It may take 10 years for abalone stocks to get back to pre-heatwave levels, a Fisheries Department director warned on the first day of the abalone season yesterday.
WA abalone stocks were devastated in March and April when water temperatures off the coast rose more than 3C above average in a marine heatwave.
"It could be between five to 10 years before stocks reach preheatwave levels," Fisheries Department aquatic management director Lindsay Joll said.
Huge swaths of the prized mollusc were killed off and stocks almost wiped out in some northern waters early this year.
The department is now looking at ways to speed up the animal's recovery.
"The department is experimenting with reseeding by moving abalone from existing populations that survived the heatwave to make seedstock in areas that were affected," Dr Joll said.
The trials only began in the past month, leaving survival rates for the transplanted abalone unclear.
The coast from Moore River to the Northern Territory is closed to abalone fishing this season because of the heatwave.
But fishers flocked to the coast in the south as the abalone season kicked off yesterday. Gavin Glauvert, 74, of Nedlands, said he had been catching the delicacy since he was four.
Nine infringement notices were issued to people for undersized abalone or exceeding the bag limit. The department warned recreational fishers they faced tough penalties, including fines up to $5000, if they broke the rules.
"They should pay attention to new rules this season that stretched the collection period," north metropolitan compliance manager Todd A'Vard said.
The regulations permit licensed recreational fishers to collect abalone between 7am and 8am only on the first Sunday of every month for the five-month season.
In previous years, every Sunday over five weeks was open for fishing. Mr A'Vard said the change was to allow the department to measure each day's catch more accurately and ensure the number of abalone taken did not exceed the annual 40-tonne limit.
