SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ABALONES - CAN STOCKS BE REBUILT USING MARINE HARVEST REFUGIA

Recovery of the isolated Palos Verdes Peninsula (PVP) kelp forest comm unity after severe disturbance offers important implications for the d esign of marine harvest refugia. In 1977, part of the Southern Califor nia mainland coast was closed to abalone fishing to promote natural re covery. Pink (Haliotis corrugata) and green (Haliotis fulgens) abalone s, historically the more abundant haliotids at PVP, did not respond. N earby islands had substantial stocks, but the short planktonic period of green abalone larvae suggested that dispersal between isolated beds was uncommon. A drift tube study supported this hypothesis and stress ed the importance of local brood stock. An experimental transplant of green abalone brood stock into sites where the drift tube data suggest ed high probability of larval retention led to a dramatic increase in juvenile abundance, a pattern not seen at distant controls. Other taxa with different distributions and larval periods further support the i mportance of dispersal potential to the natural recovery of depleted s tocks. Thus, refugia design must consider the life history of target s pecies, the oceanographic regime and distances from source areas, as w ell as the feasibility of enforcement.