Abalone farming in South Africa: An overview with perspectives on kelp resources, abalone feed, potential for on-farm seaweed production and socio-economic importance

Abstract

Troell, M. et al. (2006). Abalone farming in South Africa: an overview with perspectives on kelp resources, abalone feed, potential for on-farm seaweed production and socio-economic importance. AQUACULTURE, University AbstractThe South African abalone cultivation industry has developed rapidly and is now the largest producer outside Asia. With a rapid decline in wild abalone fisheries, farming now dominates the abalone export market in South Africa. Kelp (Ecklonia maxima) constitutes the major feed for farmed abalone in South Africa, but this resource is now approaching limits of sustainable harvesting in kelp Concession Areas where abalone farms are concentrated. This paper gives an overview of the development of the South African abalone industry and analyses how abalone farming, natural kelp beds and seaweed harvesting are interlinked. It discusses options and constraints for expanding the abalone industry, focussing especially on abalone feed development to meet this growing demand. Kelp will continue to play an important role as feed and kelp areas previously not utilised may become cost-effective to harvest. There are many benefits from onfarm seaweed production and it will probably be a part of future expansion of the abalone industry. Abalone waste discharges are not at present regarded as a major concern and farming brings important employment opportunities to lower income groups in remote coastal communities and has positive spill-over effects on the seaweed industry and abalone processing industry.

The biogeography of kelps (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae): a global analysis with new insights from recent advances in molecular phylogenetics

“…Larger kelps can form dense stands over large areas of the shallow rocky subtidal, often referred to as kelp beds or kelp forests, such as the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera in the north-eastern PaciWc and southern oceans, as well as the genus Laminaria and its close relatives, on North Atlantic, North PaciWc, Arctic and southwest African coasts. Species of kelps are important in many industries for human food, production of alginates (Zemke-White and Ohno 1999) as well as many other uses such as medicine (Smit 2004) and feed in abalone aquaculture (Troell et al 2006). Undaria pinnatiWda has been introduced from Japan to many temperate regions, probably as a consequence of shellWsh aquaculture, and "is regarded as one of the most urgent and aggressive threats to marine ecosytems" (Uwai et al 2006).…”

Determining the most appropriate feeding regime for the South African abalone Haliotis midae Linnaeus grown on kelp

“…Abalone fed a diet of kelp will typically invest more energy into length, quite often at the expense of weight (Troell et al 2006). Growth trends in length are therefore often considered more reliable when determining farm management procedures for abalone fed kelp.…”

“…Since then, South Africa has become the largest abalone producer outside Asia (FAO 2004). This emerging market has largely been driven by over-exploitation of the wild abalone stocks by poaching and by high market prices (Cook 1998, Troell et al 2006). …”

“…The growing South African abalone industry depends largely on a steady supply of feed resources, particularly fresh kelp (Troell et al 2006). Currently more than 7000 tons of fresh kelp fronds are harvested annually in South Africa to feed cultured abalone and this figure is expected to increase as the growing demand for kelp by local abalone farmers also increases .…”

UK Macro-Algae Biofuels: A Strategic Management Review and Future Research Agenda

“…The resulting increase in incomes has been shown to allow children to continue in schooling in Indonesia [34], but in the Solomon Islands this had had the opposite effect as children have been encouraged to become farmers [63]. Further social impacts have been improvements in housing and purchasing assets [54] in the United Republic of Tanzania and increased employment levels in coastal communities in South Africa [64]. As well as impacts on incomes and education, there is considerable evidence which suggests that seaweed farming has led to improvements in the quality of life in coastal communities such as participation in leisure activities (Indonesia) and religious pilgrimage (India) [56] and well as an increase in community cohesion (Solomon Islands) [63].…”