Raising young Abalones

Natural animals as basis for the breeding

Picture 8: The natural animals juxtaposed to a human hand

Pearl farmers take healthy natural adult specimens from the surrounding coastline and put them into containers during the breeding season. The Nursery Initially the larvae are free-floating in the containers until the young Paúa settle into large, prepared plates. These plates are put into tanks of running water, which are illuminated around the clock to optimize the growth of the algae that, in turn, nourish the young Abalone).

Abb. 9: Breeding of the very young Abalone in the basins, with constantly recirculated seawater. They are fed with algae from a tube system at the wall.

Algae as the primary nourishment Besides fresh seawater rich on oxygen, which simulates the natural habitat of this surf-inhabitant, the sufficient supply of algae is the most important ingredient for raising young Abalone. The forcefully rinsed plates offer an appropriate foothold to the Abalone as well as to the Algae's growth.

Picture 10: Rodney Ewing, General Manager of Rainbow Enterprise, shows one of the breeding-plates, onto which are attached young Abalones the size of one millimetre.

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