The importance of n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids for growth in larval Sparus aurata and their effect on survival, lipid composition and size distribution

W. M. Koven, A. Tandler, G. Wm Kissil, D. Sklan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

74 Scopus citations

Abstract

The effect of feeding Artemia nauplii containing different levels of n-3 HUFA on growth, survival and size distribution was tested in 22-36-day Sparus aurata larvae. Five treatments were prepared by feeding 24-h-old nauplii various percent ratios (0:100, 10:90, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25) of a commercial emulsion (high in n-3 HUFA) and a soybean oil-egg yolk emulsion (3:1 preparation, deficient in n-3 HUFA). Each treatment had five replicates and provided the following n-3 HUFA levels in Artemia: 2.6, 7.4, 12.3, 18.8, 29.8 mg/g DBW nauplii. Dietary n-3 HUFA showed a linear correlation (P < 0.01) with larval relative growih rate (RGR), length and final tank biomass. Fish fed the highest level of n-3 HUFA demonstrated an RGR (86.4%) and final tank biomass (30.9 g wet wt) that was more than double the values exhibited by fish fed the lowest n-3 HUFA diet (39.9%, 14.0 g wet wt, respectively). Survival, in contrast, was not linearly correlated with dietary n-3 HUFA although there was a significant survival (P < 0.05) effect between the n-3 HUFA poorest diet and the majority of remaining treatments. The lesser n-3 HUFA diets (2.6, 7.4 and 12.3 mg/g DBW) nauplii produced larval populations consisting mainly of small fish (6.9 mg ± 1.9) while n-3 HUFA rich diets (18.8 and 29.8 mg n-3 HUFA/g DBW nauplii) increased the fraction of larger larvae (23.0 ± 6 mg). The level of n-3 HUFA (mg/g DBW) in larval phospholipid was highly influenced by the content of these fatty acids in the diet. However, the phospholipid n-3 HUFA levels (mg/g DBW) in larvae fed the same diet were similar regardless of fish size. Finally, by examining different size larvae in groups under the various n-3 HUFA treatments, this study found that the inverse relationship between larval lipid and moisture was a function of growth rate and not dietary n-3 HUFA.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)91-104
Number of pages14
JournalAquaculture
Volume104
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jun 1992
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Aquatic Science

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