Recovering a collapsed abalone stock through translocation. Seafood CRC Project No. 2011/762

Authors

Lachlan W.S. Strain
Jamin M. Brown
Anthony M. Hart

Publication Date

10-2019

Series Number

292

Publisher

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

ISBN

978-1-921258-39-8

ISSN

2202-5758

Abstract

A Roe’s Abalone (Haliotis roei) fishery in Western Australia (Area 8) suffered catastrophic mortality (99.9%) due to an anomalous environmental event in the summer of 2011. During this extreme marine heatwave there was a sustained period of elevated sea surface temperatures that rose to lethal levels for this species and effectively wiped out an entire stock at its northern distribution. Natural recovery within the foreseeable future was considered unlikely, thus providing a unique opportunity to test fishery restoration strategies for abalone. Over the course of this assisted recovery program (5.5 years) no natural recovery was observed in the region most affected by the mortality event.

Number of Pages

83

Keywords

Western Australia

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries

Recommended Citation

Strain L.W.S., Brown J.M. and Hart A.M. 2019. Recovering a collapsed abalone stock through translocation. Australian Seafood CRC Project No. 2011/762. Fisheries Research Report No. 292, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia. 93pp.