Young lemon sharks, Negaprion brevirostris, were kept under controlled conditions in an aquarium and fed blue runner, Caranx crysos, at different ration levels. The relationship between feeding rate and growth rate was best described by a von Bertalanffy growth curve, which predicted a maximum growth rate of 140 kJ kg−1 day−1 (0·66% b.w. day−1), a maintenance ration of 199 kJ kg−1 day−1 (1·06%
... [Show full abstract] b.w. day−1), and losses due to starvation of -236kJ kg−1 day−1 (1·11% b.w. day−1). The relationship between gross conversion efficiency (K1) and feeding rate was also examined. K1 ranged from - 64 to 25% and did not drop at high ration levels. Activity levels of both starved sharks and sharks fed at maintenance were not significantly different (0·2 body lengths s−1). K1 values generated from both laboratory and field data suggest that young lemon sharks can convert food to new tissue as efficiently as teleosts.