IMPORTANCE OF THE FATTY-ACIDS 20/5-OMEGA-3 AND 22/6-OMEGA-3 IN THE DIET OF PLAICE (PLEURONECTES-PLATESSA) LARVAE

The requirement of plaice (Pleuronectes plates-sa-L.) larvae for the fatty acids 20:5-omega-3 and 22:6-omega-3 was studied. Larvae were reared from first feeding to beyond metamorphosis on Artemia sp. nauplii (EG brand), whose nutritional content had been manipulated by enrichment. Some larvae were fed Artemia rich in 20:5-omega-3 and 22:6-omega-3, and others were fed nauplii with no 22:6-omega-3 and low levels of 20:5-omega-3 (1.9% of the total fatty acids). The differences in diet had no significant difference on growth or survival of the plaice larvae. The results indicate that the plaice larvae in this study did not require 22:6-omega-3 in their diet, even when the levels of 20:5-omega-3 were low.