抄録
Natural recruitment of abalone Haliotis discus hannai had remained low in most areas of northeast Japan for many years, despite the release of millions of abalone seed annually. In recent years, however, natural recruitment of H. discus hannai markedly increased in some areas in Iwate and Miyagi. The recent new findings on early life ecology of abalone including H. discus hannai, such as larval settlement, post-larval feeding and growth, suggest factors affecting the recruitment of H. discus hannai. Seawater temperature during winter is suggested to affect post-larval and juvenile survival. Starvation of post-larvae due to intense food competition among grazers is considered to be one of the main causes for low survival rates.
