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Abalone is an edible mollusc. Endemic to
Australia. It is considered a delicacy. It has a single, ear-shaped
shell lined with mother of pearl. The foot of the abalone has a distinct
black lip that gives this species its name. Belonging to the family of molluscs,
abalone are large marine snails or gastropods with a hard ear-shaped shell and a
muscular foot which inhabit Australia's rocky shorelines, from shallow water up
to depths of forty or sometimes 50 metres.
 Abalone is found along the rocky shores of
Australia, south from mid New South Wales down and around to Western Australia.
Abalone in shallow waters averages around 8cm, while shells found in deeper
water grow to around 14cm. Growth rates vary seasonally and with location.
Blacklip abalone can grow to at least 21cm in length.
Abalone adheres itself to rocks, so a tool called
an "abiron" is used to dislodge it. An abiron is similar to a paint
scraper.
Blacklip Abalone graze on seagrass leaves and
algae growing on rocks, their diet is dominated by red algae. They are
preyed upon by crabs, starfish,
stingrays, wobbegong sharks and possibly
rock
lobsters.
Also known as Brownlip Abalone.
State regulations set bag limits and minimum size
limits for abalone caught by recreational fishers. In Western Australia
abalone may only be taken by divers using snorkelling gear.
Of over 100 species of
abalone living in the world today, at least twenty three of
these occur in Australia: however in Tasmania it is only the
two largest species which form the basis of the commercial
abalone fishing industry - the green lip (Haliotis Laevigata)
and the black lip (Haliotis Ruber).
Abalone Shells
The shells, which can attain lengths of up to twenty
centimetres, are flat, asymmetrical (ear-shaped) and
spirally coiled with a low spire and a row of open holes on
a curved line along one edge. As in most gastropods, water
is swept into the mantle cavity by ciliary action. The holes
allow for out-flowing water to pass through carrying with it
respiratory, excretory and alimentary wastes without
endangering the head and other sensitive organs. From time
to time as the shell grows and the abalone ages a new hole
is formed whilst an older one closes over. These disused
holes remain evident forming a spiral pattern around the
shell's exterior.
Another distinctive
feature of these unique shells is the brilliant iridescent
nacreous (mother of pearl) lining which decorates the inner
surface, making the entire shell both a novel ornament and a
favourite for costume jewellery.
Habits
In their natural habitat abalones are browsers, moving along
in a mainly uninterrupted gliding motion aided in their
locomotion by the creeping sole of their muscular foot. As
light evading animals abalone attach themselves to shady
parts of rocks with this foot which has a suction force of
more than 4000 times that of their own body weight.Haliotids
are herbivores, feeding almost solely upon algae and small
sea weeds which they grind from the rocks. Never travelling
far from the place where they first settled, abalone usually
prefer to dwell in places on the seabed where drift weed is
conveniently carried along by a gentle current. Seaweed,
bryozoa and sponge form a covering on the outer shell of the
abalone, providing it with handy camouflage.
Life Cycle
Abalones are either male or female but lacking accessory
reproductive organs necessary for copulation, they are
spawners. An adult female may lay up to 500,000 eggs which
are released into the sea water when induced by the presence
of male sperm. Fertilisation takes place in the sea and the
eggs then float for one to five days as they develop into
veligers with a minute shell. The veligers sink to the sea
bed attaching themselves to lithothamnion, a red sea weed
covering rock, and begin to grow at a rapid rate. Growth
rates depend entirely on the food supply available but it
can be as much as 40 millimetres per year.
Young abalone remain
vulnerable to natural predators, making a tasty dish to many
varieties of fish and crabs. As such they live by day
concealing themselves within tiny crevices between rocks
emerging only at night to feed. Yet as they grow larger and
become more sexually mature (about three years of age) they
may remain out in the open while still avoiding the
occasional deadly foe such as octopus, crabs, fish, sharks,
stingrays and of course man.
Abalone is an important
commercial fishery.
Experimental aquaculture is being tested in Tasmania, South Australia and
Victoria.
Cooking Abalone:
Abalones (Family
Haliotidae) have succulent meaty bodies and are both
delicate and delicious in flavour placing them in high
demand on dinner tables across the globe.
The muscular foot is commonly eaten. The skirt (frill) can
be eaten, as can the mantle and viscera. Farmed abalone,
being small, is often eaten whole. Abalone meat can be
stir-fried, pan-fried, poached, steamed or stewed. However,
it is considered by some to be best when eaten raw, in thin
strips with wasabi and soy sauce.
Commercial Fishing for Abalone:
The blacklip abalone (Haliotis
rubra) forms the basis of the abalone fishery in NSW.
Abalone are commercially harvested from rocky reefs by
divers typically using surface-supplied air or scuba. In
practice, most commercial abalone fishing takes place on the
south coast of NSW, primarily from Jervis Bay to the
Victorian border, with most abalone found close to the
shore.
Commercial fishing for abalone began
in the early 1960s with annual catch rates of between 200
and 400 tonnes, peaking at 1,200 tonnes in 1971. However, by
1977 a combination of heavy fishing and bad storms caused
catches to fall to around 300 tonnes.
Concern about the state of the resource led a 1979
Parliamentary inquiry to recommend that the abalone and sea
urchin fishery become a restricted entry fishery. This
occurred in the following year when only 59 divers were
granted access to the restricted fishery - down from more
than 100 divers in 1979.
The number of divers has been reduced progressively to
address excessive fishing effort and increase viability.
Individual catch quotas were introduced in 1989.
A comprehensive Fishery Management
Strategy has been prepared for the Abalone Fishery and was
approved by the Minister in April 2007. Commercial
fishing of the species in NSW is controlled through a quota
management system.
Exporters of Abalone
Importers of Abalone
Processors of Abalone
Wholesale Suppliers of Abalone
Seafood Agents for Abalone
Suppliers of Canned Abalone
Abalone Fishery in Tasmania -
Info Courtesy of Tasmanian Abalone Council website at
www.tasabalone.com.au
The Tasmanian abalone industry is a
major contributor to the Tasmanian economy. The Tasmanian
abalone fishery is the largest wild abalone fishery in the
world, providing approximately 25% of the annual world
harvest.
Boasting a staggering 25% of global
production the Tasmanian Abalone Fishery forms the
basis of one of Tasmania's most important domestic and
export industries which has, under the careful management of
the Tasmanian Abalone Council (TAC), progressed from
strength to strength.
Protection and promotion.
Devised and established in 1994 as a means to protect and
promote all facets of the industry, the Tasmania Abalone
Council (TAC) is committed to furthering the interests of
all trades, businesses and professions connected with,
interested in or affected by any aspect of abalone fisheries
in Tasmania. As the united voice of one of Tasmania's
premium and indeed most valuable industries the Tasmanian
Abalone Council represents and articulates the views and
needs of all stakeholders and allied interests alike.
The TAC is a comprehensive, wide-researching and
multi-faceted organisation which involves itself on all
levels with research and development, trade and trade
relations, law reform and government liaison. The TAC has
significant input into Government policy regarding the
management of the abalone industry via the ABFAC (the
Abalone Fisheries Advisory Committee) providing informed
advice directly to the Sea Fisheries Minister in all
relevant matters. Via the Abalone Research Advisory Group (ABRAG)
the TAC also has direct input into setting abalone research
priorities.
The creation of three sub-councils in 1996 to operate under
the single umbrella of the TAC, has ensured separate forums
exist for either diver specific, processor specific or quota
holder specific issues to be addressed. This has provided a
means for the individual sub-groups to discuss issues
specifically relevant to them. The establishment of a joint
office with the Tasmania Apple and Pear Growers Association
in 1995 has further provided the Council and its many and
varied members with a strong central contact point and
ensured also a base from which to conduct business in a
friendly, professional and efficient manner.
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