Effects of Dietary Lipid and Fatty Acids on White Bass Reproductive Performance, Egg Hatchability, and Overall Quality of Progeny

Abstract

We evaluated the dietary effects of graded levels of highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) fed to broodstock female white bass Morone chrysops on reproductive performance, egg hatchability, and larval survival of sunshine bass (female white bass × male striped bass M. saxatilis) through the endogenous feeding stage. Dietary treatments consisted of four isocaloric, isonitrogenous diets formulated to contain 45% crude protein and 15% lipid with graded levels of menhaden oil (0, 25, 75, and 100%) or corn oil as the dietary lipid variable. Significant differences existed among the dietary groups in egg fatty acids, which reflected levels in the maternal diet, especially for the neutral lipid component. Similar trends were also found in fatty acids of the polar lipid component and conservation of HUFAs; significantly higher quantities of linoleic acid (18:2[n-6]) were associated with increasing dietary inclusion of corn oil. Eggs with higher hatchability were associated with higher levels of n-3 HUFAs, including eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5[n-3]), docosapentaenoic acid (22:5[n-3]), and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6[n-3]). Our results suggest that white bass broodstock females possess low and moderate regulatory control of fatty acid deposition to the egg within the neutral and polar components, respectively. These results indicate that little to no elongation or desaturation of dietary fatty acids occurs during egg development. Accordingly, the inclusion of elevated levels of dietary HUFAs for white bass broodstock appears to be warranted.