Farming Abalone

Aquaculture Potential

The market for cultured abalone has been growing rapidly, especially in China, and has more than kept pace with world production. In the medium to long term, the continued increases in production and increased quantities of wild abalone being shipped live could have an impact on market prices. However, abalone fisheries have declined in many countries, so this shortage must be supplied from aquaculture. Unfortunately for the culturist, Australia's abalone fisheries are generally well managed and Tasmania still has the world's largest abalone fishery so there could be competition from

Australian fisheries, as well as, foreign abalone culture operations. However, farmers generally market abalone well below the minimum legal size for wild Greenlip and Blacklip abalone.

Prices for farmed Australian abalone have exceeded A$50/kg and future prices will reflect supply and demand trends. There is also considerable potential for improving production efficiencies. A range of product categories for different size abalone is possible, such as live or canned (see Oakes & Ponte, in Fleming & Hone 1997, pp. 187-195).

• Australia in general, and specifically Western Australia, have excellent potential for abalone farming, particularly with Greenlip abalone in land-based systems on the south coast.

Factors Favouring Abalone Farming In Australia

• Very high market value and declining world fisheries outside of Australia
• Availability of suitable species e.g. Greenlip abalone
• Low disease risks
• Excellent abalone aquaculture research network (FRDC Subprogram)
• Experienced consultants
• High quality commercial abalone feeds
• Experience with handling, processing and marketing abalone. (Australian abalone have an excellent market image.)
• Range of growout systems developed

Factors Favouring Western Australia

• Wide range of species and coastal environments
• High water quality (low nutrient content)
• Ideal locations with deeper bays on south coast for land-based Greenlip abalone farms (reduces risk of summer stress problems while favouring fast growth)
• Relatively warm winter water temperatures due to the Leeuwin Current
• Large number of potential land-based sites identified
• Inshore reefs to protect intake pipes
• Potential sea-based sites near Albany
• High priority industry for public sector research and development staff
• Current and new investment in hatchery facilities
• Reduced risk through experience gained with interstate farms

The limiting factors for abalone aquaculture in Western Australia have been the delays in obtaining environmental and native title agreements for sites, absence of three-phase power in more isolated sites, limited availability of venture capital and a shortage of hatchery reared juveniles. Progress is being made with the first limitation and hatchery bottlenecks have largely been overcome. In the interim, growers can apply to translocate juveniles from interstate under stringent conditions aimed at reducing disease and genetic impacts.

Economic analyses of abalone aquaculture systems are rarely published but the paper by O'Brien (in Foster 1996, pp. 67-83) should be consulted for land and sea-based systems. For land-based systems, the cost and reliability of the seawater supply is a critical factor as water usage can exceed 50 million litres per day. More recently, Weston et al. (2001) concluded that land-based abalone farms producing 100-200 mt annually had a high probability of financial viability despite their use of estimates, of cost of acquiring juveniles, which many farmers consider to be too high.

High prices are dependent on producing high quality product that does not pose any health risk to consumers.A best practice manual has been developed to help achieve these goals (Anon., 2000).