What do abalone look like

Juvenile perlemoen depend on Cape sea urchins to survive - they follow the urchins around, hiding under their spines for protection from predators. An unprecedented influx of West Coast rock lobster to regions of the Cape has resulted in increased predation of these urchins , leaving the young perlemoen exposed. This influx of rock lobsters, which previously only inhabited the West Coast and rarely rounded the Cape Peninsula, has not been thoroughly explained.

However, increased pressure on the rock lobster population caused by water pollution and climate change is likely responsible for this migration, and is evident by the increasing numbers of " lobster walkouts ". This relationship between kreef, urchins and perlemoen highlights the intricacies of ecosystems and how susceptible they are to damage by humans.

Feel free to enjoy abalone as a meal, but ensure it is sourced from a sustainable aquaculture source. Abalone farmers in South Africa are cooperating to ensure that the gene pool of captive farmed perlemoen remains diverse - an important type of conservation if farmed abalone are ever needed to replenish the wild population.

We've written about abalone farming before - check out these baby blue jewels. The threats facing abalone are not uniquely South African, nor are they limited to Haliotis midae. In the USA, overfishing of white abalone Haliotis sorenseni that started in the s has done so much damage that despite 30 years of intensive conservation efforts, its numbers have not recovered and its extinction seems inevitable. Similar trends are seen in other large abalone species - pinto abalone, black abalone, green ormer, pink abalone and others are facing similar declines.

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Plan Your Trip. Special Offers. Online Resources. Things To Do. School Lessons and Outreach. Tourism Professionals. Feeding Times. Conservation Work. Web design and content by Flow Communications. Search Two Oceans Aquarium Toggle navigation. Home Blog Everything you need to know about abalone. Often underappreciated, perlemoen truly have their own hidden beauty.

Image courtesy Marine Science. All abalone, including this northern abalone, use their barbed tongues or "radula" to scrape apart algae for consumption. Image courtesy Seattle Aquarium. Perlemoen Haliotis midae H midae is the largest of the five species found here, and the one most people think of when they hear "perlemoen".

Spiral-ridged siffie Haliotis parva The smallest abalone species, rarely growing beyond 45mm, the siffie is notable for the large hump that traces the spiral of its shell. Venus ear siffie Haliotis spadicea This abalone is ear-shaped, with a shell commonly stained with red blotches. Quekett's abalone Haliotis queketti Quekett's abalone is similar in size and distribution to the spiral-ridged siffie, being slightly larger and occuring a bit further east along the South African coast.

Beautiful ear-shell Haliotis speciosa This is a very unusual species of abalone, rarely observed. Abalone will often stay in their own small territory waiting for scraps of kelp to drift by. Image courtesy of Mendocino TV. Perlemoen poaching is rampant in disadvantaged coastal communities in South Africa, where it is seen as one of the only ways to escape poverty. Abalone ab-ah-LOW-nee is a large marine gastropod mollusk. It has extremely rich, flavorful, and highly prized meat that is considered a culinary delicacy.

Among the world's most expensive seafood, abalone is often sold live in the shell, frozen, or canned. It is often cut into thick steaks and pan-fried though it can be eaten raw or added to other dishes. Abalone is a gastropod mollusk that lives in coastal saltwater. A member of the Haliotidae family, it ranges in size from 4 to 10 inches. Like other univalve snails, it has a single shell on top and uses a large foot to cling to rocks and eat algae.

The abalone shell is flat and spiral-shaped with several small holes around the edges. Its other names include ear shells and sea ears because of its shell shape. The interior of the shell is an iridescent mother of pearl nacre pattern that is as prized as the meat it protects. The popularity of abalone led to overfishing and nearly brought the shellfish to extinction. Both white and black abalone that live off the California coast are on the endangered species list and it is illegal to gather wild abalone from the oceans in many parts of the world.

Due to careful management practices and strict harvesting regulations, wild abalone populations are making a comeback. Farmed abalone is increasingly available. Due to regulations and the fact that the abalone requires special preparation before eating, it is expensive.

Abalone in the shell needs to be carefully pried out and the meat tenderized. People who eat the shellfish say that the cost and work involved are worth it; the meat is simultaneously sweet, salty, and buttery. To prepare abalone , it must be shucked, cleaned, and tenderized or the meat will have a rubbery texture.

The abalone attaches to its shell with a solid round muscle at the bottom. To gently release the meat from the shell, a wide, flat, wooden spatula works well. It is sometimes soaked, blanched, or frozen prior to shelling.

The viscera guts , black edges, and tough outer skin is then removed. All parts are edible, but eating these trimmed pieces is a matter of taste and careful preparation so they're often discarded. The cleaned abalone meat needs to be tenderized, often by pounding it whole or as thick-cut steaks; it can also be done with long, slow cooking methods. The delicate flesh will pick up the flavor of other foods it's cooked with, so seasoning is generally light. Treated carefully as a delicacy, abalone is often gently and quickly fried in a pan, though it may be steamed or poached.

It is also eaten raw, particularly in Japanese sashimi. When properly tenderized, abalone has a taste often likened to a cross between scallops and foie gras. Maybe an aquarium some where. Oh yes it was found off the Huntington Beach Ca area. Dad always did his diving between the Huntington pier to the long beach. Hi Rebecca! I highly recommend it. Let me know if you see one! Thanks for the information! My husband free-dives for abalone off the Northern California coast, we love treating our neighbors to a feast of the delicious meat, and I make jewelry from the shells.

We are extremely careful to follow all the regulations in harvesting the abalone and I always wear a respirator when creating the jewelry. Thanks for reading Cindy! Hi just read a article of abalone worth R1m found in a township house close to wear I stay. I had no clue what it was until I read your article thank you for explaining it so well.

Now I learned something new in life. Tnx Mcnean South Africa. Thank you for sharing. Coincidentally, I work in the abalone industry too. Thanks for all of the amazing information!

What I took away from reading your article is that they are amazing little creatures! Very interesting to read. I do appreciate the shell colouring — magical — but I always had an aversion to it for some reason like pearls. I now know why. I really didnt associate the jewellery available to come from a living commercially forced animal. Thought the shells were found because of natural death! My eyes have been opened. Another way is to not over fish them and nature will win.

I will never wear their shells as jewellery. Too sad. Came across the word abalone in a crossword, the clue being, mother of pearl source.

I was like erm….. Having never heard of it I had to reveal the answer then of course my curiosity was aroused so I looked it up and read your blog. What a fascinating informative read! I was just home in Northern California — near Gualala, and I saw for the first time live abalones feeding on algae when the tide went out. I was so excited. They are so cool! I observed and enjoyed these magnificent snails.

Thanks for your great article. I would never eat them either as they are frequently poached. California girl forever! You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account.

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. If you are like most people, you have seen abalone in one of two ways: Hopefully, after you read this post you will have a new found appreciation for abalone.

What are abalone? What does an abalone look like? Side view of Juvenile Pinto Abalone What does a day in the life of an abalone look like? A face only a mother could love. Or an abalone biologist. Why do I think abalone are cool? Why are abalone important?

Abalone Facts -Abalone have gills!