Abalone is an Amazing Creature!

Rotary Club of Cayucos-Seaside Thursday, March 11, 2010 Call to order: 7:08 am Pledge Invocation Club Business:  This month is Literacy Month. Students will be conducting 4-Way Test contest.  Committee Reports: Gary and Liz W. are the members to submit ideas to regarding the 4th of July Parade.  Board of Director's Meeting next week.  Blood Drive in April. Flyers and advertising already provided. Need a venue to park the bus. Need 40 people to donate.  May fundraiser update: March 23rd is the next meeting at Liz's house at 6:30 in the evening.  Going dark on May 6th.  Flyer can be placed through the Chamber of Commerce to advertise the fundraiser in May. $35.00  Rotarians at work day on April 24th. Combining with the Morro Bay club.  3/13 Rotaract Charter Night  3/14 Paso Sunrise Crab Feed  3/27 PRLS Party Thousand Oaks  3/27 District Assembly  3/27 DGE Reception  4/10 DGE Reception  DG Demotion and Club Awards June 12th at Fess Parkers Resort cost is $40.00.  This Saturday is the Chili Cookoff in Morro Bay. Cost is $5.00  Morro Bay Community Center  April 17th is the birthday of our Morry Bay father club. The event is black tie and 75.00 per person or 700.000 per table at the Inn at Morro Bay.  Guest Speaker: Ray Fields-President Abalone Farm  Starts with Abalone eggs and sperm. Once reproduction occurs females can produce a million or two eggs.  No food needed for the first week. Metamorpohosis occurs after thay are a week old.  After a couple months they are transferred into the nursery building. 3,000 into one tank. 5 people work in the nursery building.  Eventually the goal is to get them to eat seaweed. They need to be 8 mm before they are able to eat seaweed.  After reaching 8 mm they go into baskets of 3,000 and put kelp in there and start to feed. After 6 months they get size sorted again. They stay in these baskets for a year and put them in the grow out system. Fresh seawater flows through three levels.  This is a great location because of the water quality. Also, the kelp beds are great because it's the abalone main source of food.  Harvest 60 tons per week of kelp.  4 years old, 3 ½ ounces is when its time to harvest.  Sell it live in the shell, or in a steak form. ½ goes to Tokyo.  35 hours or less from tank pull to reach destination.  Steaks get hand pounded. 4 ounces is typical.  www. Abalonefarm.com  50/50 drawing