Once, 400 tonnes of paua (abalone) were illegally harvested from New Zealand waters. Most of them destined for foreign restaurants especially Chinese markets.
1000 tonnes of paua are harvested. At this rate, NZ will be like Canada and outh Africa, all their abalone stock being depleted.
I do not buy abalone. Besides the exorbitant price, I don't think the taste is so great to warrant the price.
In the old days, you can buy the greenish black ugly unappetising paua in the fish market. But not any more, it is too expensive for the local market, except in uppity restaurants where they make them into paua fritters. The Chinese like them in cans. They bleach them to make them attractive, It makes me wonder what poison they use.
In the older days up till 1970s when the water engineer was a student in Christchurch, Paua shells were used for their attractive colours to make jewellery, and souvenirs. Most people didn't eat paua.
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