Blacklip Abalone

• New South Wales Abalone Fishery (94t in 2020/21)

Abalone are found on inshore kelp forest reefs on southern coastlines. They serve an important ecological role as a grazing herbivore and prey item for a range of coastal species.

While there is uncertainty about recent population assessments, there are no serious immediate concerns for the health of the NSW blacklip abalone fishery.

Research into the stock status of abalone populations indicates that they are likely made up of many small, independent populations along the southern coast of Australia. Regional studies suggest that some areas have healthy populations, while other areas are depleted and overfished, resulting in a patchwork of stock status.

The fishery extends the entire length of the NSW coastline with four management areas. The current management approach does not protect against localised depletion, a key issue for abalone fishery management.

Many blacklip abalone stocks are declining because abalone are highly susceptible to a range of climate impacts like marine heatwaves, habitat loss and invasive species. In NSW, climate impacts are cited as having a significant impact on the productivity of the fishery but have not yet been tackled. Management should incorporate monitoring and management of environmental impacts more explicitly in the fishery.

Abalone are hand-collected by divers. There is no bycatch, and minimal impacts on seafloor habitats from this fishing method.

Recently, the NSW government opened large areas of its marine protected area network  to fishing. While these changes remain in place, there is concern for blacklip abalone populations in these areas.