Structure and Growth of a Shore Population of the Ormer, Haliotis Tuberculata

Abstract

There are many Haliotis species which are widely distributed along the rocky coasts of temperate and tropical zones, most of them inhabiting the shallow sublittoral areas. Many of them form an important part of the fisheries industry in such countries as Japan, U.S.A., South Africa and Australia. In Guernsey, the Channel Islands, the ormer Haliotis tuberculata L. has been gathered as a local delicacy at low tide of good spring tides - locally known ‘ormering’.Extensive tagging experiments have been undertaken at various places in the world for other species of haliotids, dealing with their growth and movement (Cox, 1962; Newman, 1966; Poore, 1972; Shepherd, 1973). For H. tuberculata, two tagging experiments, in which the growth and movement of sublittoral ormer populations were dealt with in detail, have been reported (Brehaut, 1958; Forster, 1967).The present study has laid emphasis on the structure and growth of a shore population which has been the most important object of ormering to date.