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Abalone Viral Ganglioneuritis in South Australia

Abalone Viral Ganglioneuritis (AVG) has been detected in wild abalone in South Australia. AVG has not been reported from Western Australian (WA) abalone. If introduced, the disease could have a severe impact on the commercial, recreational and aquaculture abalone sectors in WA.

Fresh abalone in a bowl

The abalone disease AVG is established in the wild in Victorian and Tasmania waters and is expected to re-occur intermittently in these jurisdictions.   

In February 2024, the first case of AVG in South Australia was reported in wild abalone from the waters of the southeast coast of South Australia. These waters are near Victorian waters where AVG is known to occur.     

What is AVG?

AVG is a viral disease affecting the nervous system of abalone resulting in weakness and death of the shellfish. There are no known or likely impacts for human health. AVG only affects abalone species. 

AVG has not been reported from WA abalone. If introduced AVG could have a severe impact on the commercial, recreational and aquaculture abalone sectors in WA. 

To prevent introduction of AVG into WA, the import of live abalone into WA is not permitted. It’s also illegal to use abalone meat or any abalone material as fishing bait in WA. 

Abalone Viral Ganglioneuritis factsheet

Signs of AVG in abalone  

  • You may see patches of weak and/or dead abalone that are easily removed from or fall off the reef and cannot right themselves.  
  • There may be clusters where there are only empty shells present (evidence of abalone that have died and been scavenged)  
  • In some abalone you may see swelling of the mouth parts or edges of the foot curling inwards, leading to exposure of clean shiny shell, but this is more common on farms.  

Look out for and report disease signs in abalone 

Industry and community members play a critical role in monitoring our aquatic environments for disease and pest threats, and reporting anything unusual

Outbreaks of AVG in Victoria and SA were first identified by divers who identified patches of weak or dead abalone or unusual empty shells and reported the issue for investigation.

How to report  

  • Report any signs of disease or unusual deaths in wild abalone to the WA FishWatch 24-hour hotline on 1800 815 507.  
  • You may be asked to collect some whole abalone in a sealed plastic bag or container and record the exact location where the samples were collected. Samples should be kept refrigerated but not frozen.  
  • Aquaculture licence holders should report to the WA Aquaculture hotline, as per their licence conditions.  

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