Docosahexaenoic acid requirement for the prevention of abnormal morphology in brown sole Pseudopleuronectes herzensteini during D–E larval stages

Abstract

We examined the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) requirement during the sensitive period (D–E stages) to prevent abnormal morphology in juvenile brown sole Pseudopleuronectes herzensteini. Rotifers and Artemia nauplii containing three graded levels (low, mid, and high level) of DHA were made by respective enrichment with oil emulsion. Larvae at 15 days post hatching (dph) (D stage) were fed for 10 days with rotifers and Artemia nauplii containing respective amounts of DHA. During F–I stages, larvae were fed Artemia nauplii enriched with a commercial supplementary diet. The DHA requirement to prevent morphological abnormalities in brown sole juveniles was estimated to be 1.7–3.2% in rotifer and 1.4–2.8% in Artemia nauplii on a dry weight basis. Moreover it was clearly demonstrated that DHA enrichment of rotifers is superior to that of Artemia nauplii for this purpose in larval brown sole during D–E stages.