Comparative study of lipid and fatty acid composition in different tissues of wild and cultured female broodstock of greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili)

The aim of this study was to compare the total lipid (TL) content, the lipid class (LC) composition and their associated fatty acids from muscle, liver and ovary of wild and cultured mature females of greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili), in order to obtain information to formulate a more suitable diet for this species broodstock. TL content in muscle and liver was higher in cultured fish than in wild fish, mainly due to TG accumulation, while the ovary TL content was higher in wild fish. Regarding to fatty acids profile, the percentage of 18:1n-9 in TL and TG was lower in ovaries and muscle of cultured fish than in wild ones. Cultured fish displayed lower proportion of arachidonic acid (20:4n-6, ARA) and higher proportions of 18:2n-6 and eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3, EPA) than wild specimens for all tissues in TL and LC. In contrast, differences in the proportion of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3, DHA) between both groups were found only in some tissues and in some LC, being in those cases higher in wild fish. In consequence, cultured fish presented a lower DHA/EPA ratio and a higher EPA/ARA ratio with respect to wild fish. These results suggest that 18:1n-9, 18:2n-6 and essential fatty acids (EFA), especially EPA and ARA, are not supplied in the appropriate proportions in the diet of cultured fish and could negatively affect their reproductive performance.