Abalone Farming Webinar – Roberto Flores-Aguilar

Abalone are one of the most luxurious and expensive seafood products around the world, with high demand specifically in the Asian countries because of the cultural, traditional, and medicinal qualities associated with abalone. Abalone aquaculture over the last decade has increased its share of the world abalone market with the decline of abalone fisheries. Abalone culture technology is now well established in several countries, and the industry is now in its maturation phase. The total volume of worldwide abalone fisheries has declined since the 1970’s, but farm production has increased from negligible quantities in the 1970s to more than 100,000 tons, the vast majority being produced in China and South Korea. Other relevant abalone producing countries are South Africa, Chile, Australia, Worldwide and Mexico.
Roberto Flores-Aguilar is an oceanographer from the Marine Science Faculty at Baja California Autonomous University (UABC). He is a pioneer of abalone and marine fish farming in Mexico. He has been a researcher, academic, entrepreneur and public official in the field of aquaculture and was recognized by the World Aquaculture Society through the Innovation in Aquaculture award. He was co-founder of the first of all commercial abalone farming project at the company Abalone Cultivados and serves as the Technical managing director. Roberto is a past president of the International Abalone Society, which brings together professionals in the sector from around the world. He also co-founded and directed the production of the Yellowtail Seriola dorsalis at Baja Seas grow out farm and Ocean Baja Labs that produces Yellowtail juveniles. He was also managing director of Fisheries in the State of Baja California and has worked and consulted with various academic and production companies in Chile