Abalone farming is expanding in Asia, Australasia and South Africa to meet demand for this luxury seafood. The welfare needs of farmed abalone are poorly understood and largely unregulated.
Abalone welfare science is at a very early stage. Their relatively simple nervous systems make confident sentience assessment difficult, but the precautionary principle applies - practices that cause likely stress responses warrant consideration even absent certainty of subjective experience. High-density stocking, inadequate flow rates causing hypoxia, and rough handling during grading all cause measurable physiological stress responses in abalone. The luxury market for abalone (commanding high prices) creates capacity to invest in improved welfare standards - the challenge is creating the regulatory framework and consumer pressure to drive this.