鲍鱼的养殖英语作文

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The Art of Abalone Farming

Timeless taste

Abalone have been found embedded in rocks dating from as far back as millions of years ago, James Fraioli writes in Ocean Friendly Cuisine. They are related to clams, scallops, sea slugs, . But unlike clams, abalone is a gastropod-having only one shell. Its muscular foot allows it to clamp tightly to rocky surfaces.

In California, American Indians first fished for abalone. In the 1850s, Chinese immigrants became the first commercial fishermen. In the early part of the 20th century, Japanese immigrants began using deep-sea diving techniques. And after World War II,when scuba equipment became popular, fishermen began harvesting abalone in extraordinary numbers. In 1957, a record of 5.4 million pounds was caught, according to the California Department of Fish and Game.

Population plunge

Because abalone are so slow growing and because they are broadcast spawners, overfishing devastated the population, leaving it unable to recover.

By 1994, only 322,000 pounds were caught, according to the State Department of Fish and Game. And by 1997, commercial abalone fishing in California was shut down.

It remains illegal to buy or sell wild abalone in this state. Sport fishing of abalone remains highly restricted. Only skin diving and are allowed; scuba gear is prohibited. Sport fishermen can take only red abalone 18 centimeters across and larger-three per day during the season or 24 total per year.

On an overcast Sunday, a petite Lau in a big straw hat and dark glasses, and an imposing Hayes, in waterproof red nylon, wait patiently for customers. They think about all the hard work this has taken. If given the chance, would they do it all over again? Without hesitation, they both shake their head no. It's been a long haul, a fascinating ride, and like the abalone, they just hope to survive.

Vocabulary Focus

embedded (adj) ---fixed into the surface of something

shut down (phr v) ---to cause to stop operating or being in service, either temporarily or permanently

overcast (adj) ---cloudy and therefore not bright and sunny

long haul (idiom) ---a long period of time

Specialized terms

broadcast spawner (n phr)---排出卵子与精子时，不管附近有无同种生物的动物 a creature that release eggs and sperm into the water no matter if another of its kind is nearby or not

skin diving (n phr)---潜水 swimming under water with only limited breathing equipment and without a special suit