Abstract: A tank for use in the culturing of marine and aquatic organisms that undergo larval settlement upon submerged surfaces and metamorphose thereon to become benthic motile animals that crawl upon said surfaces and graze food found thereon, such as abalone (phylum Mollusca, class Gastropoda, family Haliotidae), other gastropod molluscs including, but not limited to conch (class Gastropoda, genera Strombus, Cassis, Charonia, and others), Chilean "loco" (Choncholepas, choncholepas), sea urchins (phylum Echinodermata, class Echinoidea, order Cidaroidea), and other marine and aquatic motile benthic organisms of economic and scientific importance. The tank is provided with means for circulation of seawater through the tank and means are provided in the tank forming solid surfaces on which the larvae of abalone or other motile benthic organisms settle, feed and rest.

Abstract: A process for culturing abalone (phylum Mollusca, class Gastropoda, family Haliotidae); other gastropod molluscs including, but not limited to, conch (class Gastropoda; genera Strombus, Cassis, Charonia and others), Chilean "loco" (Concholepas, concholepas); sea urchins (phylum Echinodermata, class Echinoidea, order Cidaroidea) and other marine and aquatic motile benthic animals of economic and scientific importance in which larvae, when sufficiently developed to settle from swimming to crawling animals, are introduced into a bath of relatively pure water. Preconditioned settlement surfaces are provided in the bath that encourage the settling and metamorphosis processes and support life thereafter. The larvae are preferably introduced into the water in time-spaced batches, food is supplied, high quality water is supplied, waste products and unwanted detritus are continuously removed.