Two- and a half-month-old H. asinina early juvenile with initial
mean weight and shell length of 0.60±0.07 g and 14.70±0.12 mm
(E1) and 0.60±0.85 g and 15.30±0.73 mm (E2), respectively,
produced from the natural spawning at the mollusc hatchery of
SEAFDEC, Aquaculture Department, Tigbauan, Iloilo, Philippines were
used in the study. The abalone were acclimatized in the laboratory
and were fed a maintenance feed from Japan for 2 weeks. The abalone
were then shifted to a lipid-free diet for a month before the start of the
actual experiment. Abalone were stocked in 500-l fiberglass tank filled
with aerated seawater. Initial and final lipid samples extracted from
abalone tissues were analyzed for fatty acid composition for both
experiments (E1 and E2).