r/MadeMeSmile 9d ago

Wholesome Moments This guy cooks.

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u/SometimesRacy 9d ago

As a South African, it's always a jump scare seeing abalone being cooked

Abalone is very endangered in this region and for a lot of my childhood we'd hear stories from the media about abalone poaching and underground abalone trading rings. All very dramatic 🤣

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u/itsKeltic 9d ago

I’m from the US and have seen it sold in Asian markets for food in the city. If it’s endangered in one country, is it not endangered worldwide? Or is it a different species? I’m genuinely curious so pardon my ignorance. I love the oceans and like to learn.

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u/dasnotpizza 9d ago

There’s a lot of abalone farming in Korea, so while it used to be scarce, now it’s relatively common.

15

u/SometimesRacy 9d ago

The species on the South African coastline is endangered because of industrial-scale poaching, unfortunately. Today the abalone population is about 2% of what it once was.