Dietary and nondietary accumulation of waterborne zinc (Zn) by shell of abalone Haliotis diversicolor supertexta was studied to determine if abalone shell can accumulate and eliminate Zn biokinetically. Shell of H. diversicolor supertexta rapidly accumulated Zn at microgram per gram concentrations during a 7-d uptake period for dietary and nondietary exposure to 1 mug ml(-1) Zn seawater. Depuration half-lives were 7.22 and 15.40 d for dietary and nondietary exposure, respectively. The uptake rate constants were 5.12 and 4.84 ml g(-1) d(-1), respectively, for dietary and nondietary exposure. The depuration rate constants were 0.048 and 0.10 d(-1), respectively for dietary and nondietary exposure. Results from this study showed that the shell of H. diversicolor supertexta accumulated Zn and that it reflected the composition of the seawater in which the abalone lived. This suggested that the shell of H. diversicolor supertexta can be used as a bioindicator or can act as a receptor to biokinetically eliminate heavy metals from aquatic food webs. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.