Behavioral analysis of Pacific abalone, Haliotis discus hannai, reveals its feeding preference and attraction potential for brown alga, Sargassum horneri

The Pacific abalone, Haliotis discus hannai , is a highly valued and industrially important aquaculture species with growing de-mands of the expanding abalone aquaculture industry. To explore the feasibility of using the brown alga, Sargassum horneri , as a potential substitute for abalone feed, it is important to identify the feed preference and attractant effect of S. horneri on Pacific abalone. Our experiments indicated that the feeding-associated movement of abalone could be detected using a video tracking system under indirect illumination with dim red light. To further analyze the attraction potentials of various test materials, preference analysis was performed using Avicel-coated glass plates with ground powders of various seaweeds (e.g., S. horneri , Saccharina japonica , and Undaria pinnatifida ) and commercial abalone feed, together with coffee waste. Heat map analysis indicated greater attraction by the kelp S. japonica than by S. horneri and commercial feed, which showed similar preference levels. Feeding preference based on the area of Avicel eaten by abalone showed a significant preference for U. pinnatifida over S. horneri (feeding area: 68.6 ± 20.1% vs. 37.5 ± 22.4%, p < 0.05). Additionally, the feeding area was significantly greater for plates with S. japonica than for plates with S. horneri (44.0 ± 16.6% vs. 22.6 ± 15.4%, p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in feeding area between commercial feed and S. horneri (31.7 ± 11.6% vs. 31.6 ± 20.2%, p > 0.05). The methanol extracts attracted abalone in the following order: U. pinnatifida > S. horneri > S. japonica > commercial feed > coffee waste. To determine the attractive effects of the components of methanol extracts, mixtures of methanol extracts of commercial feed with increasing amounts of S. horneri were examined. The results showed a significant increase in feeding preference upon addition of S. horneri up to 50% and 75%, suggesting its potential for use as an appetite-enhancing feed additive. This study identified conditions that can be successfully used to monitor the movement of Pacific abalone; the results of preference analysis confirmed that abalone exhibited similar attraction and feeding preference for S. horneri , compared with commercial feed.