1.7.2 HALIOTIS IRIS (ABALONE)
For comparison, because the response to pollutants is highly species specific and very little data on metal tolerance is available for New Zealand species (ANZECC 2000),another species was used in toxicity assays in Chapter 2. The abalone Haliotis iris is an important fishery species in New Zealand and has also high cultural and ecological importance (Naylor et al. 2006, Morrison et al. 2009). H. iris has a shorter larval development than E. chloroticus (Moss & Tong 1992, Tong et al. 1992). Larvae hatch as trochophores 1 day after fertilisation, reach the veliger stage in 2 to 3 days postfertilisation and settle approximately 9 days post-fertilisation depending mainly on the seawater temperature. Only the embryo/early veliger life stages (i.e. the first 3 days of development) were used in this research.