Abalone changes shape for the future
Changes in market conditions and the emergence of a strong Chinese aquaculture supply has seen Western Australia’s abalone fishers reshape their operations.
New market conditions have encouraged suppliers to adjust their focus onto Roe abalone while continuing to pursue Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, which remains the global gold standard. WA abalone continues to be recognized as world-best product, both as a high quality produce and as a high-value export. Western Australia’s abalone fisheries were certified as sustainable to the MSC standard in 2017, which included Roe’s, greenlip and brownlip abalone. In March 2025 the Abalone Industry Association of Western Australia made a decision to focus on the Roe’s abalone unit of certification as it offers the most potential and return on investment.
The decision was driven by market forces as well as a need to direct attention to the species with the greatest export potential. As a result, greenlip and brownlip abalone have moved away as they benefited less from MSC, however Roe’s have found strong domestic and international markets with the help of Augusta-based Rarefoods Australia.
Senior fisheries officer Felix Ameye said the focus on Roes provided a great opportunity for suppliers who were previously struggling with prices, markets, and competition from aquaculture. “It’s often said that the only constant in fishing is change, and that is the case for abalone. Over the last 18 months, the size of the harvested Roes have been very good and their condition is excellent in terms of meat to shell ratio. They appear very robust and healthy and their taste remains sensational.”
“While the quality is world-class, there was some recent concerns that the northern marine heat wave may move further south down the coast, which would likely have an impact on stock. Fortunately, this hasn’t happened and we continue to send out larger animals for the live trade on the back of the Chinese aquaculture boom. Market interest from local and export buyers is increasing, and our abalone divers are very happy with stock numbers and quality, so we are moving forward with some confidence,” Felix said.
