SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Scientists say there are fewer than 1,000 white abalone in the wild, due in part to overfishing.

The type of sea snail is a protected species. The Bay Foundation and several other organizations are on a mission to help bring back the abalone, which the organization said is important to bringing balance to kelp forests, which are home to more than 700 species.

The team grows abalone in a lab to later out plant, or place back in the ocean.