Juveniles of A. japonicus bred artificially by Hakuyo Nursery Farm
(Shima, Japan) were used for the culture experiments. Hakuyo Nursery
Farmfertilized eggs on May 13, 2010 and confirmed settled juveniles
on May 23. The juveniles were transferred to a tank containing
running natural seawater in the laboratory, and were stocked there
until the start of the field experiment. During this indoor nursery
period, the juveniles were fed commercial food (LIVIC-BW, Eikenshoji
Co. Ltd.) that contained powdered brown seaweeds Undaria
pinnatifida and Ascophyllum nodosum.