Abalone Farm - Tour

Cayucos - San Luis Obispo County

Abalone Farm Website

Red Abalone
Once natural to this area, red abalone is now farmed.
It is the fastest growing abalone and preferred to the black abalone.
30 years ago a Cal Poly professor and some investors began in Morro Bay.
They moved to this cove north of Cayucos.
Hoping to be deemed "worm free" so that the abalone
that doesn't make the grade can be shipped out.
Red Tide, "shrunken foot", and a worm infestation from South Africa
are among the setbacks that the Abalone Farm contends with.

Hatchery and Nursery
Females can spawn 2 or 3 times a month (4 million eggs)
20 females with 5 males. Sperm & eggs are released thru respiration ports.
Sperm is added at once. 24 hours later the eggs hatch. 7 days later they swim.
They're washed on a screen with freshwater and treated with antibiotics.
They're microscopic and look like garden snails.

Spawning Room
Spawning Tank

Hatching Tanks

Nursery

Tiny abalone!
Sally

3000 abalone per basket. 95% survival rate.
The farm has permits to shoot/scare the occasional sea gull or raccoon.

The Baskets
Seawater
Seaweed for food

Upper Tank Area

Cove

They grow about
an inch a year.

The water is pumped from the ocean up the cliff.
There are 7,000 tanks and millions of abalone.
Only the hatchery & nursery get filtered water.

Cove
Usually foggy

Electric Pump
with
backup diesel pump

Filter Tanks
cone-shaped tanks
screens & sand filters

View downhill
toward
The Raceway

Feeding the abalone 60 tons/week.
A local boat mows the kelp and bales it into balls.
The kelp is hand cut and dumped from trunks.
The abalone eat all of the kelp.

The Raceway Tanks
Abalone are nocturnal

Note the tentacles.
Abalone are nocturnal.

Closeup

We got to keep
some shells!
Getting There
There are no public tours at this time.
You might try calling the farm for a private tour.
Turn toward the ocean at Villa Creek Road
North of Cayucos near Harmony
  
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September 2004 California Drives