abalone

The only otter seen on Thursday was way off shore, floating on its back atop a kelp bed — presumably eating some tasty morsel, such as a crab or abalone, retrieved from the sea floor.

There are exquisite medallions and hair ornaments made from iridescent abalone shells and strings of Chumash currency — tiny, doughnut-shaped beads created from carefully cut olivella shells.

On special is an abalone soup, an alien beast in his time, and not our cup of tea, but they say Hemingway took a shine.

However, deputies also uncovered an unexpected aquatic trove: 35 live abalone, a northwestern pond turtle, wet clothing and tools apparently used to pry abalone from rocks, authorities said in a statement.

He took loads of halibut and abalone off the La Costa Beach.