Preserve the abs
Useing an 8" gauge can help to preserve the Abs that are growing at a slow rate it takes a 7" ab up to 5 years to grow just one inch which is very suprising . So if you have the time and know how please for the sake of all divers take as big as you can to preserve the sport we all enjoy so much....
9 inch and 10 inch gauges.
My wrost day diving is still better than my best day at work
When you enter the water you enter the food chain
I like how you think, wish more divers would take that approch. That is why I generally use a 9 inch or 10 inch gauge. Just remmeber once you have detached a legal 7 inch abalone from the rock you are required to keep it NO HIGH GRADING that is why you mesure it befor detaching.
sex, reproduction, and balone
yeah so i belive, the size regulations are because of reproductions specs. after an ab has grown to about 7" its fecundity drops off, (how many sperm, or eggs it releases) so definatly let the under 7s go, and i try to leave very tightly populated breeding colonies be.
if u come across one, please dont be tempted to take them all, just the big 9 thats probably steril.