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the following terms are the sole property of InlayUSA.com King Abalone™ Prince of Pearl™ The Abby of Awabi™ The Sultan of Shell™ The Mother of all Pearl ™ Vicker of Veneer™ Prince of Paua™ The Mother of all Inlay™ Queen Awabi™ The King Tut of Tahitian™
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Classification Abalone belong to the phylum Mollusca, this group includes clams, scallops, sea slugs, and squid octopuses. Mollusks are found worldwide and are predominantly marine. Their body's are surrounded by a mantle, an anterior head and a large muscular foot. Mollusks, are very edible but are best known for their beautiful calcareous shell secreted by the mantle. The abalone is related to (other) snails, whelks and sea slugs an are in a class known as Gastropoda. Unlike the calm (with two shells), Gastropoda Members of this class have one shell, as opposed to clams with two, (or the shell may be lacking altogether, as in the sea slugs). Spiral structure, very common in snail shells, is flat in the abalone and may be affected by shell boring organisms. Abalone are members of the family Haliotidae and the genus haliotis, which means sea ear, referring to the flat shape of the shell. The word abalone is probably taken from the Spanish-American word aulon or aulone. Anatomy The most conspicuous part of any abalone is the shell, with its row of respiratory pores. Shells are prized because of their inner, iridescent layer. The muscular foot has a strong suction power permitting the abalone to clamp tightly to rocky surfaces. A column of shell muscle attaches the body to its shell. The mantle circles the foot as does the epipodium, a sensory structure and extension of the foot which bears tentacles. The epipodium projects beyond the shell edge in the living animal. The epipodium surface may be smooth or pebbly in appearance and its edge may be frilly or scalloped. It is the most reliable structure for identifying abalone species.
The internal organs are arranged around the foot and under the shell. The most conspicuous organ, the crescent-shaped gonad, is gray or green in females and cream colored in males. It extends around the side opposite the pores and to the rear of the abalone. The abalone has a pair of eyes, a mouth and an enlarged pair of tentacles. Inside the mouth is a long, file-like tongue called the radula, which scrapes algal matter to a size that can be ingested. The gill chamber is next to the mouth and under the respiratory pores. Water is drawn in under the edge of the shell, and then flows over the gills and out the pores. Waste and reproductive products are carried out in the flow of water. Since it has no obvious brain structure, the abalone is considered to be a primitive animal. However, it does have a heart on its left side and blood flows through the arteries, sinuses and veins, assisted by the surrounding tissues and muscles.
Reproduction The sexes are separate and can be distinguished in individuals as small as one inch when the gonads begin to develop. The eggs or sperm are released through the pores with the respiratory current. This is known as broadcast spawning. A 1.5 inch abalone may spawn 10,000 eggs or more at a time, while an 8 inch abalone may spawn 11 million or more. Spawning may be controlled by the water temperature or length of the day. The presence of eggs and sperm in the water may stimulate other abalone to spawn, thus increasing the chances of fertilization. The egg hatches as a microscopic, free living larvae. It drifts with the currents for about a week, then the abalone larvae settles to the bottom, sheds its swimming hairs (cilia) and begins to develop the adult shell form. If suitable habitat is located it may grow to adulthood. the chance that an individual larva will survive to adulthood is very low. Fortunately abalone and most mollusks are prolific spawners but the mortality still probably exceeds 99%. Hybrid abalone are not uncommon in areas where several species occur together. All species can hybridize, but the most common hybrids are red and white with pink. FoodAbalone eat marine algae in the wild and on some farms. The adults feed on loose pieces drifting with the surge or current. Large brown algae such as giant kelp, bull kelp, feather boa kelp and elk kelp are preferred, although most others may be eaten at various times. For cultured abalone, many farms now use high quality manufactured food, which is healthy, efficient and produces very high quality meat. Wild abalone tend to stay in one location waiting for food to drift by. However, they will move daily, seasonally or when food becomes scarce for a long period. The color banding on many abalone shells is due to changes in the types of algae eaten. Juvenile abalone graze on rock encrusting coralline algae and on diatoms and bacterial films. As they grow they increasingly rely on drift algae. Manufactured food: Abalone farming, to date, has been limited and hampered by the quality and quantity of the macroalgae sources worldwide. Although some abalone farms have successfully fed manufactured food for nearly 25 years, a high quality low cost manufactured food has been a recent development. Many new farms (and some older farms) are now asking Fishtech to design or redesign their equipment and procedures to allow their crop to be grown on 100% manufactured food. The improvement in growth rate and health of the animals and ease of production are truly astounding. Predators in the wild: Throughout its life, an abalone contends with a variety of predators. The eggs and larvae are eaten by filter-feeding animals. Though juvenile abalone hide, they are active at night (nocturnal) and crabs, lobsters, octopuses, starfish, fish and predatory snails prey on them. Abalone in shallow water may be crushed by storm tossed rocks. Large abalone are not threatened by the predators of their earlier life, but larger, and often more efficient predators now become important. Fishes, such as the cabezon, can dislodge some abalone and swallow them whole. Even very large abalone are no match for the crushing jaws of a bat ray. The sea otter is the most effective predator, capable of removing all exposed abalone within reach. Only those in deep crevices or under large rocks will survive. Abalone are one of the first food items taken by otters as they move into new habitat. Declining Population In the last 20+ years, the commercial catch of abalone worldwide has declined from 18,000mt to a little over 10,000mt. Below are listed 6 major reasons for the decline. Number 5 (Illegal harvesting) is by far the largest and most important reason for the decline.
FISHTECH™ INC. works with the following species of Abalone:
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