Abalone populations are known to vary greatly in growth rate, size at sexual maturity and asymptotic length across their range. It is hyptothesised that elements of shell shape may relate to the growth rate and fecundity of abalone and may be a valuable management tool in identifying areas at risk of depletion, and those that are under-utilised. We tested this by sampling abalone populations from across Southern Australia in Spring 2006 to investigate the relationship between shell shape and fecundity at sites with different growth rates. Several parameters of shell shape were found to correlate strongly with growth rate with sites of slow growth tending to yield higher, rounded shells than fast growing sites. Animals with more domed shells also tended to have larger gonads than those with flat shells. We discuss the importance of these data in relation to local scale management of abalone stocks.