Optimizing Artemia Enrichment: A Low DHA/High EPA Protocol for Enhanced n -3 LC-HUFA Levels to Support Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili) Larval Rearing

Abstract

Most commercial products available for Artemia sp. enrichment include high levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to boost its nutritional value, though with limited success. In this regard, the present study evaluated the alternative utilization of eicosapentaenoic acid (20: 5n-3; EPA) oils to improve the n-3 long-chain highly unsaturated fatty acid content (n-3 LC-HUFA) in enriched Artemia sp. to feed greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) larvae. Five experimental emulsions containing increasing levels of EPA from 0.8% to 60% of total fatty acids (TFA) and n-3 LC-HUFA (1.3%-70.6% TFA) were formulated. Each diet was fed to greater amberjack larvae (17-35 days posthatch (dph)) in three replicate 200-L tanks. The dietary EPA supplementation significantly improved larval growth during the feeding trial and survival at 35 dph (P<0.05). In addition, larval fatty acid profiles showed a positive correlation with dietary EPA. Finally, despite the sum of total skeletal anomalies and column anomalies were not significantly affected by dietary EPA, increasing dietary EPA, and n-3 LC-HUFA tended to reduce the incidence of these types of anomalies in greater amberjack larvae at 35 dph. Based on these results, S. dumerili larvae could be successfully grown with low DHA but high EPA-rich oil enrichment products when n-3 LC-HUFA content in Artemia sp. is maintained in sufficient amounts.