clear marks in the sides of the shells show where the poachers stabbed into the abalone to remove them from the rocks upon which they were attached.