Abalone have been harvested for
seafood and
aesthetics since prehistory. Abalone shells and associated materials, like their claw-like
pearls and
nacre, have been used as
jewelry and for
buttons,
buckles and
inlay. These shells have been found in archaeological sites around the world, ranging from 100,000-year-old deposits at
Blombos Cave in
South Africa to historic Chinese abalone
middens on
California's
Northern Channel Islands. For at least 12,000 years, abalone were harvested to such an extent around the
Channel Islands that shells in the area decreased in size four thousand years ago.
Farming , (Oceanographic Marine Laboratory, Lucap,
Alaminos, Pangasinan, Philippines, 2011)
Aquafarming of abalone as a
meat product began in the late 1950s and early 1960s in
Japan and
China. Since the mid-1990s, there have been many increasingly successful endeavors to commercially farm abalone for the purpose of consumption.
Overfishing and
poaching have reduced wild populations to such an extent that farmed abalone now supplies most of the abalone meat consumed. The principal abalone farming regions are
Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan and
South Korea. Abalone is also farmed in
Australia,
Canada,
Chile,
France,
Iceland,
Ireland,
Mexico,
Namibia,
New Zealand,
South Africa,
Spain,
Thailand and the
United States. After trials in 2012, a commercial "sea ranch" was set up in
Flinders Bay, Western Australia, to raise abalone. The ranch is based on an
artificial reef made up of 5,000 separate concrete abalone habitat units, which can host 400 abalone each. The reef is seeded with young abalone from an onshore hatchery. The abalone feed on
seaweed that grows naturally on the habitats; the ecosystem enrichment of the bay also results in growing numbers of
dhufish,
pink snapper,
wrasse, and
Samson fish among other species.
Consumption Abalone have long been a valuable food source for humans in every area of the world where a species is abundant. The meat of this mollusc is considered a
delicacy in certain parts of
Latin America (particularly Chile), France, New Zealand,
East Asia and
Southeast Asia. In the
Greater China region and among
overseas Chinese communities, abalone is commonly known as
bao yu, and sometimes forms part of a Chinese banquet as one of the
four sea delicacies of
Chinese cuisine. In the same way as
shark fin soup or
bird's nest soup, abalone is considered a
luxury item, and is traditionally reserved for celebrations. In Japan, live and raw abalone are used in
sushi (known as ) or served steamed, salted, boiled, chopped, or simmered in
soy sauce. Salted, fermented abalone entrails are the main component of , a local dish from Honshū. is mainly eaten with sake. In South Korea, abalone is called
Jeonbok and used in various recipes.
Jeonbok porridge and pan-fried abalone steak with butter are popular, but it's also commonly used in soups or ramyeon. In California, US, abalone meat can be found on pizza, sautéed with caramelized mango, or in steak form dusted with cracker meal and flour. As abalone became more popular and less common, the prices adjusted accordingly. In the 1920s, a restaurant-served portion of abalone, about , would cost (in inflation adjusted dollars) about US$7; by 2004, the price had risen to US$75. In the United States, prior to this time, abalone was predominantly eaten, gathered, and prepared by Chinese immigrants. Before that, abalone were collected to be eaten, and used for other purposes by Native American tribes. By 1900, laws were passed in California to outlaw the taking of abalone above the
intertidal zone. This forced the Chinese out of the market and the Japanese perfected diving, with or without gear, to enter the market. Abalone started to become popular in the US after the
Panama–Pacific International Exposition in 1915, which exhibited 365 varieties of fish with cooking demonstrations, and a 1,300-seat dining hall.
Sport harvesting Australia Tasmania supplies about 25% of the yearly world abalone harvest. Around 12,500 Tasmanians recreationally fish for
blacklip and
greenlip abalone. For blacklip abalone, the size limit varies between for the southern end of the state and for the northern end of the state. Greenlip abalone have a minimum size of , except for an area around
Perkins Bay in the north of the state where the minimum size is . With a recreational abalone licence, the bag limit is 10 per day, with a total possession limit of 20.
Scuba diving for abalone is allowed, and has a rich history in Australia. (Scuba diving for abalone in the states of
New South Wales and
Western Australia is illegal; a
free-diving catch limit of two is allowed).
Victoria has had an active abalone fishery since the late 1950s. The state is sectioned into three fishing zones, Eastern, Central and Western, with each fisher required a zone-allocated licence. Harvesting is performed by divers using surface-supplied air "hookah" systems operating from runabout-style, outboard-powered boats. While the diver seeks out colonies of abalone amongst the reef beds, the deckhand operates the boat, known as working "live" and stays above where the diver is working. Bags of abalone pried from the rocks are brought to the surface by the diver or by way of "shot line", where the deckhand drops a weighted rope for the catch bag to be connected then retrieved. Divers measure each abalone before removing from the reef and the deckhand remeasures each abalone and removes excess weed growth from the shell. Since 2002, the Victorian industry has seen a significant decline in catches, with the total allowable catch reduced from 1440 to 787 tonnes for the 2011/12
fishing year, due to dwindling stocks and most notably the abalone virus
ganglioneuritis, which is fast-spreading and lethal to abalone stocks.
United States Sport harvesting of
red abalone is permitted with a California fishing license and an abalone stamp card. In 2008, the abalone card also came with a set of 24 tags. This was reduced to 18 abalone per year in 2014, and as of 2017 the limit has been reduced to 12, only nine of which may be taken south of
Mendocino County. Legal-size abalone must be tagged immediately. Abalone may only be taken using breath-hold techniques or shorepicking; scuba diving for abalone is strictly prohibited. Taking of abalone is not permitted south of the mouth of
San Francisco Bay. A size minimum of measured across the shell is in place. A person may be in possession of only three abalone at any given time. As of 2017, abalone season is May to October, excluding July. Transportation of abalone may only legally occur while the abalone is still attached in the shell. Sale of sport-obtained abalone is illegal, including the shell. Only red abalone may be taken, as
black,
white,
pink,
flat,
green, and
pinto abalone are protected by law. Afterwards, they extended the ban for another 5 years until April 2026. In December 2025 California extended the ban another 10 years until April 2036. An abalone diver is normally equipped with a thick
wetsuit, including a hood,
bootees, and gloves, and usually also a mask,
snorkel,
weight belt, abalone iron, and abalone gauge. Alternatively, the rock picker can feel underneath rocks at low tides for abalone. Abalone are mostly taken in depths from a few inches up to ; less common are freedivers who can work deeper than . Abalone are normally found on rocks near food sources such as
kelp. An abalone iron is used to pry the abalone from the rock before it has time to fully clamp down. Divers dive from boats, kayaks, tube floats, or directly off the shore. The mollusc
Concholepas concholepas is often sold in the United States under the name "Chilean abalone", though it is not an abalone, but a
muricid.
New Zealand In New Zealand, abalone is called (, from the
Māori language).
Haliotis iris (or blackfoot pāua) is the ubiquitous New Zealand pāua, the highly polished nacre of which is extremely popular as souvenirs with its striking blue, green, and purple iridescence.
Haliotis australis and
Haliotis virginea are also found in New Zealand waters, but are less popular than
H. iris.
Haliotis pirimoana is a small species endemic to
Manawatāwhi / the Three Kings Islands that superficially resembles
H. virginea. Like all New Zealand shellfish, recreational harvesting of
pāua does not require a permit provided catch limits, size restrictions, and seasonal and local restrictions set by the
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) are followed. The legal recreational daily limit is 10 per diver, with a minimum shell length of for
H. iris and for
H. australis. In addition, no person may be in possession, even on land, of more than 20 pāua or more than of pāua meat at any one time. Pāua can only be caught by free-diving; it is illegal to catch them using scuba gear. An extensive global black market exists in collecting and exporting abalone meat. This can be a particularly awkward problem where the right to harvest pāua can be granted legally under
Māori customary rights. When such permits to harvest are abused, it is frequently difficult to police. The limit is strictly enforced by roving
Ministry for Primary Industries fishery officers with the backing of the New Zealand Police.
Poaching is a major industry in New Zealand with many thousands being taken illegally, often undersized. Convictions have resulted in seizure of diving gear, boats, and motor vehicles and fines and in rare cases, imprisonment.
South Africa There are five species endemic to South Africa, namely
H. parva,
H. spadicea,
H. queketti and
H. speciosa. The largest abalone in South Africa,
Haliotis midae, occurs along roughly two-thirds of the country's coastline. Abalone-diving has been a recreational activity for many years, but stocks are currently being threatened by
illegal commercial harvesting. In South Africa, all persons harvesting this shellfish need permits that are issued annually, and no abalone may be harvested using scuba gear. For the last few years, however, no permits have been issued for collecting abalone, but commercial harvesting still continues as does illegal collection by
syndicates. In 2007, because of widespread
poaching of abalone, the South African government listed abalone as an endangered species according to the
CITES section III appendix, which requests member governments to monitor the trade in this species. This listing was removed from CITES in June 2010 by the South African government and South African abalone is no longer subject to CITES trade controls. Export permits are still required, however. The abalone meat from South Africa is prohibited for sale in the country to help reduce poaching; however, much of the illegally harvested meat is sold in Asian countries. As of early 2008, the wholesale price for abalone meat was approximately US$40.00 per kilogram. There is an active trade in the shells, which sell for more than US$1,400 per
tonne.
Channel Islands, Brittany and Normandy Ormers (
Haliotis tuberculata) are considered a delicacy in the British
Channel Islands as well as in adjacent areas of France, and are pursued with great alacrity by the locals. This, and a recent lethal bacterial disease, has led to a dramatic depletion in numbers since the latter half of the 19th century, and "ormering" is now strictly regulated to preserve stocks. The gathering of ormers is now restricted to a number of 'ormering tides', from 1 January to 30 April, which occur on the full or new moon and two days following. No ormers may be taken from the beach that are under in shell length. Gatherers are not allowed to wear wetsuits or even put their heads underwater. Any breach of these laws is a criminal offence and can lead to a fine of up to £5,000 or six months in prison. The demand for ormers is such that they led to the world's first underwater arrest, when Mr. Kempthorne-Leigh of
Guernsey was arrested by a police officer in full diving gear when illegally diving for ormers. File:AbaloneMeat.jpg|The raw meat of abalone File:Seeohr-Sashimi.jpg|Abalone sashimi File:Chineseabalonecuisine.jpg|Braised abalone File:Abalone & Asparagus, Stir-Fried with Black Bean Sauce (207804042).jpg|Abalone with
asparagus File:Cantoneseabalone.jpg|Abalone
bao yu File:Korean grilled abalone-Jeonbok gui-01.jpg|Grilled abalone File:Korean cuisine-Jeju Island-Obunjagi ttukbaegi-01.jpg|A Korean abalone stew File:Korean cuisine-Jeonbok hoe-01.jpg|Abalone
Hoe File:HK Food Chinese Seafood Dinner 鮑魚仔 Steamed Abalone with Mandarin orange peels.JPG|Abalone with
mandarin orange peels File:Abalone (dish) - in Macau.jpg|Abalone (dish) - in
Macau Abalone Served With Rice in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China 20241115.jpg|Abalone Served with Rice HK YTM Jordan Road n Canton Road 青葉海鮮酒家 Holly Seafood Restaurant diner food 鮑魚粉絲煲 Steamed Abalones With Vermicelli June 2025 R12S 03.jpg|Steamed abalone with vermicelli
Decorative items carving with rectangular abalone shell accents The highly iridescent inner nacre layer of the shell of abalone has traditionally been used as a decorative item, in jewelry, See article
Najeonchilgi regarding Korean handicraft.
Indigenous use Abalone has been an important staple in a number of
Indigenous cultures around the world, specifically in
Africa and on the
Northwest American coast. The meat is a traditional food, and the shell is used to make ornaments; historically, the shells were also used as currency in some communities. ==Threat of extinction==