Behaviour studies on the mobility of two species of abalone (Haliotis tuberculata and H. discus hannai) on sand: Implications for reseeding programmes

Abstract

The moving behaviour of two species of abalone (H. tuberculata and H. discus hannai) on sand was studied in laboratory experiments with two size classes. Test animals of all experimental groups left solid substrata and moved across sand areas. The smaller size class (11-22 mm) was significantly less mobile than the larger size class (29-40 mm) in both species, and H. discus hannai showed higher mobility than did H. tuberculata. Lack of food was a significant incentive to move for both species and both size classes. For H. discus hannai, the stress of handling and exposure to the new environment caused increased movement that decreased as the animals acclimated. The significance of these findings for fisheries management and reseeding programmes is discussed, in particular as a possible explanation for the frequently reported 'unaccounted for' lost seed abalone.