DIETARY-EFFECT ON OMEGA-3-FATTY-ACID CONTENTS IN HYBRID STRIPED BASS

Hybrid striped bass, a cross of female striped bass and male white bass, were divided into two groups. One group was fed 38% protein trout feed (TF), and the other group was fed 30% protein catfish feed (CF). The dietary effect on polyunsaturated fatty acid contents in the bass was studied. The body weight of bass fed TF and CF averaged 727.46 and 379.92 g, respectively. The crude fat content in the TF group was 11.75 g, and it was 6.00 g in the CF group. Gas-liquid chromatographic analysis indicated that the bass fed TF contained higher amounts of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid than the bass fed CF. This study confirmed that fish diets greatly influence the fatty acid composition in fish tissue.