Note the shiny abalone iron. Abalone season was called off this year and hadn't been in action for some time. That shiny tool means someone was out there fairly recently; the salt sea is unforgiving in terms of deterioration via rust rust rust. That clean tool means someone was out doing something they ought not to be doing; we need the abalone protected and unharvested now to recovery from the devastation wrought by the sea urchins on the kelp and other fodder that the abalone rely upon. A Fish and Wildlife employee pointed out to me that most of the abalone being seen recently are the deeper-water abalone coming up into the more shallow water seeking food.
Being in the shallow water makes them more vulnerable to poachers.
I wanted to bring that abalone iron back to shore, but I also didn't want to be misidentified as a poacher for having such a tool in my possession when the season is closed. So I left the tool there. I wish I'd swam the iron into deeper water and tucked it into some difficult crevice.
