Massive shell marking and release of hatchery-reared Haliotis diversicolor in the Mao-Bay of northeastern Taiwan

Abstract

Stock enhancement of marine organisms refers to replenishing the depleted wild populations by supplementing them with hatchery-reared conspecifics. It has been one of the most common and important practices for the enhancement and restoration of fisheries resources. In the present study, we have conducted massive shell marking and release of hatchery-reared Halioti diversicolor in the Mao-Bay of Northeastern Taiwan during 2016. Marked hatchery-reared H. diversicolor were recaptured to examine their growth conditions in the natural environments. H. diversicolor fed with artificial diets over a month could produce distinct blue-green bands on the outer shells and could be utilized for the reliable identification of hatchery-reared H. diversicolor in the wild. The shell length of marked H. diversicolor significantly varied with the recapture times while there were no significant differences in the shell length of marked H. diversicolor between the left and right side of Mao-Bay. Taken together, we also propose a conceptual framework ideal for stock enhancement of H. diversicolor in the fulture.