Abalone may only be taken in April, May, June, August, September, October and November, but they may not be taken in July, December, January, February or March. For legal abalone diving, you'll need both a state-issued license and a report card. Abalone is heavily restricted, but illegal harvesting by organised criminal networks has caused stocks to plummet, dramatically impacting the legal abalone farming industry. Shellfish abalone, known locally as “perlie” or perlemoen, is in high demand, particularly from the Far East. A fishing license. Courtesy of Gastropods.com. Abalone is weird! In California, scuba diving for abalone is strictly prohibited in order to give the abalone any chance of survival. An abalone report card. Abalone poaching in Cape Town succeeds because there is a motivated offender, a suitable target and a lack of security. That's why it's on our list of weirdest ocean animals of all time. Transportation of abalone is only legal while the abalone is still attached to the shell. Abalone poaching: lifting the lid on why, how and who Menu Close These abuses include at least four break-ins and theft of seized abalone in government storage facilities in one year. All sport fishing requires some sort of fishing license by law, and a one-day sport fishing license will cost $14.61 per person. It is very large and can grow up to 23cm across. Back to top. In some instances government officials were implicated. The illegal abalone trade cost South Africa’s economy around R628 million annually. The 5 South African abalone species. Sale of sport-caught abalone is illegal, including the shell. South Africa has indefinitely suspended the fishing of abalone - commonly known as perlemoen - in its waters, effective from 1 February 2008. Senior government officials have also been involved in colluding with criminal syndicates. Perlemoen (Haliotis midae) H midae is the largest of the five species found here, and the one most people think of when they hear "perlemoen". It is legal to harvest wild abalone (with permits and adherence to number limits) but poaching in the wild fisheries has steadily increased since the mid-1990s.