A Review of the Biology, Ecology, Fisheries and Mariculture of the European Abalone Haliotis tuberculata Linnaeus 1758 (Gastropoda: Haliotidae)

A comprehensive review of the biology, ecology, fisheries and cultivation of the European abalone (ormer) Haliotis tuberculata Linnaeus 1758 is presented. Topics include taxonomy, morphology, distribution, reproduction, pre-adult and adult stages, nutrition, growth, population characteristics, and various aspects of exploitation and mariculture. Data and information were obtained from unpublished as well as published sources. The ormer, the only species in the family Haliotidae which is harvested commercially in Europe, has a geographic range which extends in the eastern Atlantic from the Channel Isles and the French coasts of the western Channel in the north to the Cape Verde Islands and the West African coasts of Mauritania and Senegal in the south. Ormers are exploited both commercially and recreationally. Decreasing natural stocks and increasing value for the flesh have led to an interest in mariculture of this species.