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Monterey Abalone Company
Contact us at: MONTEREY
ABALONE COMPANY
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FARM OPERATIONS AND HISTORY Joe Cavanaugh founded The Monterey Abalone Company in 1992. By 1994 the operation, which utilized plastic barrels suspended from the pier as abalone habitats, had grown to include 15,000 abalone. In May of 1994 a long-range development plan was initiated to farm 500,000 red abalone, reflecting the owners' desire to develop a farm that is compatible with the local marine environment and resources. The Monterey Abalone Company purchases small abalone 'seed' (at about one inch in shell length and 3-5 grams in weight) from hatcheries. The abalone are then grown out to market size. Market size abalone starts at 3 ½ " in shell length, and weigh ¼ pound each. We have taken pride in producing the largest farm raised abalone available, measuring 6 inches in shell length and weighing 1-½ pounds each. Please inquire on availability of sizes. Farmed raised red abalone can grow as fast as inch per year under optimal conditions. The seed abalone are stocked in habitats and fed fresh, hand harvested giant kelp each week. As the abalone grow, the number of abalone per habitat is reduced to maintain desired growth rates. The fastest growing abalone are selected for grow out to the largest sizes. The habitats are suspended in the water using a variety of mooring techniques and materials. The abalone are fed giant kelp (Macrocystis). Kelp is harvested each week from the local kelp beds and is transported in the company's skiff directly to the farm and fed to the abalone. Giant kelp is one of the fastest growing plants on earth. Fronds have been measured to grow as much as 3 feet per day under ideal conditions. Kelp is abundant along the rocky coast of the Monterey Peninsula, particularly in the spring, summer and fall. During the winter, storms and less favorable growing Conditions make the kelp canopy less abundant. Local kelp harvester’s work together in a coordinated way through the Monterey Kelp Cooperative to ensure that harvests are sustainable and that other users of the resource are not impacted. |
