South Africa gangs 'threaten' rare sea snail existence Image copyright AFP Image caption Conservationists have called for the species of abalone known as Haliotis midae should be give special protection Poachers linked to South African drug gangs are threatening the existence of a species of abalone, a sea snail that is highly prized by restaurants in China, a new report says.
Stocks of abalone are declining at an unprecedented rate, according to research by conservation group Traffic.
The affected abalone species, Haliotis midae, is only found in the waters off the coast of South Africa.
Traffic wants it to be put on the global list of endangered species.
About 96 million abalone are thought to have been poached since 2000.
Abalone are large and round, and cling to rocks in the shallow, shark-infested waters off Cape Town.
Every year some 2,000 tonnes of abalone flesh are dried, and smuggled abroad, mostly by air to Hong Kong and beyond, where they are re-hydrated and serve..