Estimates of Blacklip Abalone (Haliotis rubra) mortality rates attributed to Southern Rock Lobster (Jasus edwardsii)

Predation mortality rates of blacklip abalone (Haliotis rubra) were estimated under several different conditions using a range of manipulative experiments. Abalone mortality rates were estimated from tethering experiments inside the Maria Island Marine Reserve (MIMR) and at an adjacent site where predators, including southern rocks lobster (Jasus edwardsii) were in low abundance, due to fishing. Estimates of abalone mortality directly attributed to rock lobsters were gained from manipulative experiments inside the MIMR and in an aquarium experiment at the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute facility at the Marine Research Laboratories.