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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 57(7)

Seeding small numbers of cultured black-lip abalone (Haliotis rubra Leach) to match natural densities of wild populations

P. J. Goodsell A C , A. J. Underwood A , M. G. Chapman A and M. P. Heasman B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Centre for Research on Ecological Impacts of Coastal Cities, Marine Ecology Labs A11, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

B NSW Fisheries, Pt Stephens Fisheries Centre, Private Bag 1, Nelson Bay, NSW 2315, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: pgoodsell@eicc.bio.usyd.edu.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 57(7) 747-756 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF06039
Submitted: 2 March 2006  Accepted: 6 September 2006   Published: 13 October 2006

Abstract

Haliotis rubra Leach, the black-lip abalone, is a valuable, commercially harvested species, but populations have declined since the onset of commercial fishing. Seeding juvenile cultured abalone into natural habitats can enhance and/or re-establish populations. This is often done in numbers well above natural densities of both unfished and fished populations, but is usually unsuccessful (probably because of increased mortality from predation or other density-dependent factors) and is potentially problematic for the ecology of the habitat. A major aim was, therefore, to assess survival of H. rubra when seeded in small numbers. The current study is one of a few experimental investigations to improve understanding of the potential of re-seeding. We test: (1) the importance of the spatial and temporal configuration of seed; (2) the usefulness of the urchins, Centroste phanus rodgersii, to act as a potential shelter from predators; and (3) differences in survival when using the deployment devices versus urchins. After a few days, total recovery among treatments ranged between 3 and 31%. The configuration of abalone or their proximity to urchins did not affect long-term survival. Survival in devices may be greater than with urchins, but these results were spatially variable. Recovery dropped to 0.2–3% from 1–2 months, and 0.05–2% after 6 months. Nevertheless, these results show that seeding fewer abalone (rather than previous attempts at mass out-planting) can sustain populations close to average natural densities of adults previously observed in Australia (1–3 abalone per m2). It may be more productive and ecologically conservative to release fewer and therefore larger abalone, which are known to survive better in the wild.

Extra keywords: enhancement, seeding device, spatial configuration, stocking, urchin.


Acknowledgments

This work would not have been possible without the help of research support staff: R. Reinfrank, S. Gartenstein, P. Hill, A. Grigaliunas, C. Myers and J. Smith. Many thanks to S. Dworjanyn, W. Liu and I. Pirozzi at the NSW Fisheries Aquaculture Facility. C. Styan provided valuable advice during this work and we thank A. Jackson for helpful comments on the manuscript. This project was funded by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation to NSW Fisheries and the Australian Research Council though its Special Centres Programme.


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