BEHAVIORAL-DIFFERENCES IN STARVING HERRING CLUPEA-HARENGUS L LARVAE CORRELATE WITH BODY LEVELS OF ESSENTIAL FATTY-ACIDS

Twenty days after hatching, a single stock of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus L.) larvae, cultured in the presence of rotifers and Artemia nauplii but showing little or no active feeding behaviour, displayed clear signs of starvation. Three groups of fish were distinguished: group I was generally pinhead‐shaped, tended to swim with a spinning motion and floated vertically; group 2 lay moribund on the bottom of the tank; group 3 showed normal, active swimming behaviour. Fatty acids of total lipid extracted from groups 1 and 2 differed from group 3 in having markedly reduced percentages of 20:5n‐3, 22:6n‐3, 20:1 and 22:1. We conclude that individuals within a single stock of cultured herring larvae respond differently to starvation and that this generates well defined behavioural differences which correlate with levels of n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in body lipid. The implications of these observations are discussed. Copyright © 1992, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved