WHAT IS AN ABALONE STOCK - IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ROLE OF REFUGIA IN CONSERVATION

This paper concerns the conservation of abalone stocks in a genetic an d fisheries sense. We review genetic and ecological information relati ng to the differentiation of abalone stocks in South Australia and pro pose that metapopulation theory provides an apt framework in which to develop the concept of an abalone stock. We consider what is a minimum viable population for abalone and illustrate our discussion with a ca se study of an abalone population that declined through a combination of fishing, recruitment failure, and inadequate protection by a refugi um. Refugia can play an important role in abalone conservation by main taining egg production and genetic diversity and by preserving populat ions for scientific study.