California's abalone aquaculture industry was dealt a sharp blow when a shell-inhabiting parasitic worm native to South Africa was inadvertently introduced to cultured stocks in the late 1980s. The previously unknown parasitic polychaete, member of a group collectively known as sabellids, so damages the shell that the abalone's growth ceases. This publication summarizes what has been learned about the polychaete. It addresses the sabellid's life history, the damage it causes, methods for detecting infestations, how the sabellid spreads, and the susceptibility of other native marine species to infestation. It concludes with recommendations for preventing the spread of the parasite.
Publication Number: T-040
Editor: Isabella A. Abbott
Product Type: Paperback
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1-888691-04-02
Copyright Date: 1997
Length: 212pp.
Out of print.
PDF available from the National Sea Grant Library
