Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation officially establishing three new state symbols: a crustacean, a slug, and a seashell.
The three signed bills established the Dungeness crab as the state crustacean, the banana slug as the state slug, and the black abalone as the state seashell.
“California has some of the most biodiverse environments in the world – with over 5,500 plants, animals, and other life forms,” the governor said. “From the majestic California redwood down to the delicate California quail, every organism matters here – and it’s time we celebrated our less cuddly friends before they get too crabby. The Dungeness crab, the banana slug, and the black abalone each bring much to our state and are well deserving of this recognition.”
A pillar of the state’s coastal economy, the Dungeness crab is one of the state’s oldest commercial fisheries.
The banana slug’s plant diet makes them an important role in our ecosystem, especially in the redwood forest. Banana slugs consume plants that compete with redwood seedlings for light. With a maximum speed of six and a half inches a minute, these slugs are one of the slowest creatures on earth.
Abalone played a large role in coastal California Native American tribes' daily and ceremonial practices. Shells that show ancient human settlements trace back to 7,400 years ago. The iridescent shell was also used as currency. The mollusks that abalone shells come from used to be common but have now become endangered.
