Frequently Asked Questions About Abalone Farming

• What is aquaculture?
• What is land-based abalone aquaculture?
• Why land-based aquaculture?
• Why is there interest in abalone aquaculture?
• What is the current status of the WA abalone industry?
• Why farmed abalone?
• What are the environmental impacts of abalone aquaculture?

What is aquaculture?

Aquaculture is the business of farming aquatic animals and plants under controlled conditions, both in marine and freshwater environments.

What is land-based abalone aquaculture?

Since abalone are naturally adapted to turbulent open sea conditions, they can only be held in circulating, high quality,well-oxygenated fully-marine sea water.

In land-based abalone aquaculture, high quality oceanic water is pumped and reticulated to a system of plastic trays or concrete raceways.

The abalone are routinely fed with an artificial pellet, which is specifically designed to meet their metabolic requirements.

Why land-based aquaculture?

Land-based aquaculture allows good control of environmental factors that optimise growth rates, whilst minimising any potential environmental impacts.

Why is there interest in abalone aquaculture?

Western Australia's southern and temperate western coasts are the home of the commercially important greenlip (Haliotis laevigata), brownlip (Haliotis conicopora) and Roe's abalone (Haliotis roei). These species have excellent acceptance in the Asian market. Most Australian abalone is exported and  the country currently produces over 40 per cent of the total wild abalone  exports worldwide.

However, wild abalone stocks are slowly declining, both locally and overseas, and yet the worldwide market demand for abalone product is increasing, as evidenced by the rise in abalone prices over the past five years.  This fact makes the production of high quality cultured abalone a commercially attractive proposition.

Commercial aquaculture of greenlip abalone in particular is expanding rapidly in South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. The technology for farming greenlip is well-documented and farms in these states have shown that landbased abalone aquaculture can be commercially viable.

What is the current status of the WA abalone industry?

The abalone aquaculture industry in WA is poised to grow substantially over the next five years, and has the potential to make a significant contribution to the State's export earnings and regional employment. It is anticipated that investment in the abalone industry over the next five years will be in the order of $5-10 million, with production in excess of 500 tonnes a year a realistic goal by the year 2010.

Why farmed abalone?

Cultured abalone reared using aquaculture techniques are not subject to size or quota restrictions, so business can expand to meet market needs.

A good supply of farmed abalone will also reduce the pressure on our precious wild stocks, which are slowly declining.

What are the environmental impacts of abalone aquaculture?

Abalone farming is considered to have a relatively low environmental impact, based on studies of nitrogen levels in the effluent produced. There are strict practices outlined in abalone aquaculture policy guidelines that include the installation of coarse filtration, sediment traps or settlement ponds to ensure the removal of solids from discharge water. Stringent water quality monitoring programs, approved by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), are placed as a condition on abalone licences and must be carried out regularly by licensees to DEP standards.