The Road to Recovery for Ocean Grown Abalone

When WA’s Ocean Grown Abalone was hit with a slide in exports after the coronavirus, it had to work fast to find a solution. Now the industry is focusing on survival and recovery.

Brad Adams doesn’t have anything against wearing a suit to work, as long as it’s made of neoprene. Most days, he takes a short boat ride from Augusta in Western Australia, to check on his 400ha sea ranch at Flinders Bay in the Ngari Capes Marine Park. “It’s better diving with the team than sitting in an office,” says Adams, managing director of Ocean Grown Abalone (OGA).

The protective abitats (abalone habitats) OGA invested in a few years ago are proving their worth. Like many businesses, OGA had to pause its harvest when COVID-19 hit. On the upside, leaving the abalone in their abitats means they’ll be bigger and worth more when finally sold.

“OGA remains focused on diversifying and generating sales opportunities, has a biomass of more than 263 tonnes of abalone (at 31 December 2019) and more than $3.4m in the bank,” reported OGA’s board in its April 2020 announcements to the ASX.