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The Wavy Periwinkle is a moderate-sized marine shellfish found in shallow temperate waters of southern and eastern Australia. Stock status is sustainable in TAS, undefined in SA and VIC, and negligible in NSW.

The Wavy Periwinkle, Lunella undulata, is a moderately sized marine gastropod found on exposed reef and boulder habitat in shallow temperate waters (0–20 m) of southern and eastern Australia. They grow to a maximum length of around 65 mm and are distributed from Hopetoun, Western Australia to Coolangatta, Queensland, and around Tasmania [Edgar 2012]. Wavy Periwinkles form large aggregations in shallow coastal waters. The Wavy Periwinkle has a protracted spawning period from October to May and may undergo incomplete spawning (retain unshed eggs until the next spawning event) [Underwood 1974; Keane et al. 2014]. They have short-term lecithotrophic larvae (planktonic larvae which live off the yolk supplied by the egg), and it is assumed that the larval duration is about five days, similar to other species within the taxon [Underwood 1974]. Stock structure is unknown, however a study of genetic diversity across southern Australia is underway.

Here, assessment of stock status is presented at the jurisdictional level—New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

New South Wales

Stock status for the New South Wales Wavy Periwinkle stock is reported as negligible due to historically low catches in this jurisdiction and the stock has generally not been subject to targeted fishing. The Wavy Periwinkle is one of a number of species defined within the New South Wales Sea Urchin and Turban Shell (SUTS) Fishery. Prior to 2009–10 catches of species of Turban Shells (including Wavy Periwinkle) were aggregated into a group of species defined as ‘Turban Shell – other'. Since 2009–10 the annual reported commercial catch of Wavy Periwinkles has averaged about 0.1 t (range 0–0.4 t p.a.) [Chick 2022]. Recreational and Indigenous catches of Wavy Periwinkles (or other Turban Shells) in New South Wales are unknown. Surveys of recreational and Indigenous catches have either not surveyed any harvest of Turban Shells [Murphy et al. 2022], not specified the species or species group [West et al. 2015] or reported them into a broader ‘shells - other’ category [Henry and Lyle 2003]. Fishing is unlikely to be having a negative impact on the stock.

Wavy Periwinkle biology [Keane et al. 2014]

New South Wales – Indigenous (Management Methods). https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/aboriginal-fishing

Victoria – Indigenous (Management Methods). A person who identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is exempt from the need to obtain a Victorian recreational fishing licence, provided they comply with all other rules that apply to recreational fishers, including rules on equipment, catch limits, size limits and restricted areas. Traditional (non-commercial) fishing activities that are carried out by members of a traditional owner group entity under an agreement pursuant to Victoria’s Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010 are also exempt from the need to hold a recreational fishing licence, subject to any conditions outlined in the agreement. Native title holders are also exempt from the need to obtain a recreational fishing licence under the provisions of the Commonwealth’s Native Title Act 1993.

1. Chick, RC 2022, Fishery statistics summary 2022 – Sea Urchin and Turban Shell Fishery – Red Sea Urchin (Heliocidaris tuberculata). NSW Department of Primary Industries. Fisheries NSW, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute: 19 pp.
2. DPIPWE 2005, Policy Document for the Tasmanian Commercial Dive Fishery. Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Hobart, Tasmania, 36p.
3. DPIPWE 2011, 2011 Update of Policy Document for the Tasmanian Commercial Dive Fishery. Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Hobart, Tasmania, 9p.
4. Edgar, G 2012, Australian Marine Life: The Plants and Animals of Temperate Waters, New Holland, Chatswood, NSW.
5. Henry, GW and Lyle, JM 2003, The national recreational and Indigenous fishing survey, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Canberra.
6. Keane, JP, Lyle, J, Mundy, C and Hartmann, K 2014, Periwinkle Fishery of Tasmania: Supporting Management and a Profitable Industry, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies Hobart.
7. Murphy, JJ, Ochwada-Doyle, FA, West, LD, Stark, KE, Hughes, JM and Taylor, MD 2022, Survey of recreational fishing in NSW, 2019/20 – Key Results.  NSW DPI – Fisheries Final Report Series No. 161. ISSN 2204-8669.
8. PIRSA 2018, Ecological Assessment of South Australian Commercial Miscellaneous Fishing Activities: Reassessment Report Incorporating Harvest of Sea Urchin, Specimen Shell and Turbo. Primary Industries and Resources South Australia (Fisheries and Aquaculture) Adelaide, 11p.
9. Underwood, AJ 1974, The reproductive cycles and geographical distribution of some common eastern Australian prosobranchs (Molluscs: Gastropoda), Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 25: 63–88.
10. Victorian Fisheries Authority Commercial Fish Production Information Bulletin 2022. Victorian Fisheries Authority, Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia. 23 pp.
11. West, LD, Stark, KE, Murphy, JJ, Lyle, JM and Ochwada-Doyle, FA 2015, Survey of recreational fishing in New South Wales and the ACT, 2013/14, Fisheries Final Report Series No. 149. NSW Department of Primary Industries, Wollongong.