Effects of Dietary n-3 Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids and Vitamin E Levels on the Growth and Fatty Acid Composition of Rockfish Sebastes schlegeli

A feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of different levels of dietary n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) (1.1-5.6%) and vitamin E (70 and 400 mg/kg) on the growth and body composition of juvenile rockfish. Six isonitrogenous (45% crude protein) and isolipidic (17% crude lipid) diets were formulated to contain graded levels of n-3 HUFA and vitamin E. Diets 1, 2 and 3 consist of 400 mg vitamin E/kg diet with graded levels of 1.1, 3.0, and 5.6% n-3 HUFA, respectively. Graded levels of n-3 HUFA (1.1, 3.0, and 4.0%) were added in diets 4, 5 and 6, respectively, containing 70 mg vitamin E/kg diet each. At the end of feeding trial, growth performance of rockfish was affected by neither dietary n-3 HUFA nor vitamin E levels. Feed efficiency and hepatosomatic index were slightly decreased (P<0.05) with increment of dietary n-3 HUFA at each dietary vitamin E level. Dietary vitamin E and n-3 HUFA levels did not affect proximate composition and vitamin E concentration in the dorsal muscle of rockfish. Liver moisture and crude protein contents positively related to dietary n-3 HUFA levels. Liver lipid content and hematocrit value were significantly decreased (P<0.05) by increasing dietary n-3 HUFA levels. Eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3; EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3; DHA) concentrations in the dorsal muscle significantly correlated to dietary n-3 HUFA levels, except for fish fed the diet 6 containing 4% n-3 HUFA and 70 mg vitamin E/kg diet. EPA concentration in the dorsal muscle of fish fed the diet 6 was significantly lower than that of fish fed the diets 2, 3 and 5. The present findings suggest that feeding of diets containing excessive n-3 HUFA level with varying addition of vitamin E may alter fatty acid composition in the dorsal muscle, but do not affect growth of juvenile rockfish.