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Clinton G. Abbott Bio
Sea Lion Devastation
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1937
1938
1939
1940 and Beyond
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1940 and Beyond
After Abbott removed himself from the debate, many of his contacts and the San Diego Society of Natural History continued to weigh in on the issue. In April of 1946, a month after Abbott had died, a new bill was introduced in the California State Legislature to halve the sea lion population for much the same reasons that had spurred A.B. 1365 in 1939; sea lions were blamed for destroying fishing equipment and depleting oceanic fish stocks. Laurence Huey and Robert T. Orr, both close confidants of Abbott’s during the first campaign, stated the “definite opposition” of their organizations to the new bill, worrying about the potential upset of the “balance of nature.” It would not be until 1972 that sea lions were guaranteed permanent protection by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
As another postscript, the Ross Company was left reeling by Abbott and other conservancy efforts to stop their hunting. Already in receivership in 1937 after their whaling rights were revoked, Abbott’s campaign put a further dent into their profits. By 1944, they declared bankruptcy. |
