White abalone, haliotis sorenseni, are nearing extinction; wild populations are declining rapidly and current population estimates are < 4100

The university of california, davis, bodega marine laboratory (UCD-BML) has led the development of a strong collaborative propagation program for this species in the spotlight. Since acquiring the federal permit for captivity-held white abalone in mid-2011, UCD-BML brought the program from nearly a decade of no captive production to successfully rearing thousands of white abalone that have been outplanted in the ocean. However, annual production, currently around 25,000 year-old animals still lags behind the 100,000 target number needed to achieve self-sustaining populations in the wild. The proposed work will 1) increase the number of animals available for outplanting by improving captive reproduction and survival of juveniles to outplanting size (~25MM) through work in the white abalone culture laboratory, 2) improve the health of captive and outplanted white abalone through work in the shellfish health laboratory, and 3) conduct education and outreach, as outlined in the below objectives: 1. White abalone culture laboratory 1.1. Spawn broodstock and culture larvae for captive production and outplanting. 1.2. Establish of reliable methods for inducing gametogenesis and spawning. 1.3. Improve larval settlement success and juvenile survival. 1.4. Develop sperm cryopreservation methods. 1.5. Improve the white abalone database and data visualization tools. 2. Shellfish health laboratory 2.1. Monitor and improve captive population health. 2.2. Examine the effects of epoxy on abalone spawning. 3. Education and outreach this work directly addresses goal 4 of the endangered species act recovery plan for white abalone, to continue and expand a captive propagation and enhancement program for white abalone in california. Results will be shared with california department of fish and wildlife, national oceanic and atmospheric administration, and other restoration partners within the white abalone recovery consortium.