White-footed paua studied

Press, 18 December 1985, Page 52

White-footed paua studied

Wellington reporter The Ministry of Fisheries is studying the commercial Ktential of New Zealand’s ■gest white-footed paua, found in the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands. About 700 specimens were brought back recently in the research vessel James Cook for study at the Mahanga Bay hatchery in Wellington. These paua will form the breeding stock for future programmes. Hatchery work on the black-footed paua has shown that it is quite possible to grow them to 50 to 80mm within three years. New Zealand now has

some choices to make. Should it farm its own special breed of whitefooted paua? Should it import such species as the Californian abalone? Should it try to convince overseas buyers and consumers that black abalone meat is better than white? The mainland whitefooted paua grows only to about 50mm, which is really too small for commercial farming, specially as the species is not numerous. But the Auckland Island sub-species of white-footed paua can grow to 80mm. This is why tests are being done on them in the warmer

waters of Wellington Harbour. The growth rate of the Auckland Islands paua is not known, but is estimated to be about 80mm in six or seven years. To make it commercially viable, this needs to be accelerated to 50 to 60mm in two or three years. Higher water temperatures may do the trick. The water at the Auckland Islands is in the 5 deg. to 18 deg. range, compared with 9 deg. to 19 deg. at Wellington. Paua used to this higher range might grow more quickly in the summer

and also continue to grow during the winter. Investigation has also begun on the rock lobster (crayfish) resource at the Auckland Islands. They are there, but probably not in commercial quantities because it is a lot colder and further south than the usual limits of the species. It is not clear how they got there, or even how they recruit themselves once there. But the study is worthwhile because, however they got there and sustain themselves, they obviously do and they survive as well.