• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.465-474
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• 1998

Shell necrosis, which is found in the juvenile stage of Haliotis discus hannai in th culture process, was examine in this study. In the necrosis shell, bacteria of rod type and a blue green algal species with heterocyst were observed. However, it appears to be caused by a boring blue green alga, Mastigocoleus sp., as based on SEM data. At the time of its infection, the shell was discolored from green into bright-grey, and then began to be brittle at the 4th to 6th breathing hole. After 60 days of culture, necrosis occurred in the breathing holes with many brown tiny colony, and continued to 3 years after culture. This shell necrosis was found in the tank culture system in land rather than in the cage culture system in sea, and greatly affected to the growth of Haliotis discus hannai, resulting in very small size of 16mm in 3 year old shell.