There are several possible
explanations for this preference: 1) cultured abalone have been fed a
diet of kelp formany generations. Furthermore, the abalone used in this
experimentwere fed kelp for a period of 2 years prior to the experiment.
Even though the abalone were fed their respective diets for 1 month
prior to the experiment, it is possible that a longer acclimation period
may alter the dietary preferences. 2) The nutritive value of the different
species of seaweedsmay play a role in the preference. Laminari japonica
contains more water (12.37%) than G. lemaneiformis (7.54%) (Qi et al.,
data unpublished). Laminari japonica also contains less protein (10.19%
based on dry weight) than G. lemaneiformis (26.06%) (Liu et al., 2005;
Zhou et al., 2002). Abalone may compensate for the lower nutritional
value by increasing their feeding rate (Hahn, 1989). In our experiment,
the abalone were able to compensate for a low FCE by increasing their
feed intake. Thus, the abalone fed L. japonica had the highest DIBW
(105.21±0.54 mg day−1).