Abalone Farm & Feast in Central California

[tranpulse]

Looks like you guys are eating water slugs/snails... a buddy wants me to go diving for them, but not sure if I want to go yet...

[Angelsigns2012]

$75 a pound. Makes sense considering it takes 4 years to raise just one.

[MrVg10]

Why do they only let the Abalone grow to 3 1/2 inches???

[cplai]

@MrVg10 I guess that size gives them maximum profit. I have heard that some black market in SF where game fishing California Red Abalones (fishing license requires at least 7" long) are sold at $80 to $100 a piece. Not many people are willing to pay $100 for a piece of seafood. It may take them 10 years to grow the big ones and any infection or accident can wipe out million dollar worth of live stock. Small size probably give them a good balance of cost/profit/risk combination.

[MrVg10]

@cplai Thank you for your reply. I was wondering why they did not let them grow any more because of the fact that the bigger they are the more value they have. Thanks again for responding.

[humm2thaU]

what a waste should have creamed them up way better to eat

[MrIzzyDizzy]

there shells are pretty and very very strong - do you use them for anything -

[heartlessvietboy]

In America, Abalone is all you can eat at the Buffet.

[anthonyfoxtrott]

@heartlessvietboy low quality, perhaps?

[heartlessvietboy]

If we were to breed mollusks and crustaceans for food abundancy, we need to make sure that they are bred under open clean water so that we do not get diseases. 

[MaxC17]

looks so amazing!!!

[abzde]

Well it does harm the land a little bit. Seaweed has to be harvested daily. And over harvesting of the seaweed is definitely possible if the farm grows to large for the local area to sustain. Which would leave less food for the native species of fish and abalone.

Not saying this is the case, just saying you've got to realize that this farm doesn't grow it's own kelp. It takes it from the ocean.

[cplai]

I don't think harvesting the kelp will make much difference. Kelp is one of the fasting growing plants in the ocean. As long as there is no other pollution that kills them, they will grow back fast as you can harvest them. Golf course fertilizer run-off into the ocean make much more environmental impact than this.

[anthonyfoxtrott]

@cplai wait... where does all that poo-saturated water go?

[cplai]

@anthonyfoxtrott just pump back to the sea. It is not worse than letting the abalones grow wild in the ocean. the farm only makes harvesting and growing easier in a controlled environment.

[samadipants]

I had been hunting abalone since 1959 at age 7 where you could get your limit of 5 in less than 5 minutes. I quit hunting them in the mid 70's realizing their numbers were in steep decline by then. Today I build water and waste treatment equipment and building my own farm at Moss Landing CA. after having built aquatic systems for others over the years.

Anyone interested in setting up an abalone farm, write me off the board.

[genaropez]

Yes i like to take a look on a new hatchery, the old ones are "set" and do not accept new ideas tinking they all ready know a to z

[AliBenlyazid]

@samadipants - Hey man, I am interesting in setting up an abalone farm. I would love to meet you. Where about are you located?

[hemhemimakatekobum]

Nice they sell them in the markets over there? they don't even consider doing that over here only because the numbers are plummeting and they aren't really readilly available only over on islands.

Theres a limit of 10 each and they must be at least 125mm bout 5" I think or you get a $50 fine for each undersized.

[cplai]

As I said, it is a black market. A stranger walking into a market will not be able to buy a wild abalone because the merchant will only offer to familiar customers to avoid being caught by the authority. My father in law bought a license some years ago. It allows the license holder to catch 8 abalones in one day with an annual limit of 24. i.e. you use up your quota in 3 trips. Each catch must be 7" or bigger. I think the license costs a few hundred dollars.  So it is a very costly sport.

[cplai]

I was wrong, it was up to 3 catches each trip and up to 24 per season. No SCUBA gear is allowed. See another youtube video by appending watch?v=KN2icZ_2F1E

[cplai]

If you figure out how to farm this animal, you can make a lot of money. The 2 inch farmed live abalones are sold at a few dollars each in supermarkets. I think it takes couple of years to raise the 2 inchers, The 7 inchers will take a lot of effort and time to raise.

In a high end Chinese restaurant, an abalone dish costs $30-$80 depending on the size and species. A dish with a Japanese abalone of the size of a chicken egg will cost US$80+

[hemhemimakatekobum]

We call them Paua here in New Zealand but most of ours are blackfoot abalone it use to be a primary food source for the coastal native people of New Zealand (Maori).

It's very lucrative too I think the asians will pay anything from $50-$200 each abalone.

[cplai]

In Oakland Chinatown in California, one can buy a wild caught abalone at US$70+. It is a black market because abalone is a game animal, you are allowed to catch them if you buy a license from fish and game department, but it is illegal to sell what you catch. The shell must be larger than 7" long or the catch must be released. Farmed live abalone are available in the supermarket, they are around 2" long.

[hemhemimakatekobum]

how do yo farm abalone I've been wanting to try something like this just on a very small scale first something like a garage than maybe move up with the more knowledge I gain.

[cplai]

I think you have to duplicate the natural living environment of the animals. The farm shown in the video just pumps the water from the ocean into the tanks. The animals would even know they are in a farm.