Farmers in Mexico receive US$ 100 per kilo for shelled, fresh abalone. The customers are buyers in Asia, especially Japan, as well as restaurants in the US. Abalone as a main course costs US$ 50 in high-class American restaurants, and the portion of pure flesh weighs less than 100 grams. These restaurants pay Mexican shellfish farmers US$ 35 per kilo for fresh abalone with shells.

US$ 600 million worldwide value Around 10,000 tonnes of free-range abalone (including shell weight) is harvested globally every year. Cultivated production accounts for around 7,000 tonnes. Maria Teresa Viana - a researcher at the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC) in Ensenada, Mexico - estimates the value of free-range abalone at around US$ 350 million per annum, with the average kilo price at US$ 30. The value of cultivated abalone is approximately US$ 250 million.

Growing industry “Wild (free-range) abalone has been threatened with extinction in many places. This resulted in the Japanese starting re-population 50 years ago, and this was the beginning of abalone farming,” Viana told IntraFish. Taiwan followed Japan’s example 30 years ago, with China starting its abalone production in late 1980s. These two countries are now the world’s largest producers of abalone.

Lengthy cycle It takes six weeks to produce a chicken and around two years for an salmon or trout. However, abalone takes six to seven years. “More research is needed,” Doctor Maria Teresa Viana told IntraFish. She believes it will be possible to breed species that have significantly shorter production cycles and are larger in size than those used in cultivation now. Another problem is to find, through research, the right type of feed that is adapted to the species, as well as the production location and method.

Free-range in Australia Australia is the largest producer of free-range abalone. In 1999 5,500 tonnes were harvested. Second place in 1999 was Japan, with a harvest of 2,000 tonnes. This compares with a decade earlier, when the Japanese harvest from the open sea was 5,000 tonnes. China is the largest producer as far as cultivation is concerned, with 3,500 tonnes per annum. It is closely followed by Taiwan, with 3,000 tonnes.

The remaining 500 tonnes are produced by (in order of volume): Australia, South Africa, USA, Mexico, Chile, New Zealand and Iceland. Production is also starting up in countries like France, Ireland, Spain and Peru. There are high hopes for growth in Chile, which has ideal natural conditions. Farming started in Chile in 1977 and now there are 22 farms -, most of which are operated in connection with salmon farming - producing around 100t. However, Viana pointed out that Chile has problems with excessive usage of antibiotics.

200 species There are around 200 species of abalone, but only 14 are farmed commercially due to the size and suitability for aquaculture. Abalone is found naturally in almost all parts of the world: where you find sea urchins, you’ll also find abalone. The exception is Chile.

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Abalone: World’s most expensive shellfish