Growth of the ass's ear abalone (Haliotis asinina Linné) on Heron Reef, tropical eastern Australia

Abstract

Growth of ass's ear abalone (Haliotis asinina) was measured in situ (mark-recapture of adults) and in aquaria (juveniles) on Heron Reef, Queensland. A growth curve (y = 4.27L^2.03 e^-u, where y is the growth rate, L is the shell length, and u = 0.27L^0.88) fitted to these data indicated a sigmoidal age-length relationship. It is estimated that H. asinina may grow from 2 mm to 35.6 mm in shell length in six months and 55.0 mm in one year. These growth estimates are consistent with temporal shifts in the size-frequency distributions of juveniles in the field. Peak growth rates, estimated at over 120 mm year^-1 in young abalone (approximately 3-4 months of age), are the highest recorded for any abalone species.