Introduction of Abalones:

Abalones are endangered marine snails They are found from the intertidal to depths of
approximately 80-90 m, from tropical to cold waters (Hone and Fleming, 1998). majorly being
distributed off the coasts of New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Western North America, and
Japan They are considered a delicacy and a highly nutritious food and extensively consumed in
certain parts of Latin America, France, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, China, Vietnam, Japan,
and Korea. They are also commercially farmed as a source of mother-of-pearl. The shells of
abalone are used for decorative purposes owing to their iridescence. This makes abalone a highly
sought after commodity and economically significant.
Most of the Australian species of interest for aquaculture are found in the southern waters,
ranging from the coast of New South Wales, around Tasmania
and to as far north as Shark Bay, WA
This creatures are a very common type of shellfish. Their flesh is considered to be a delicacy and
their shells are popular in jewellery.
In this work I consider the problem of estimating the age of abalone given its physical
characteristics. This problem is of interest since alternative methods of their age estima- tion are
time-consuming. Therefore, if a statistical procedure proves reliable and accurate enough, hours
of working hours could be saved.
Abalone can live up to 50 years, depending on a species. The speed of their growth is primarily
determined by environmental factors related to water flow and wave activity. Due to differences
in food availability, those from sheltered waters typically grow more slowly than those from
exposed reef areas
Biological attributes and farming technology, where information is available, are outlined for six
abalone species of interest for aquaculture within Australia. These are Greenlip, Roeʼs, Blacklip
(H. rubra), Brownlip, Donkey ear, and Staircase (H. scalaris) abalone.
Hatchery production of abalone larvae and spat is well developed with spawning, hatching and
larval rearing, and nursery procedures proving quite successful.
Abalones in all life stages can suffer from the disease. Affected abalones are off feed, the foot
muscle appears shrunken, the visceral tissues are retracted, and most abalone, unable to tightly
adhere to the substrate, fall from the reef and die, resulting in large numbers of empty shells.