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The Catch Of The Day

By Knute Hogan,

The Culinarian Magazine

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ABALONE//March 2008

Abalone, a single shelled mollusk related to whelks and sea slugs, is a marine snail with over one hundred different species. As a food source, Abalone is a highly prized delicacy. Its iridescent colored inner shell known as mother of pearl also has wide decorative uses. The population of wild abalones has dropped dramatically over the years. This drop is primarily attributed to over harvesting. Due to the depletion of wild stock, farm raised abalone now provide most of what is used for culinary purposes.

While the distribution of abalone is worldwide, it is found primarily along western North America, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan. Generally speaking they locate themselves in intertidal and subtidal zones at depths to over one hundred feet.

Abalone are broadcast spawners meaning the eggs and sperm are cast into the water to be fertilized. While spawning can occur year round, the timing may be influenced by water temperature. It is thought that the presence of eggs and sperm in the surrounding waters prompt other abalone to begin this life cycle. After the eggs hatch, the larvae are free floating for up two weeks as their shell begins to form. As the weight of the developing shell increases, the abalone sinks to the bottom when it begins its life as a surface dweller often attaching themselves to hard rocky features using its muscular foot. The shell grows to a remarkably hard surface that is constructed in a brick like fashion and held together by an adhesive protein material. The shell is usually oval shaped with several colorful whorls or spirals. Shell size for a mature abalone range from five to twelve inches across. Determining the abalone's age has proven difficult because there are no distinctive features on its shell to assign age, it is said that abalone can reach 20, 30, 40 years old. In an aquarium setting, the observed growth of juvenile abalone is one inch per year for the first couple of years. After that time, growth rates slow significantly.

Abalone develop to sexual maturity rapidly. They can release tens of thousands of eggs as a juvenile to over one million as an adult. The abalone's mortality rate is very high. Their first challenge occurs when it first lands on the sea floor and must seek adequate habitat while encountering any number of predators including starfish, octopus, crabs and fish. The abalone has no blood clotting agent and will bleed to death if it is injured. Its only real defense feature against predators is the strong hold it has to the rocky surface it is attached to. As an adult, there are few predators that can successfully dispatch the hard shell protecting the abalone. These few predators include humans and sea otters.

The main food source for abalone is marine algae such as kelp. The adult abalone attaches itself in a suitable location and waits for drifting pieces to pass by. Juvenile abalone feed on the algae covering the rocks in its habitat. Although abalone is a stationary creature it will seek out a source of food should the preferred diet material not present itself.

There is not a place on earth that has not seen its abalone population exploited to seriously low levels. This is not exclusive to modern times however; evidence of over harvesting dates back several thousand years. The falling numbers have prompted implementing brief open seasons in which to fish and strict fishing regulations that include stiff fines and the possibility of imprisonment. It seems that each year here in California there are a couple/few cases where someone is arrested in possession of too many abalone or selling them to restaurants. There are even a number of repeat offenders here in the bay area. Bottom line, there is no commercial abalone harvesting in the United States.

Abalone can be farmed either in the ocean or on land based farms. Because they grow abalone in a controlled environment, most often indoors, land based farms act as a hatchery providing the larvae for the farms that have created habitat in the ocean. Abalone are sensitive to environmental changes like water temperature so the future of this aquaculture program lies with land based farms with environmental control mechanisms.

The amount of farmed abalone is truly remarkable. China, which is the largest producer, reports annual harvest figures exceeding five hundred tons. Worldwide, the number of farms and the market supply of farmed abalone are increasing. As the market supply increases many anticipate the likelihood of market price decline. Should market supply exceed consumer demand, there is the potential for financial pressure on abalone farms and potential business failures.

As abalone farming has expanded so has the need for a consistent food source. This has created pressure on this natural resource; add warmer water temperature as another factor that may have a negative impact on this sea plant. A low cost manufactured marine algae is a fairly recent development and will prove to be necessary to continue a sustainable aquaculture program. Abalone being a slow feeding animal requires a feed stable enough to accommodate this behavior and not dissolve to rapidly in water and lose its nutrient value. An Australian manufacturer is producing a feed that offers an excellent feed to abalone ratio of one and a half to one, is slow to dissolve and remains appealing to the abalone.

Abalone can be kept alive stored in an oxygenated bag in a cooler for up to 48 hours. The meat will need to be removed from the shell when they are taken out of the bag, after prepping the meat will hold up very well for several days stored under refrigeration. It is advised that the live abalone not be placed on a hard surface like a counter or table top that it will attach to, set them on a towel or other soft surface instead. After cleaning the shell with a brush and extracting the meat it is not recommended to tenderize at that point but rather allow the meat to relax for a couple of hours, this is the best time to use as sashimi. Otherwise carefully tenderize the meat with a fine tined tenderizer, wrap in plastic and refrigerate.

Being able to offer a delicacy such as abalone will enhance any menu and given that it is coming from sustainable aquaculture programs makes it a choice that will be enjoyed for years to come.

CAVIAR//12.2008

JOHN DORY//09.2008

REDFISH//08.2008

ABALONE//03.2008

AMERICAN LOBSTER//02.2008

MUSSELS//01.2008

AQUACULTURE//11.2007

PACIFIC ROCKFISH//10.2007

ARTIC CHAR //08.2007

BARRAMUNDI//07.2007

WALLEYE PIKE//07.2007

SOFT SHELL CRAB//08.2007

PACIFIC SALMON//05.2007

PACIFIC HALIBUT//04.2007

KAMPACHI //03.2007

SCALLOPS //02.2007

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