Publication Date

6-2001

Series Number

128

Publisher

Department of Fisheries Western Australia

City

Perth, Western Australia

ISBN

0 7309 8456 7

ISSN

1035 - 4549

Abstract

China and Taiwan are the major producers of cultured abalone; with annual production estimated at 3,500 and 3,000 tonnes respectively. The world production of cultured abalone sold in 1999 was 7,775 tonnes. Australian farm production was still relatively low (89 tonne in 1999) but numerous abalone farms have been proposed and many have been constructed. On a national scale, Tasmania and South Australia are the major states involved in temperate abalone culture; however, new projects have commenced in Victoria and considerable interest exists in New South Wales. Pilot scale trials with tropical abalone aquaculture using the Donkey-ear abalone (Haliotis asinina) have been undertaken in Queensland and Western Australia. The culture of abalone in Western Australia is still in its preliminary stages with only one hatchery operating in Albany and a major farm under construction and partly stocked at Bremmer Bay, near Albany.

A commercial fishery for abalone exists in Western Australia, consisting of Roeʼs (H. roei), Brownlip (H. conicopora) and Greenlip (H. laevigata) abalone. The current total catch of these abalone species (1998/99) is estimated to be approximately 341 mt (live weight). The Australian and world catches are 5,538 mt (1999) and 10,150 mt (1999) respectively.

The major world markets for abalone are China and Taiwan, which consume around 80% of the world catch. Markets also exist in Japan, Europe and Korea. While mainland China is the largest consumer nation for the canned product, Japan is the largest consumer nation for live, fresh and frozen abalone. Overall, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong represent the major markets for Australian abalone.

Biological attributes and farming technology, where information is available, are outlined for six abalone species of interest for aquaculture within Australia. These are Greenlip, Roeʼs, Blacklip (H. rubra), Brownlip, Donkey ear, and Staircase (H. scalaris) abalone.

Hatchery production of abalone larvae and spat is well developed with spawning, hatching and larval rearing, and nursery procedures proving quite successful.

Artificial feeds for Australian abalone are of high quality but are still being optimized. In Australia, nutritional research, higher product volumes and market place competition have lowered artificial diets to about $AUS 3.00-3.90 per kg. In their natural habitat, adult abalone generally feed on drift algae or graze on attached algae.

Growth is affected by many factors such as source of stock, density, type and amount of feed, water flow and quality, handling techniques, temperature, and the type of culture system. Several tank systems (both land-based and sea-based) have been designed and tested within Australia in trials organized by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) and carried out by abalone farmers in South Australia and Tasmania.

Current and future research could be aimed at possible diseases of the Western Australian abalone species, broodstock conditioning, cryopreservation of sperm and eggs, control of bacteria in hatcheries, genetic issues (hybrid and/or triploid abalone, selective breeding) and species-specific information. To date, the majority of research conducted within Australia has been carried out on the Greenlip abalone, particularly in land-based systems.

Number of Pages

48

Keywords

Haliotis laevigata – Greenlip Abalone, Haliotis conicopora – Brownlip Abalone, Haliotis rubra – Blacklip Abalone, Haliotis roei – Roe’s Abalone, Haliotis asinina – Donkey ear Abalone, Haliotis scalaris – Staircase Abalone/Ridged Abalone, Aquaculture, Biology, Review, Commercial fishery

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries | Marine Biology | Natural Resources and Conservation | Natural Resources Management and Policy

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