Boulders or urchins?: Selecting seeding sites for juvenile Haliotis midae along the Namaqualand coast of South Africa

The extent to which the relationship between juvenile abalone Haliotis midae and sea urchins Parechinus angulosus is induced by their physical habitat along the Namaqualand coast of South Africa was investigated. Correlation analyses between the proportion of abalone utilising sea urchins for refuge and the proportion of habitat defined as exposed were computed from 28 experimental seeding sites in Port Nolloth on the north-west coast of South Africa. A highly significant positive correlation was found (r = 0.72, p < 0.05). It was concluded that, along the Namaqualand coast, underboulder habitat was the most important factor determining the survival of juvenile abalone (size 12-26mm). Site selection should therefore be based on the suitability of the physical substratum to provide shelter for juvenile abalone along that coast.