Abalone is not familiar to most South Dakotans. At Big Island Abalone at Kona, Hawaii, 3.8 million are grown each year in 450 tanks. Water at 17 degrees celcius from the ocean at a depth of 3000 feet is pumped into the system. The main markets are Aisan countries of Japan, Korea and China. It takes 3 years to grow one abalone. They are packed live in oxgenated water in special styrofoamboxes and airfreighted to customers, arriving within 30 hours of being taken from the tank.
