Growth of market-size abalone (Haliotis midae) fed kelp (Ecklonia maxima) versus a low-protein commercial feed
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Date
2008
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Abstract
The growth of grow-out abalone fed on kelp, with ca. 10 % dry weight protein
content, was compared with that of those fed a new ,ca. 26 % protein, commercial
feed in a flow-through system on a South African west coast commercial abalone
farm. While both feeds produced similar gains in shell length (45.220 μm.day-1 for
kelp, 46.839 μm.day-1 for commercial feed), the latter significantly outperformed
kelp in terms of weight gain (0.266 % body weight.day-1 for commercial feed; 0.257 %
body weight.day-1 for kelp). This low-protein commercial feed may prove to be of
considerable benefit as substitute for the kelp plus high-protein feed sometimes used
for abalone, because it has most of the benefits of the two feeds, but none of their
apparent disadvantages.
Description
Keywords
Formulated feed, Growth, Haliotis midae, Kelp, Protein content, South Africa
Citation
Francis, T.L., et al. (2008). Growth of market‐size abalone (Haliotis midae) fed kelp (Ecklonia maxima) versus a low‐protein commercial feed. African Journal of Aquatic Science, 33(3): 279 ‐282