Francis, TamsonManeveldt, GavinVenter, Jonathan2013-06-142013-06-142008Francis, 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 ‐2821608-5914http://hdl.handle.net/10566/646The 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.enThis is the authors' final draft following peer review. It may be displayed and circulated, subject to full acknowledgement of author and source. The published item is copyright Taylor & Francis.Formulated feedGrowthHaliotis midaeKelpProtein contentSouth AfricaArticle