Farmers in Mexico receive US$ 100 per kilo for shelled, fresh abalone. The customers are buyers in Asia, especially Japan, as well as restaurants in the US. Abalone as a main course costs US$ 50 in high-class American restaurants, and the portion of pure flesh weighs less than 100 grams. These restaurants pay Mexican shellfish farmers US$ 35 per kilo for fresh abalone with shells.

US$ 600 million worldwide value Around 10,000 tonnes of free-range abalone (including shell weight) is harvested globally every year.