REQUIREMENT OF HYBRID STRIPED BASS FOR DIETARY (N-3) HIGHLY UNSATURATED FATTY-ACIDS

A feeding trial was conducted to quantify the requirement of hybrid striped bass (Morone chrysops female x M. saxatilis male) for dietary (n-3) highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA), specifically eicosapentaenoic 120:5(n-3)] and docosahexaenoic [22:6(n-3)1 acids. Graded levels of (n-3) HUFA as ethyl esters were substituted for part or all of the 5 g olive oil/ 100 g diet in the semipurified basal diet. Total amount of 20: 5(n-3) plus 22:6(n-3) in the experimental diets was 0.5, 1.1, 1.5, 2.0 or 3.2 g/100 g dry wt. Control fish received a diet containing menhaden fish oil at 5 g/100 g. Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of hybrids (with an initial average weight of 13.0 g/fish) in aquaria for 10 wk. Significantly (P < 0.05) higher relative weight gain as well as more efficient food and protein utilization were observed for fish fed the diets with 0.5, 1.1, 1.5 or 2.0% (n-3) HUFA or 5% menhaden fish oil as compared with those fed the basal diet. These responses generally reached a plateau between 1.1 and 1.5% (n-3) HUFA, but the lowest values were observed for fish fed the diet with 3.2% (n-3) HUFA. Fatty acid composition of body lipids (total lipid of intraperitoneal fat and polar lipids of muscle and liver) was affected by diet and indicated some elongation and desaturation of octadecatetraenoic acid 118:4(n-3)] and 20:5(n-3) to 22:6(n-3). These data indicated that 20:5(n-3) and 22:6(n-3) are essential for hybrid striped bass, and the minimum requirement is approximately 1% of diet or 20% of dietary lipid.