TRANSPORT AND RECRUITMENT OF SILVER-LIP PEARL OYSTER LARVAE ON AUSTRALIA'S NORTH WEST SHELF

Abstract

Abstract Silver-lip pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima) spat surveyed in the Eighty Mile Beach section of the North West Shelf have been used in conjunction with outputs from a particle dispersion model to identify likely spawning grounds. The dispersion model consisted of a 3-dimensional regional circulation model in which large numbers of individual particles were tracked over the period 1994 to 1999. From the settlement areas defined by the spat data, larvae were tracked back in time over their estimated pelagic phase of 24–31 days within the main spawning period of mid October to late December. The reverse calculation was also undertaken looking at larval dispersion from known broodstock populations. Results demonstrate that large tidal currents in the region move larvae back and forth across the shelf, whereas lower frequency currents influence their net transport. Whereas some model larvae traveled more than 60 km, most were transported less than 30 km. The model results suggest that spawning in the Eigh...