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Brownlip Abalone is found along Australia’s southwest coast. In WA there are two management areas, Area 2 Fishery is depleted and Area 3 fishery is sustainable. The stock in SA is undefined, with limited information available.

Brownlip Abalone is distributed from the south-west of Western Australia to the west of South Australia. Brownlip Abalone are endemic to the south-west of Australia, but there is evidence to suggest that they are genetically similar to, and potentially conspecific with, Blacklip Abalone (Haliotis rubra rubra) [Brown and Murray 1992], which are distributed east from Western Australia across southern mainland Australia to northern New South Wales and Tasmania. The biological stock structure of Brownlip Abalone has not been examined. As there is no genetic evidence to confirm biological stock structure of Brownlip Abalone, assessment of stock status is presented here at the management unit level—Western Australia Area 2 Fishery, Western Australia Area 3 Fishery and South Australia Western Zone Fishery.

South Australia Western Zone Fishery

Brownlip Abalone is considered to be rare in South Australia, but likely found in the western fishing areas of the South Australia Western Zone Fishery (SAWZF) that have high relative catch contributions. Brownlip Abalone is not differentiated from Blacklip Abalone in commercial catch returns as it can be difficult to distinguish from blacklip abalone. Consequently, there is no reported catch of Brownlip Abalone by commercial or recreational fishers in South Australia. There is no published assessment of this species, and there are no data available to estimate biomass or exploitation rates. In addition, there is no knowledge on recruitment or harvestable biomass, and there are no defined target or limit reference levels. This prevents assessment of current stock size or fishing pressure. Consequently, there is insufficient information available to confidently classify the status of this stock.

On the basis of the evidence provided above, the South Australia Western Zone Fishery management unit is classified as an undefined stock.

Brownlip Abalone biology [Strain et al. 2017; Strain et al. 2020]

Distribution of reported commercial catch of Brownlip Abalone

Western Australia - Recreational (Catch Volume). [Smallwood et al. 2023]

Commercial catch of Brownlip Abalone - note confidential catch not shown.

1. Brown, LD and Murray, ND 1992, Genetic relationships within the genus Haliotis. In: Abalone of the World: Biology, Fisheries and Culture. Shepherd, SA, Tegner, MJ, and Guzman del Proo, SA (eds). Blackwell Scientific Publications Ltd, Oxford, pp.19–23.
2. DPIRD 2023, Abalone resource of Western Australia harvest strategy 2021–2026: Version 2.0. Fisheries Management Paper No. 283. Department of Primary Industries and regional Development, Western Australia, Perth. 53pp.
3. Hart, A, Strain, L, Hesp, A, Fisher, E, Webster, F, Brand-Gardner, S and Walter, S 2017, Marine Stewardship Council full assessment report Western Australian Abalone Managed Fishery. Department of Fisheries, Western Australia, Perth. 288pp.
4. Smallwood, CB, Ryan, KL, Lai, EKM, Rudd, LJ and Strain LWS 2023, Recreational fishing for Abalone in Western Australia in 2021/22: estimates of participation, effort and catch. Fisheries Research Report No. 333. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia. 33pp.
5. Strain, LWS, Hesp, SA, Fabris, F, and Hart, AM 2017, Demographic performance of Brownlip abalone: exploration of wild and cultured harvest potential. FRDC Project No. 2012/016. Fisheries Research Report No. 280. Department of Fisheries, Western Australia, Perth. 104pp.
6. Winker, H, Carvalho, F, and Kapur, M 2018, JABBA: Just Another Bayesian Biomass Assessment. Fisheries Research 204; 275-288.