CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How to farm abalone?

How to farm abalone?

Abalone is one of the marine treasures living in the ocean, and its nutritional value and economic value are very high. Abalone is tender and delicious, and is favored by consumers. It is the most common high-end delicacy on people's tables and is listed as the "first of the eight delicacies". The following editor will introduce the artificial breeding technology of abalone. 1. Seedling conditions 1. Mature parent abalone: ​​Select healthy abalone without damage, generally with a shell length of more than 6 cm, and the appearance of the gonads is required to be extremely full, covering most of the digestive glands, and the gonads protrude from the shell edge. 2. Prepare the parent abalone temporary breeding pool and the young abalone breeding pool, and black plastic cloth is needed to promote seedling breeding. 3. Collector: Mainly made of transparent plexiglass, polyethylene plastic algae board and film. 4. Collection frame: Made of steel bars, wrapped with film, or made of thin bamboo and wood. 2. Breeding method Abalone generally takes seaweed as its main food. They like clean and fresh seaweed as bait. If you choose to soak dry algae, you can also eat it. When abalone is cultivated artificially, the selection of abalone seedlings is very critical. Seedlings with bright colors, uniform sizes, and no obvious scars on the shells should be selected as seedlings. Generally, seedlings with a length of 2 cm are most suitable. It is necessary to observe whether the growth line and adsorption capacity of the abalone seedlings are strong. Selecting abalone seedlings with vigorous vitality can improve the ability to resist rolling skin bending disease. Abalone is usually cultivated in cages. At the same time, a plastic cage is placed in the cage, which is about the size of two soap boxes, and then neatly hung in the cage. Another very important task in cultivating aquatic products in the sea is to clean the cages, because over time, a lot of seaweed and other things will be attached to the net, thereby hindering the flow of water. At the same time, seaweed and other substances are easy to rot and breed bacteria, so they must be removed in time. 3. Daily management In daily management, we must do a good job of keeping a close eye on the feeding. The abalone seedlings that have just been put into production are mainly fed with seaweed, and artificial feeding is carried out in combination with actual conditions. In autumn, because there is relatively less bait in the sea, it is necessary to pay attention to artificial feeding. That is, the dried kelp is processed and turned into bait for feeding. Whether the feeding is timely and scientific is directly related to whether the abalone babies can grow quickly. If they are highly nutritious, the corresponding disease resistance will also be greatly enhanced. 4. Disease prevention and control When breeding abalone, it is necessary to prevent diseases. Because abalone grows at sea, it is basically unreliable to use medicine to treat diseases, and the cost is also very high. Therefore, the breeding of abalone is mainly prevention-oriented. In normal times, the water quality and environment must be controlled well, and the feed must be kept clean and fresh, so as to prevent diseases in time. The above is the artificial breeding technology of abalone. Abalone breeding is a high-input, high-output, and high-efficiency aquaculture project, and the breeding cycle is long, and the requirements for breeding technology are also high. Therefore, abalone breeding has certain investment risks, but its breeding profits are very considerable. Farmers who want to raise abalone must master the breeding techniques, investigate the market, and find good sales channels.

Abalone feeds on algae and plankton.

Abalone is very delicate and difficult to breed. If you are not careful, the whole army will be wiped out. Therefore, scientific water purification methods are essential. It is impossible to breed abalone with directly introduced seawater. It needs to be purified. Farmers have always used sand filtration technology to purify seawater. In addition, ultraviolet light seawater purification technology can kill some bacteria and microorganisms in seawater that are not conducive to the growth of abalone, while retaining microorganisms that are beneficial to the growth of abalone, greatly increasing the yield of abalone and the survival rate of abalone seedlings by nearly 70%.

Autumn is a season of rapid growth, and sufficient fresh bait needs to be fed every 4 to 5 days. In winter, the water temperature is low, and the abalone eats less. Fresh algae will not rot after being soaked in water for 7 to 8 days, so it is sufficient to feed once every 8 to 10 days in winter. Zheng Chansen noted that each feeding should be done after removing the bait residue and abalone excrement and replacing fresh seawater. Abalone likes dry young seaweed. In the absence of fresh seaweed, dry algae can be soaked and fed as bait, and algae feeding is better with mixed effect. Among the algae, wakame, goose intestines, kelp, horsetail, etc. are seaweeds that abalone likes to eat more, with good bait effect and fast growth rate. The test results of laver, which is relatively abundant in local resources, show that it is not ideal and has a great impact on the digestion of abalone.

Abalone feeds on algae and plankton.

Abalone is very delicate and difficult to breed. If you are not careful, the whole army will be wiped out. Therefore, scientific water purification methods are essential. It is impossible to breed abalone with directly introduced seawater. It needs to be purified. Farmers have always used sand filtration technology to purify seawater. In addition, ultraviolet light seawater purification technology can kill some bacteria and microorganisms in seawater that are not conducive to the growth of abalone, while retaining microorganisms that are beneficial to the growth of abalone, greatly increasing the yield of abalone and the survival rate of abalone seedlings by nearly 70%.

Autumn is a season of rapid growth, and sufficient fresh bait needs to be fed, once every 4 to 5 days. In winter, the water temperature is low, and abalones eat less. Fresh algae will not rot after being soaked in water for 7 to 8 days, so feeding once every 8 to 10 days is sufficient in winter. Note that each feeding should be done after removing bait residues and abalone excrement and replacing fresh seawater. Abalone likes dry young seaweed. In the absence of fresh seaweed, dry algae can be soaked and fed as bait, and algae feeding is better with mixed effect. Among the algae, wakame, goose intestines, kelp, horsetail, etc. are seaweeds that abalone likes to eat more, with good bait effect and fast growth rate. The test results of laver, which is relatively abundant in local resources, show that it is not ideal and has a great impact on the digestion of abalone.

What does abalone look like (what has abalone experienced over the years)

In the old days, abalones in the halls of the rich and powerful now fly into the homes of ordinary people

Text | Li Ying, Wang Yujuan, Yan Kaiwen

Ah Nuan actually saw abalone at a banquet in a small town. The plate was filled with eight abalones of about ten sizes. Before the dishes were even served, they were already eaten up by the others at the table. Although Ah Nuan didn't get to eat any of them, she was secretly surprised: I haven't had such a banquet in my hometown for a long time, and I didn't expect it to be so high-end.

In Nuan's impression, abalone is a high-end food. Her family rarely buys it on their own initiative. When they eat it occasionally, it is always given to them by others. It was not until after the banquet that she learned from a chat with the host that a serving of abalone on the table cost about 70 or 80 yuan. Although it is expensive among chicken, duck, fish and meat, the price of abalone is completely affordable in Nuan's opinion.

"I used to think that eating such a serving of abalone in a restaurant would cost at least several hundred yuan." Abalone is very expensive, which is the natural perception of most people. "A mouthful of abalone is a mouthful of gold." Abalone is recognized as a traditional precious Chinese food ingredient, ranking first among the four major seafoods of "abalone, sea cucumber, shark's fin, and fish maw." But now, abalone is indeed increasingly on the tables of ordinary people, and related affordable takeaway products are also popping up like mushrooms after rain.

So, has abalone, once a "noble" ingredient, really been downgraded to a mass consumer product?

Abalone has fallen from its "pedestal"? Abalone is indeed getting cheaper.

Wu Yongshou, president of Lianjiang County Abalone Association and chairman of Fujian Zhongxin Yongfeng Industrial Co., Ltd., has 23 years of experience in abalone farming and has witnessed the gradual development of abalone farming in China. He told us that the price of abalone with 10 heads used to be 170 to 200 yuan per catty, but now it is less than 50 yuan.

The size of abalone is measured by the number of heads, and the size of abalone is described by the number of abalones contained in each Simajin (commonly known as the Hong Kong scale, about 655 grams). For example, two-headed abalone means that there are two abalones in one Simajin, and each abalone weighs more than 300 grams. The fewer the number of "heads", the larger the abalone is, and the more expensive it is. The saying "It's hard to buy two-headed abalones with money" means that large abalones are rare and expensive.

According to our visit to the Huangsha Seafood Trading Market in Guangzhou, the current wholesale price of twelve-head abalone is about 47 yuan per catty, and that of six-head abalone is 63 yuan per catty.

Domestic twelve-head abalone at Guangzhou Huangsha Aquatic Products Market Photo by Yan Kaiwen

Mr. Wu from Sanhe Aquatic Products in Huangsha Market told us that last year, the breeding bases stockpiled a large amount of abalone due to the epidemic. After the epidemic situation improved, the price of abalone plummeted, and the retail price of twelve-head abalone dropped to about 30 yuan. "Although the retail volume has increased, the gross profit is small, so we can only bite the bullet and sell it." September this year is the peak season, and the price of abalone has risen to about 40 yuan, but the recent epidemic in Guangzhou has been recurring, and Mr. Wu said frankly that business is not good.

Affected by the epidemic, the popularity of imported abalone has also declined. "The security inspection process and time have been extended a lot, and the abalone died on the way, and we couldn't sell it after buying it. So in the past two years, we have basically consumed domestic abalone." Boss Wu said.

The sharp drop in prices caused by the epidemic was unexpected, but the downward trend of abalone prices is an inevitable trend. Wu Yongshou mentioned that abalone farming is cyclical, but overall, abalone production is increasing in volatility, while prices are falling in volatility.

Zhai Min, founder of Xiamen Qicheng Marine Technology Co., Ltd. and manager of the Royal Gold Abalone brand, said that the downward trend in abalone prices is the result of multiple factors. First, the advancement of modern breeding and farming technology has greatly increased the output of abalone, which has reduced its average cost, thus affecting the price.

The second is the application of the north-south exchange breeding model. In the past, 80% of the country's abalone production came from Fujian, which has abundant seaweed and is suitable for abalone growth, but the high temperature in Fujian in summer is not friendly to abalone. "Abalone is a very delicate thing, and has very high requirements for water temperature and water quality." Wu Yongshou said.

In order to ensure the better growth of abalone, farmers have to migrate abalone from north to south over a thousand kilometers every year. Wu Yongshou told us that around April 20th of each year, they will transport abalone from Fujian to Shandong and Dalian for summer vacation, and then transport them back to Fujian around December 10th. Under the north-south swap model, abalone production will increase by 40%-50%, and the breeding cycle will be shortened. At the same time, there will be a self-purification period of about half a year after the swap, and the water quality will be more friendly to abalone through self-purification.

As supply increased, consumers' perception of abalone also began to change. Although it has not yet reached the level of full mass consumption, the "application scenario" of abalone has gradually extended from high-end official banquets to civilian diets.

According to Zhai Min's observation, the popularization trend of abalone began in 2017. At that time, the price of abalone dropped sharply, and many retail brands entered the industry, gradually cultivating consumers' habit of eating abalone, and the frequency of abalone consumption also increased significantly.

According to Qichacha data, there are currently 4,403 abalone-related companies registered or in operation, of which more than 1,200 were registered in 2020 and 2021. Specifically for the abalone rice catering channel, there are currently 126 related companies and stores, of which 119 were registered after 2019. It can be said that abalone-related companies have reached their peak development in the past two years.

Judging from the abalone rice takeaway on the Meituan platform, you can usually buy a bowl of rice full of abalone sauce and a whole abalone for more than 30 yuan. In Chaoyang, Beijing, a takeaway abalone rice store can sell 2,000 to 3,000 orders a month. Xiao Tao has ordered abalone rice takeaway many times. Generally, this kind of takeaway will be delivered with a casserole to ensure the taste of the stew. "The taste is good and the price is acceptable." For Xiao Tao, cheapness is not the factor that attracts her to consume. "The most important thing is that it is delicious and of good quality."

Abalone rice on Meituan takeaway in Chaoyang District, Beijing

Abalone has become popular among the general public, and popular dishes such as lao fan have played a big role. In addition to lao fan, there are also dishes such as abalone chicken, abalone ribs, and abalone noodles that put fresh abalone and other common ingredients together, which enhances the homely attributes of abalone.

On Meituan.com, a single fresh small abalone weighing 17 grams or more costs only 2.5 yuan, and a medium abalone weighing 45 grams or more costs only 9.9 yuan, which is not a high price among seafood products. For general family consumption, small abalone is enough to make a delicious seafood feast.

High-quality dried abalone is still "noble" According to the above, the price of abalone can be controlled within the range of daily consumption. So where does the saying "a mouthful of abalone is worth a mouthful of gold" come from?

It is actually dried abalone that has caused the public's stereotype that abalone is a high-end food. Abalone can be divided into dried abalone and fresh abalone. Dried abalone is fresh abalone that has been dried through a complicated drying process. The "abalone" in "abalone, ginseng, shark's fin and fish maw" mentioned by the ancients actually refers to this kind of dried abalone that has been made through a complicated process. The reason why it was able to ascend to the throne of the top delicacy was not because of its taste, but because of its rarity and the complicated and difficult-to-remember production and boiling process. Dried abalone must be carefully cooked by a cook to have a good taste, so it can only be enjoyed by wealthy families with cooks.

Abalone has thus become a "symbol of status". Therefore, the scarce abalone has naturally gradually become a dish for wealthy families. Rather than eating for the taste, it is better to say that eating for status and power.

According to Wu Yongshou, the current annual abalone farming volume in China is over 100,000 tons, but less than 5% of it is made into dried abalone. Compared with fresh abalone, the circulation volume of dried abalone in the market is much smaller.

In addition, dried abalone is also more troublesome to make. First of all, dried abalone has very high requirements in terms of raw material selection. The abalone used to make dried abalone are relatively large. At present, Wu Yongshou mainly uses a variety called green abalone to make dried abalone, which was developed by Professor Ke Caihuan's team at Xiamen University. A single product of this abalone variety can reach more than 500 grams. Secondly, the production process of dried abalone is relatively complicated. It has to go through dozens of processes such as drying, pickling, boiling, drying, hanging, etc., and it needs to be air-dried and dried for 30-45 days. The temperature cannot be too high and the drying speed cannot be too fast.

"It is very technical, and it is not something that can be done by simply drying it in the sun." Wu Yongshou said. On one hand, it is "transformed to achieve high quality", and on the other hand, it is "corrupted by bacteria" - whether it is a "top quality" or a "waste product", or a mediocre "ordinary product", it is all controlled by the hands and eyes of the craftsmen. After multiple treatments, the dried abalone loses water and its weight drops sharply. Generally speaking, 10-12 kilograms of abalone can be made into 1 kilogram of light dried abalone, and salt-dried or sugar-dried abalone also requires 7 kilograms of raw abalone to make, and the output is very low.

Before the widespread promotion of artificial abalone cultivation, 80 to 90 percent of naturally caught abalone was used to make dried abalone. The difficulty of fishing, small quantity, and complicated production process all contributed to the high price of dried abalone. Even though the overall production of abalone has increased significantly, dried abalone is still relatively expensive. The dried abalone produced by Wu Yongshou Company varies in type and size, ranging from 300 yuan to 3,500 yuan per catty, and the most valuable Japanese soft-shell dried abalone sells for more than 10,000 yuan.

Currently, the dried abalone market is a mixed bag, with products ranging from tens of yuan to tens of thousands of yuan, but overall, the price of dried abalone is not affordable.

Dried abalone sold at Guangzhou Huangsha Aquatic Products Market Photo by Yan Kaiwen

So, to sum up the above, when we say that abalone is becoming popular, we actually mean fresh abalone.

How far is abalone freedom? The trend of abalone becoming more and more popular is becoming more and more obvious. Does it mean that we are about to achieve abalone freedom?

You Weiwei, a professor at the School of Earth and Oceanography of Xiamen University, believes that coastal areas such as Fujian have achieved abalone freedom very early. In the future, abalone will definitely be served as a daily ingredient on the tables of more families across the country.

At present, the annual average growth rate of abalone industry output is about 10%, that is, the annual output increases by about 10,000 tons, but the consumer market growth is not so fast. Fishermen in Fujian are also constantly using technological innovation to fight against the oversupply situation, trying to control the cost to about 40 yuan per catty, and rely on low prices and high sales to ensure the market.

You Weiwei hopes that abalone can be made into a pyramid-shaped product in the future.

The high-quality dried abalone at the top of the pyramid is still very expensive. The middle part of the pyramid has been present at banquets since the reform and opening up, and the consumption scene is mainly important occasions such as wedding banquets, which symbolizes the face of the host. For example, the Japanese will specially offer the innards of abalone to the most distinguished guests, similar to eating foie gras. There are residues of kelp and seaweed in the stomach and intestines of abalone, and the taste is rich. Simply fry it and mix it with soy sauce and it will be delicious.

At the bottom of the pyramid is the abalone in old Beijing fried bean paste noodles and Xiamen shacha noodles. Adding an abalone will immediately increase the value of ordinary noodles, at least 10 yuan more, and consumers will think it is a great deal. In fact, the cost of such a small abalone is only two or three yuan.

The "Abalone Noodles with Soy Sauce" launched by Beijing Dahaiwan Restaurant; Photo by Yu Le

In the past two years, such a market has been formed in Sichuan and Chongqing. Chengdu people find it incredible to see abalone in spicy hot pot, "How can such an expensive thing be cooked in such a vulgar way?"

Compared with the similar crayfish industry, from the perspective of the primary industry where abalone is located, the crayfish industry has a primary industry of 70 to 80 billion, while abalone has only more than 20 billion. Based on the current industry growth rate, it is only a matter of time before they catch up. The more significant gap lies in the tertiary industry. The crayfish industry has developed specialty stores and retail channels, while the tertiary industry of abalone cannot be counted yet - because abalone is just a dish, and independent abalone stores are rare.

At the terminal, abalone freedom also depends on consumers' acceptance of home-style cooking methods for abalone.

Fujianese people cook abalone very simply: take it home, rinse it with water, scoop out the meat with the shell or separately, throw it into the pot when the soup is almost boiling, cook for 5 minutes, and then take it out without adding anything. The meat is the most chewy, with just the right chewiness, and you can also taste the fresh aroma of seaweed.

However, consumers who are unfamiliar with abalone often cook abalones too hard because they are large. Once cooked for more than 20 minutes, the abalones become rubbery and difficult to bite.

Zhai Min hopes that abalone can become a more convenient food. Starting in 2019, her company shifted its focus to processing abalone products and producing ready-to-eat dried abalone to solve the problems encountered by consumers.

The development of dried abalone products sounds easy but is difficult to do. Considering key factors such as temperature, humidity, and geographical conditions, Japan's dried abalone processing technology is the most mature. However, after the Fukushima earthquake, the number of Japanese processing manufacturers dropped by more than half, and only four or five factories were able to provide OEM services. At the same time, Japanese manufacturers were also hesitant about foreign orders. Through various communications and consultations, Zhai Min finally contacted a manufacturer that could provide OEM services.

Before abalone is shipped to Japan, it needs to be frozen and processed, which is also a technical challenge. The first batch of abalone shipped was already dead, causing a loss of more than 60,000 yuan. After repeated experiments, the dried abalone products began to take shape. All the dried abalone products manufactured in Japan are sold to the Hong Kong market.

In addition to OEM, Zhai Min's company also processes new dried abalone products in China, named "Soft-heart Abalone". The dried abalone is paired with Cantonese-style sauce. It only takes 20 minutes of heating and consumers can enjoy the finished dish at home.

Compared with the initial sales of raw materials with no added value, "soft-boiled abalone" not only increased the product value, but also solved the cooking problem for consumers. The market was opened up.

In the future, Zhai Min plans to spread knowledge about abalone to consumers and customize products according to the tastes of different consumers. For example, in order to address the problem that young people find the product tastes too heavy, Zhai Min and his team added tangerine peel to make the taste more refreshing.

Wu Yongshou also strives to promote the nutritional value and efficacy of abalone in major cities, and popularizes the processing and cooking methods of abalone. He is also doing the primary processing of abalone, removing the shell, removing the belly, cleaning it, and turning abalone into a batch of clean vegetables to promote to ordinary consumers. The processed abalone is not expensive, the taste remains unchanged, but it is easy to store and transport, and the cooking difficulty is greatly reduced, so consumers are more receptive.

Next, he wants to make abalone food for the elderly and infants. He wants to grind the abalone into powder and make it into rice paste so that people can eat abalone even if they don’t have teeth.

To achieve nationwide freedom of abalone, joint efforts from both producers and sellers are needed.

*Anuan and Xiaotao are pseudonyms