Feeding trials were conducted to determine the essentiality of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and to compare the efficiency between EPA and DHA for juvenile Korean rockfish. Fish averaging 2.1 g were fed experimental diets...
Feeding trials were conducted to determine the essentiality of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and to compare the efficiency between EPA and DHA for juvenile Korean rockfish. Fish averaging 2.1 g were fed experimental diets containing different levels of EPA or DHA, and different combinations of EPA and DHA in two separate experiments. Graded levels ($0.0{\sim}l.75\%$) of dietary EPA or DHA as ethyl esters were substituted for a part of the $8\%$ beef tallow in the basal diet. After 5 weeks of the experimental period, weight gain, chemical composition of whole body, protein and lipid retention efficiency, hepatosomatic index, and fatty acid composition of liver were measured. Daily growth rate and feed efficiency were the lowest in fish fed the diets without EPA arid DHA. These responses were effectively improved by increasing EPA or DHA in the diets up to $1.0\%$ levels, and then reached a plateau between 1.0 and $1.75\%$ levels of either EPA or DHA. Protein and lipid retention efficiency were also improved with the high levels of dietary EPA or DHA. DHA was superior to EPA at the same level of each in weight gain, feed efficiency, and protein and lipid retention efficiency. Hepatosomatic index tended to decrease with increase of the dietary EPA or DHA levels. Lipid contents of whole body were increased with levels of EPA or DHA in the diets. Dietary EPA and/or DHA levels affected directly the fatty acid composition of liver polar lipid. EPA or DHA in the liver polar lipid were increased with levels of dietary EPA or DHA, respectively, whereas those in nonpolar lipid were not affected by the dietary levels of EPA and/or DHA. These finding indicate that either of the EPA or DHA is essential for normal growth of Korean rockfish, and the essential fatty acid requirement is $1.0\%$ of EPA and/or DHA in the diet. DHA is superior to EPA as essential fatty acid, and the dietary EPA/DHA ratio of less than 1.0 may be adequate for normal growth of Korean rockfish fed a diet enough n-3HUFA (EPA and DHA).