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John Hall
introduces himself and his abalone |
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spawning/hatching
process of the abalone |
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John talks about the
critical nature of the water flow on the farm. |
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Kangaroo Island Abalone
Smith Bay
Kangaroo Island
Phone: 8553 5322
Website: www.ausab.com.au
Abalone is a highly valued seafood delicacy often
placed in the luxury category alongside truffles and the best
caviar. But even though Australia is home to some of the highest
quality abalone in the world, it’s not easy to buy. Unless,
of course, you visit Kangaroo Island.
Penneshaw IGA Supermarket has the rare distinction
of being the only shop in Australia selling Kangaroo Island Abalone’s
award winning greenlip Emerald Star brand. And if you don’t
feel like cooking it yourself, then visit Penneshaw’s Hog
Bay Stores Cafe where abalone takes pride of place on the
menu.
It’s a rare treat for visitors as just about
all the 200 tonnes produced by Kangaroo Island Abalone (KIAB)
goes overseas, mostly to Japan and Hong Kong. KIAB is a pioneer
of abalone aquaculture and has one of the largest and most successful
operations of its kind in Australia. The worldwide decline of
wild abalone stocks and environmental pressures has seen a sharp
increase in the demand for KIAB’s high quality farmed product
grown in the pristine waters of Smith Bay off the island’s
southern coast.
The quality of the farmed product is superb. With
no energy expelled fighting for survival, farmed abalone grow
flawlessly, although it’s a relatively slow process taking
three to four years. KIAB hand selects succulent greenlip abalone
for processing, and has developed a wide range of canning and
vacuum-packed options, including innovative nitrogen freezing.
This has led to the highly sought after Emerald Star brand, renowned
for its flavour, high nutritional content and smooth texture.
In Asia abalone is considered to have special medicinal
and aphrodisiac powers. We can’t vouch for that, but we
do know that abalone is a must for any serious lover of seafood.
Parndana, the “Place of little
gums”, is the hub for the heartland of Kangaroo Island.
The Kangaroo Island Skills
Centre at Kangaroo Island Community Educations Parndana Campus
is a state of the art aquaculture training facility. Students
have recently gained a grant to develop Aquaponics, using the
facilities wastewater to grow herbs, lettuce, Asian greens and
ornamental reed plants.
Numerous vineyards supply the Islands burgeoning
wine industry, with Cape
D’Estaing located near Emu Bay.
Green Lip Abalone, farmed at Smith Bay by
KIAB, is now exported overseas
and are at the cutting edge of the industry.
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