Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Black Market
FISHERIES NEWS
590 tons of abalone confiscated by South African authorities in 2010-2011
South Africa - 09 Nov 2011
The Minister of Fisheries has admitted in parliament that a staggering 590 tons of abalone was confiscated by the department of fisheries during the 2010/2011 financial year. While this admission is jaw-dropping, what is even more alarming is her further confirmation that during the same financial period, the department is recorded to have earned R11,3 million from the sale of confiscated abalone.
590 tons of abalone is conservatively valued at R185 million (@R350/kg). This valuation is however based on what right holders can earn from the sale of abalone to South African marketers who then market the product internationally for substantially higher amounts. All confiscated abalone is sold directly to buyers in Hong Kong and China and so the department should be earning substantially higher amounts than what quota holders would ordinarily earn.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Abalone for Maine
College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture
Feb. 24th 2012
University of Maine Researchers Awarded Maine Technology Institute Grants
Three University of Maine-related research projects have received seed grant awards from the Maine Technology Institute (MTI).
The total amount of funding for the three projects, two of which are based in UMaine’s Aquaculture Research Institute (ARI), is $56,398 with $57,284 match.
One of the ARI projects awarded a grant was a research project to study the culture of Pacific abalone as a sustainable business in Maine. Heather Hamlin, an assistant professor in UMaine’s School of Marine Sciences, is working with Robert Bishop, a nontraditional UMaine student and an abalone entrepreneur of 25 years who is planning to open an abalone farm in Maine. The grant will fund the development of protocols for repeat conditioning and spawning of captive abalone, which are not native to Maine and whose broodstock are difficult to obtain. The protocols will allow for additional growers in Maine to expand into the abalone market, which has a large market potential in the U.S. and around the world. Neil Greenberg, an assistant scientist and manager of the Aquaculture Research Center (ARC) at UMaine, is also involved. The technique for rearing abalone in Maine will be innovative. Abalone are reared already in California and Hawaii, but through the use of the flow-through seawater technique. Bishop has developed an innovation for rearing abalone in Maine in a recirculating seawater system.
Feb. 24th 2012
University of Maine Researchers Awarded Maine Technology Institute Grants
Three University of Maine-related research projects have received seed grant awards from the Maine Technology Institute (MTI).
The total amount of funding for the three projects, two of which are based in UMaine’s Aquaculture Research Institute (ARI), is $56,398 with $57,284 match.
One of the ARI projects awarded a grant was a research project to study the culture of Pacific abalone as a sustainable business in Maine. Heather Hamlin, an assistant professor in UMaine’s School of Marine Sciences, is working with Robert Bishop, a nontraditional UMaine student and an abalone entrepreneur of 25 years who is planning to open an abalone farm in Maine. The grant will fund the development of protocols for repeat conditioning and spawning of captive abalone, which are not native to Maine and whose broodstock are difficult to obtain. The protocols will allow for additional growers in Maine to expand into the abalone market, which has a large market potential in the U.S. and around the world. Neil Greenberg, an assistant scientist and manager of the Aquaculture Research Center (ARC) at UMaine, is also involved. The technique for rearing abalone in Maine will be innovative. Abalone are reared already in California and Hawaii, but through the use of the flow-through seawater technique. Bishop has developed an innovation for rearing abalone in Maine in a recirculating seawater system.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Changing abalone hatcheries with the Marine Environmental Recirculation Water Aquaculture Treatment System (MERWATS™)
By Robert Bishop March 2011
The Atlantic Pacific Marine Farms (new hatchery and QT located in York, Maine operational by September 2012) is designed to produce Ezo abalone, Haliotis discus hannai , which requires the highest quality water to ensure success. The abalone are important into USA from South Korea and complying with Federal Fish Wildlife, USDA, NCDENR and HACCP. We are also experiencing increasing pressure from local, state, and national governments, local interest groups and the natural environment itself on any aquaculture enterprise that operates on or near the ocean. These present increasing technical and legal challenges for integrated businesses that grow marine species to operate hatcheries that can provide the quantity and quality of seed animals required. Other major issues are the ongoing debate on global climate change, Increased foreshore erosion by more violent and often unseasonal storms, increased demand and higher prices for coastal lands, increase atmospheric CO2 leading to lowered ocean pH from pre industrial 1700’s estimate of 8.18 to 8.07 today to a forecast level of 7.95 by 2050 a 69.8% change in H+ ion concentration.
So under these circumstances, the seafood culture industry has some major issues to face for long-term growth, and the hatchery is where it all starts.
Our solution to these challenges has been to mimic nature in providing optimum conditions for a 21st-century hatchery. This will move the industry forward and, in the long term, change our ways of working. Making these changes is not necessarily the easiest or cheapest option, but by using appropriate technology we can achieve good results for the right seawater species.
The hatchery is made up of four main parts.
Part 1: the hatchery building.
The walls of the building are of PermaTherm insulated structural panels with an R-value (RV) of 16.68 for the 100 mm walls, and 25.02 for the 150 mm roof. Aluminum siding on both sides helps prevent corrosion of the building and makes washing down faster and easier. Constructing the whole building from this material is faster and more economical, and in many parts of the USA may qualify for a tax credit.
A geothermal heating and cooling system uses the relatively constant temperature of the earth to both heat or cool the hatchery, depending on the season, using 40 - 70% less energy than with conventional systems. This allows for a smaller backup generator and reduces overall power consumption.
The water supply is a combination of rain- and well water. A Grundfos solar SQFlex pump will deliver up to 1.7m3 per hr from a bore depth of approx 105m. Normal rainfall in the area is 1.2m per year. Conservatively, we assume only about half that amount water will be collected giving an additional 162 m3 per year. The well and rain water together provide in excess of 15,000m3 of fresh water to the hatchery annually. The hatchery system volume (RTLS™, MERWATS™) is 28.8 m3 and the holding water tanks of 120m3 give a total capacity of 148.8 m3 or just under 10% of the available water. The evaporation rate in the total hatchery system, estimated using the equation W = [A + (B)(V)](Pw - Pa)/Hv, is approximately 7.44 m3 per day or 2,715.6 m3 per year, so we have plenty of water.
Crystal Salt ® is from Marine Enterprises International and is added in a mixing chamber and reintroduced into the sump on MEARS so that it can go through the whole system again. The salt is made to cover only the trace elements that are missing from the seawater to maintain a salinity of 35ppt.
Part 2:
The Rack Tray Line System (RTLS™) uses fiberglass trays supported on a rack system made from PVC (no corrosion) to both grow diatom culture with a system of daylight balance fluorescent lights at 5,500°K, and settle and grow the post-larval abalone. Since the trays are only 0.25 m in depth it lowers the risk of dead seawater spots in the system and allows for better oxygenation of the seawater. Once the abalone are ready to settle on plates in the trays at around 5 - 7 days post metamorphosis and monitor the growth of the abalone over the next 6 months. The trays from the hatchery system and main grow-out are the same in depth and width is easy to transfer to the outside grow tanks, which are 10 meters long.
Part 3: Marine Environmental Recirculation Water Aquaculture Treatment System (MERWATS™)
Waste water from the RTLS™ is captured and treated in a 12-step process that bring the seawater quality back to where it started, with the following target parameters
Parameters Screen range Outgoing seawater
pH 7.9 - 8.17 8.1
Salinity, ‰ 34 - 36 35
Oxygen: % saturation 95 - 100 98
Temperature °C 14 - 17 16
Seawater flow 0.8 - 1.7 times the RTL™ m3 Varies from day to night
Pressure kPa 206.84 - 551.58 310.26
The 12 steps can be broken down in 3 main areas: mechanical filtration; biological filtration; chemical filtration; and consist of:
• vortex separator to remove solid waste
• protein skimmer to remove un-dissolved organic waste
• ozoneated
• screen-filter to 80 - 40µm to remove the rest of the solids
• bio filtration to remove ammonia
• degassing tower to remove CO2
• second screen filter to 10 - 5 µm
• carbon filter to remove color and smell
• ultraviolet (UV) sterilization
• calcium reactor to re-charge the seawater
• heat exchanger to regulate temperature
• final oxygenator.
Part 4:
If government regulations require a waste treatment system but will not allow discharge into either a lined pond or to outside receiving water, then the MERWATS™ can be coupled to a Marine Environmental Recirculation Waste Aquaculture Treatment System (MERWATS™).
Wastewater flows by gravity from the MERWATS™ skid to a “Dirty Water” sump made of high density plastic placed level with the building floor. When the sump fills up, a submersible pump, pumps the waste water to a diaphragm dosing-pump, and moves polymer from a storage tank to the mixing system twin pump. Here, the small suspended solid particles coagulate when coming into contact with the polymer, and the mixture moves into a large GeoTube geotextile bag located at the end of the MERWATS™. Clear water drains from the GeoTube and flows by gravity to the second, “Clean Water” sump. From here, water is pumped to a bead filter for further solids removal, then to a UV unit and from there either to an LHO - ozone contactor, and back to the Clean Water sump. Note that when water is needed in the production system, water drawn from the MERWATS™) is ozonated and UV-sterilized before returning to the production system. At this stage De-Odorase is added into the seawater before returning to the MEARS™ in an extra control of lower the NH3.
In addition to removing solid wastes, the Geotube system removes nitrate nitrogen and phosphorus from the wastewater. Water returning to the production system is clear and enters at the water level control sump to be processed by the entire water treatment system before being pumped to the abalone culture tanks. When the geotube is full it is removed through normal environmental contractors for disposals.
The whole system is monitored. Control- and live up-date data are collected by a Honeywell monitoring system based on SCADA. The major advantage is that we can see the changes (positive and negative) in water quality in real time, and have it recorded for further analyses. This lowers the level of risk to the company when staff are away during the night, and also allows remote monitoring from any PC.
The MERWATS™ is designed for abalone but has been used to hold and grow out crayfish. It could also be used for flounder, sea urchins or other similar high value species to achieve a balanced return on investment.
For more information contact Robert Bishop at: rbapmf@gmail.com, by phone at: + 1.702.241.9989, or visit: http://mears-aqauculture.blogspots.com.
The Atlantic Pacific Marine Farms (new hatchery and QT located in York, Maine operational by September 2012) is designed to produce Ezo abalone, Haliotis discus hannai , which requires the highest quality water to ensure success. The abalone are important into USA from South Korea and complying with Federal Fish Wildlife, USDA, NCDENR and HACCP. We are also experiencing increasing pressure from local, state, and national governments, local interest groups and the natural environment itself on any aquaculture enterprise that operates on or near the ocean. These present increasing technical and legal challenges for integrated businesses that grow marine species to operate hatcheries that can provide the quantity and quality of seed animals required. Other major issues are the ongoing debate on global climate change, Increased foreshore erosion by more violent and often unseasonal storms, increased demand and higher prices for coastal lands, increase atmospheric CO2 leading to lowered ocean pH from pre industrial 1700’s estimate of 8.18 to 8.07 today to a forecast level of 7.95 by 2050 a 69.8% change in H+ ion concentration.
So under these circumstances, the seafood culture industry has some major issues to face for long-term growth, and the hatchery is where it all starts.
Our solution to these challenges has been to mimic nature in providing optimum conditions for a 21st-century hatchery. This will move the industry forward and, in the long term, change our ways of working. Making these changes is not necessarily the easiest or cheapest option, but by using appropriate technology we can achieve good results for the right seawater species.
The hatchery is made up of four main parts.
Part 1: the hatchery building.
The walls of the building are of PermaTherm insulated structural panels with an R-value (RV) of 16.68 for the 100 mm walls, and 25.02 for the 150 mm roof. Aluminum siding on both sides helps prevent corrosion of the building and makes washing down faster and easier. Constructing the whole building from this material is faster and more economical, and in many parts of the USA may qualify for a tax credit.
A geothermal heating and cooling system uses the relatively constant temperature of the earth to both heat or cool the hatchery, depending on the season, using 40 - 70% less energy than with conventional systems. This allows for a smaller backup generator and reduces overall power consumption.
The water supply is a combination of rain- and well water. A Grundfos solar SQFlex pump will deliver up to 1.7m3 per hr from a bore depth of approx 105m. Normal rainfall in the area is 1.2m per year. Conservatively, we assume only about half that amount water will be collected giving an additional 162 m3 per year. The well and rain water together provide in excess of 15,000m3 of fresh water to the hatchery annually. The hatchery system volume (RTLS™, MERWATS™) is 28.8 m3 and the holding water tanks of 120m3 give a total capacity of 148.8 m3 or just under 10% of the available water. The evaporation rate in the total hatchery system, estimated using the equation W = [A + (B)(V)](Pw - Pa)/Hv, is approximately 7.44 m3 per day or 2,715.6 m3 per year, so we have plenty of water.
Crystal Salt ® is from Marine Enterprises International and is added in a mixing chamber and reintroduced into the sump on MEARS so that it can go through the whole system again. The salt is made to cover only the trace elements that are missing from the seawater to maintain a salinity of 35ppt.
Part 2:
The Rack Tray Line System (RTLS™) uses fiberglass trays supported on a rack system made from PVC (no corrosion) to both grow diatom culture with a system of daylight balance fluorescent lights at 5,500°K, and settle and grow the post-larval abalone. Since the trays are only 0.25 m in depth it lowers the risk of dead seawater spots in the system and allows for better oxygenation of the seawater. Once the abalone are ready to settle on plates in the trays at around 5 - 7 days post metamorphosis and monitor the growth of the abalone over the next 6 months. The trays from the hatchery system and main grow-out are the same in depth and width is easy to transfer to the outside grow tanks, which are 10 meters long.
Part 3: Marine Environmental Recirculation Water Aquaculture Treatment System (MERWATS™)
Waste water from the RTLS™ is captured and treated in a 12-step process that bring the seawater quality back to where it started, with the following target parameters
Parameters Screen range Outgoing seawater
pH 7.9 - 8.17 8.1
Salinity, ‰ 34 - 36 35
Oxygen: % saturation 95 - 100 98
Temperature °C 14 - 17 16
Seawater flow 0.8 - 1.7 times the RTL™ m3 Varies from day to night
Pressure kPa 206.84 - 551.58 310.26
The 12 steps can be broken down in 3 main areas: mechanical filtration; biological filtration; chemical filtration; and consist of:
• vortex separator to remove solid waste
• protein skimmer to remove un-dissolved organic waste
• ozoneated
• screen-filter to 80 - 40µm to remove the rest of the solids
• bio filtration to remove ammonia
• degassing tower to remove CO2
• second screen filter to 10 - 5 µm
• carbon filter to remove color and smell
• ultraviolet (UV) sterilization
• calcium reactor to re-charge the seawater
• heat exchanger to regulate temperature
• final oxygenator.
Part 4:
If government regulations require a waste treatment system but will not allow discharge into either a lined pond or to outside receiving water, then the MERWATS™ can be coupled to a Marine Environmental Recirculation Waste Aquaculture Treatment System (MERWATS™).
Wastewater flows by gravity from the MERWATS™ skid to a “Dirty Water” sump made of high density plastic placed level with the building floor. When the sump fills up, a submersible pump, pumps the waste water to a diaphragm dosing-pump, and moves polymer from a storage tank to the mixing system twin pump. Here, the small suspended solid particles coagulate when coming into contact with the polymer, and the mixture moves into a large GeoTube geotextile bag located at the end of the MERWATS™. Clear water drains from the GeoTube and flows by gravity to the second, “Clean Water” sump. From here, water is pumped to a bead filter for further solids removal, then to a UV unit and from there either to an LHO - ozone contactor, and back to the Clean Water sump. Note that when water is needed in the production system, water drawn from the MERWATS™) is ozonated and UV-sterilized before returning to the production system. At this stage De-Odorase is added into the seawater before returning to the MEARS™ in an extra control of lower the NH3.
In addition to removing solid wastes, the Geotube system removes nitrate nitrogen and phosphorus from the wastewater. Water returning to the production system is clear and enters at the water level control sump to be processed by the entire water treatment system before being pumped to the abalone culture tanks. When the geotube is full it is removed through normal environmental contractors for disposals.
The whole system is monitored. Control- and live up-date data are collected by a Honeywell monitoring system based on SCADA. The major advantage is that we can see the changes (positive and negative) in water quality in real time, and have it recorded for further analyses. This lowers the level of risk to the company when staff are away during the night, and also allows remote monitoring from any PC.
The MERWATS™ is designed for abalone but has been used to hold and grow out crayfish. It could also be used for flounder, sea urchins or other similar high value species to achieve a balanced return on investment.
For more information contact Robert Bishop at: rbapmf@gmail.com, by phone at: + 1.702.241.9989, or visit: http://mears-aqauculture.blogspots.com.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
China Abalone
Dr Ng Cher Yew, chairman, Oceanus.ABALONE FARMS out at sea in northern China have been reeling from severe mortality of their abalones in recent months due to a prolonged summer and causes such as in-breeding and pollution.
The warm calm waters proved to be good breeding ground for disease-bearing bacteria which have killed 50% or more of some of the sea farms' abalone population.
With the market supply of abalones having shrunk, the market price of abalones has shot up.
A structural change in the market is taking place, reckoned Dr Ng Cher Yew, executive chairman of Oceanus Group, the world's largest land-based abalone farmer (market cap: more than S$600 million).
Its abalones have not been affected as its farms are in south China and are land-based.
”There will be a shortage of abalones for the next two to three years,” said Dr Ng, who owns a 37% stake in Oceanus, at a Q3 results briefing on Monday for analysts and fund managers.
It takes about two years – starting with one-year old abalones – to grow to a size for sale.
One-year-olds are in short supply. Hatcheries didn’t ramp up their breeding because the market for abalones was hit by the economic recession last year.
Rising sales in $ terms since 4Q08. Given the recent rise of 70-80% in the market prices of abalones from the June level, Oceanus intends to sell a lot more of its abalones, especially the large ones.
And it will breed a lot of abalones, which can be sold next year as juveniles.
With that, sales of abalones - in tonnage and dollar value - by Oceanus are expected to continue to trend up since they touched a low in Q4 of last year.
While cash sales are expected to rise, any bottomline gain arising from an increase in the value of the biological assets is uncertain as that depends on the independent valuer that Oceanus has engaged.
The valuer will consider, among other things, the sustainability of the price spike when he does the next valuation in December. Any increase in valuation will likely be a percentage of the actual price spike.
However, the impact on the bottomline is not going to be muted. Consider that Oceanus' biological assets as at end-Sept stood at RMB730 million.
Oceanus' biological assets have grown as its abalone population grew.
Assuming the company's abalone population profile is unchanged, a 20-30% increase - as an example - in valuation adds RMB146- 219 million to Oceanus' bottomline.
The price spike comes with a downside for Oceanus: small abalone farm operators in the Fujian and Guangdong provinces that Oceanus operates, and which Oceanus wants to buy over, are saying: Pay up more for our farms!
Oceanus is not willing – not when the asking price is a few multiples of the last price it had paid, said Dr Ng.
Oceanus has instead increased the number of year-olds it grows in the cages, and is considering knocking down some buildings on its farms to build more tanks to grow abalones.
Another consequence of the price spike is that Oceanus now wants to sell more to the live market and divert less-than-planned abalones to be canned by its new processing factory.
As at end-September, Oceanus had 176.9 million abalones – one year and older - growing in cages. There were another 59.5 million uncaged ones, which are less than a year old
The warm calm waters proved to be good breeding ground for disease-bearing bacteria which have killed 50% or more of some of the sea farms' abalone population.
With the market supply of abalones having shrunk, the market price of abalones has shot up.
A structural change in the market is taking place, reckoned Dr Ng Cher Yew, executive chairman of Oceanus Group, the world's largest land-based abalone farmer (market cap: more than S$600 million).
Its abalones have not been affected as its farms are in south China and are land-based.
”There will be a shortage of abalones for the next two to three years,” said Dr Ng, who owns a 37% stake in Oceanus, at a Q3 results briefing on Monday for analysts and fund managers.
It takes about two years – starting with one-year old abalones – to grow to a size for sale.
One-year-olds are in short supply. Hatcheries didn’t ramp up their breeding because the market for abalones was hit by the economic recession last year.
Rising sales in $ terms since 4Q08. Given the recent rise of 70-80% in the market prices of abalones from the June level, Oceanus intends to sell a lot more of its abalones, especially the large ones.
And it will breed a lot of abalones, which can be sold next year as juveniles.
With that, sales of abalones - in tonnage and dollar value - by Oceanus are expected to continue to trend up since they touched a low in Q4 of last year.
While cash sales are expected to rise, any bottomline gain arising from an increase in the value of the biological assets is uncertain as that depends on the independent valuer that Oceanus has engaged.
The valuer will consider, among other things, the sustainability of the price spike when he does the next valuation in December. Any increase in valuation will likely be a percentage of the actual price spike.
However, the impact on the bottomline is not going to be muted. Consider that Oceanus' biological assets as at end-Sept stood at RMB730 million.
Oceanus' biological assets have grown as its abalone population grew.
Assuming the company's abalone population profile is unchanged, a 20-30% increase - as an example - in valuation adds RMB146- 219 million to Oceanus' bottomline.
The price spike comes with a downside for Oceanus: small abalone farm operators in the Fujian and Guangdong provinces that Oceanus operates, and which Oceanus wants to buy over, are saying: Pay up more for our farms!
Oceanus is not willing – not when the asking price is a few multiples of the last price it had paid, said Dr Ng.
Oceanus has instead increased the number of year-olds it grows in the cages, and is considering knocking down some buildings on its farms to build more tanks to grow abalones.
Another consequence of the price spike is that Oceanus now wants to sell more to the live market and divert less-than-planned abalones to be canned by its new processing factory.
As at end-September, Oceanus had 176.9 million abalones – one year and older - growing in cages. There were another 59.5 million uncaged ones, which are less than a year old
Friday, January 15, 2010
Abalone is good for you
Preparation, uses, and tips
To shuck abalone from the shell, cut the connector muscle, then pry out the flesh. Trim and discard the viscera, remove dark skin from the foot, and scrub the meat to remove the black coating. Cut steaks against the grain of the meat, and pound each slice.
To fry abalone, dip the pounded slices in seasoned flour, then shake off excess flour. Quick cooking is essential to keeping abalone tender. Heat a frying pan until very hot; add vegetable oil; and cook the abalone about 30 seconds on each side.
Nutritional Highlights
Abalone (raw), 3 oz. (84.9g)
Calories: 89
Protein: 14.5g
Carbohydrate: 5.1g
Total Fat: 0.65g
Fiber: 0.0g
*Excellent source of: Selenium (38mcg)
*Good source of: Magnesium (40mg), Vitamin B12 (0.6mcg), and Vitamin E (3.4 IU)
*Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value, based upon United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the USDA Recommended Daily Value. Nutritional information and daily nutritional guidelines may vary in different countries. Please consult the appropriate organization in your country for specific nutritional values and the recommended daily guidelines.
When cooked (fried), abalone provides 0.149 grams of omega-3 fatty acids derived from eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (0.054g) and alpha lipoic acid (ALA) (0.095g), per each 100 grams of abalone.
To shuck abalone from the shell, cut the connector muscle, then pry out the flesh. Trim and discard the viscera, remove dark skin from the foot, and scrub the meat to remove the black coating. Cut steaks against the grain of the meat, and pound each slice.
To fry abalone, dip the pounded slices in seasoned flour, then shake off excess flour. Quick cooking is essential to keeping abalone tender. Heat a frying pan until very hot; add vegetable oil; and cook the abalone about 30 seconds on each side.
Nutritional Highlights
Abalone (raw), 3 oz. (84.9g)
Calories: 89
Protein: 14.5g
Carbohydrate: 5.1g
Total Fat: 0.65g
Fiber: 0.0g
*Excellent source of: Selenium (38mcg)
*Good source of: Magnesium (40mg), Vitamin B12 (0.6mcg), and Vitamin E (3.4 IU)
*Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value, based upon United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the USDA Recommended Daily Value. Nutritional information and daily nutritional guidelines may vary in different countries. Please consult the appropriate organization in your country for specific nutritional values and the recommended daily guidelines.
When cooked (fried), abalone provides 0.149 grams of omega-3 fatty acids derived from eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (0.054g) and alpha lipoic acid (ALA) (0.095g), per each 100 grams of abalone.
Abalone – The Sexiest Food Alive? by Wendy Chan
Chocolates, oysters, lobsters and caviar all evoke a delectable and sensuous image, on par with other luxurious objects of desire such as champagne, perfume, diamonds and perhaps fur and Ferraris.
And we tend to see many of these popular ingredients appearing on the Valentine’s Day menu at upscale restaurants. So, if you are thinking of giving lovebirds who are celebrating at your restaurant a tasty fresh choice, what other ingredient could fit the bill? Abalone.
For the longest time, Asians, and particularly Chinese, have classified abalone with the likes of sharks fin, sea cucumber, ginseng and bird’s nest, as some of the most desirable, and expensive foods – which often promise beauty, health, longevity and sexual prowess. The high price of these ingredients often make them status symbols, reserved for celebrations and banquets to impress your most important guests.
Abalone still has a lot of mystique surrounding it, because it is not commonly available or regularly eaten by Americans. Some are intimidated by its sometimes chewy texture, and others may shy away from it because of its price.
Fresh abalone can be hard to come by in the market and can be tough and too chewy for some. I have learned that not too many people appreciate abalone sashimi. But canned Australian abalone – practically ready-to-eat, tender and tasty, with its undeniably distinguished shape, along with its greenlips or blacklips, could become the next “sexiest food alive.”
Haliotis Rubra (Australian Abalone) is a delicious mollusk with a refined flavor that is completely non-fishy. The waters of Australia produce some of the finest abalone in the world. Truth be told, abalone does possess many health benefits, as it is rich in selenium, magnesium, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin E. When cooked, it is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Abalone in a can – preferably the large whole ones from Australia – makes an impressive dish, which can also help to make your restaurant’s bottom-line healthy as well. Unlike fresh ones, which are perishable, abalone in a can store well, and there will be no wastage.
I have tried some rather delicious abalone dishes prepared by innovative chefs, which are the results of that optimum blend of East and West. Abalone bouillabaisse, abalone cioppino and crab meat stuffed abalones are all superb, but may take more prep work and many accompanying seafood ingredients, which will drive that price point even higher. But the presence of abalone definitely enriches the dish on every level. These are perfect shared entrée dishes – effective for turning up that heat and intimacy dial.
A tasty and impressive way to dish out this sexy baby is perhaps the simple, tried and true braising method with a bit of chicken stock and classic Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce, plated with some sautéed vegetables such as baby mustard greens or baby bok choy. I would consider putting that on a big, beautiful jewel-colored abalone shell which shines and glows in the flickering candle light. It would be an irresistible dish and a feast for the eyes as well. Personally, I think it would be the ideal pick for a Valentine’s special.
For more recipe ideas, please check out the following Web sites: http://www.fooddownunder.com
http://www.nearctica.com
Wendy Chan is the president and founder of Definity Marketing in New York. As a consultant responsible for launching the only Asian food trade show in America – All Asia Food Expo, Wendy has been a champion for the Asian food industry and Asian cuisines, working tirelessly on both professional and personal levels. She is the co-author of New Asian Cuisine: Fabulous Recipes From Celebrity Chefs and is a co-founder of New York-based multi-disciplinary production company Savory Productions, Inc. in the areas of food, beverage and travel. The company is focused on strategic marketing campaigns for brands tied to both image building and sales goals, high profile events and launches, publicity programs, innovative and quality content productions, including book-publishing projects, Web sites, events, culinary tours, and audio/visual programs for television as well as other broadcast channels.
And we tend to see many of these popular ingredients appearing on the Valentine’s Day menu at upscale restaurants. So, if you are thinking of giving lovebirds who are celebrating at your restaurant a tasty fresh choice, what other ingredient could fit the bill? Abalone.
For the longest time, Asians, and particularly Chinese, have classified abalone with the likes of sharks fin, sea cucumber, ginseng and bird’s nest, as some of the most desirable, and expensive foods – which often promise beauty, health, longevity and sexual prowess. The high price of these ingredients often make them status symbols, reserved for celebrations and banquets to impress your most important guests.
Abalone still has a lot of mystique surrounding it, because it is not commonly available or regularly eaten by Americans. Some are intimidated by its sometimes chewy texture, and others may shy away from it because of its price.
Fresh abalone can be hard to come by in the market and can be tough and too chewy for some. I have learned that not too many people appreciate abalone sashimi. But canned Australian abalone – practically ready-to-eat, tender and tasty, with its undeniably distinguished shape, along with its greenlips or blacklips, could become the next “sexiest food alive.”
Haliotis Rubra (Australian Abalone) is a delicious mollusk with a refined flavor that is completely non-fishy. The waters of Australia produce some of the finest abalone in the world. Truth be told, abalone does possess many health benefits, as it is rich in selenium, magnesium, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin E. When cooked, it is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Abalone in a can – preferably the large whole ones from Australia – makes an impressive dish, which can also help to make your restaurant’s bottom-line healthy as well. Unlike fresh ones, which are perishable, abalone in a can store well, and there will be no wastage.
I have tried some rather delicious abalone dishes prepared by innovative chefs, which are the results of that optimum blend of East and West. Abalone bouillabaisse, abalone cioppino and crab meat stuffed abalones are all superb, but may take more prep work and many accompanying seafood ingredients, which will drive that price point even higher. But the presence of abalone definitely enriches the dish on every level. These are perfect shared entrée dishes – effective for turning up that heat and intimacy dial.
A tasty and impressive way to dish out this sexy baby is perhaps the simple, tried and true braising method with a bit of chicken stock and classic Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce, plated with some sautéed vegetables such as baby mustard greens or baby bok choy. I would consider putting that on a big, beautiful jewel-colored abalone shell which shines and glows in the flickering candle light. It would be an irresistible dish and a feast for the eyes as well. Personally, I think it would be the ideal pick for a Valentine’s special.
For more recipe ideas, please check out the following Web sites: http://www.fooddownunder.com
http://www.nearctica.com
Wendy Chan is the president and founder of Definity Marketing in New York. As a consultant responsible for launching the only Asian food trade show in America – All Asia Food Expo, Wendy has been a champion for the Asian food industry and Asian cuisines, working tirelessly on both professional and personal levels. She is the co-author of New Asian Cuisine: Fabulous Recipes From Celebrity Chefs and is a co-founder of New York-based multi-disciplinary production company Savory Productions, Inc. in the areas of food, beverage and travel. The company is focused on strategic marketing campaigns for brands tied to both image building and sales goals, high profile events and launches, publicity programs, innovative and quality content productions, including book-publishing projects, Web sites, events, culinary tours, and audio/visual programs for television as well as other broadcast channels.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
FAO Aquaculture Statistics
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization issued its periodic report on fisheries. Aquaculture production totaled 51.6 million tonnes in 2008, which represents an increase of 2.5 per cent with respect to the previous period. Wild capture fisheries were level at 90 million tonnes. Seafood consumption per capita remained essentially unchanged at 16.9 kg: 8.5 kg from capture fisheries and 8.4 kg from aquaculture. As measured by imports, global seafood trade surpassed the $100 billion mark for the first time ever.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
