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Fish, Crustaceans & Cephalopods

Beche De Mer
(Sea Cucumber)

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).

 

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Other Abalone Links:

ABALONE RECIPES

More information about Abalone

Recipes using Abalone - from How to Cook Fish.info

Instructions on preparing abalone western style - Step by Step photos

Exporters of Abalone
Importers of Abalone
Processors of Abalone
Wholesalers of Abalone
Seafood Agents for Abalone
Suppliers of Canned Abalone

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 of Abalone
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 of Abalone
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.

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.

Abalone Recipes

Recipes for Abalone from How To Cook Fish

Avocado Abalone - Crumbed Abalone steaks wrapped around peppers, mozzarella cheese and avocado.

How to Soften Dried Abalone
Bring some mineral water to a boil in a saucepan then add the dried abalone. Let it come to a boil again.......

Quick & Easy Way to Cook Abalone	Abalone in Oyster Sauce	How to Cook & Clean Abalone	Champion Abalone

Commercial Fishing for Abalone:

Abalone is an important commercial fishery.  Experimental aquaculture is being tested in Australia in Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria.

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.

Western Australian Fisheries - Publications and information on popular freshwater and saltwater aquaculture species: Ornamental Fish, Silver Perch, Black Bream, Red Claw, Trout, Yabbys, Marron, Mussels, Pearls, Western Rock Lobster, Trochus, Abalone, Barramundi,  Fin Fish, Prawns.