Highly valued for its edible muscular foot and mother-of-pearl shell, the pinto abalone has declined significantly in recent decades and faces extinction unless it'ss protected — and soon — under the ...

At the shell's edge is the abalone's head, complete with eyes, mouth, and a pair of black tentacles. The abalone's large, muscular foot is shaped like a flattened mushroom and is used to generate ...

But it is the golden meat of its muscular foot which makes it so highly prized. Whole abalone are a status symbol delicacy for Chinese gourmets, alongside shark fin, sea cucumber, and dried fish maw.