Western Australia's first wild abalone farm has officially launched its commercial operation with the release of 8400 juveniles last week, reports ABC Rural.
The farm is located in Augusta in the state's south-west and is the first of its kind in Australia to be developed on an artificial reef on the seabed.
Former abalone diver and aquaculture graduate Brad Adams has spent more than a decade developing the concept where the reef is constructed using hollow concrete modules.
The modules,known as 'abitats', short for 'abalone habitat'. They have 12 metres of surface area and are capable of producing 20 kilograms of abalone each year. There are currently 400 modules underwater, but the farm will be made up of 5,000 modules, lined up in groups of six on the seabed.
Following a monitoring of the first release, divers will release approximately 43,000 abalone every fortnight.
Mr Adams says his model will create a consistent supply for local and export markets.
Read more HERE.
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| Reinforced concrete blocks ready to form part of the artificial reef |
The farm is located in Augusta in the state's south-west and is the first of its kind in Australia to be developed on an artificial reef on the seabed.
Former abalone diver and aquaculture graduate Brad Adams has spent more than a decade developing the concept where the reef is constructed using hollow concrete modules.
The modules,known as 'abitats', short for 'abalone habitat'. They have 12 metres of surface area and are capable of producing 20 kilograms of abalone each year. There are currently 400 modules underwater, but the farm will be made up of 5,000 modules, lined up in groups of six on the seabed.
Following a monitoring of the first release, divers will release approximately 43,000 abalone every fortnight.
Mr Adams says his model will create a consistent supply for local and export markets.
Read more HERE.
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