L. Shansudin, M. Yusof, A. Azis, Y. Shukri-1997
Aquaculture, 151: 351-356
Abstract:
In the search for potential indigenous live food organisms for fish larval rearing, zooplankton samples were collected from a shallow coastal lagoon, facing the South China Sea during the dry monsoon (May-September 1991) and the wet monsoon (November-April 1992) seasons. The dominant copepod in the zooplankton community, Oithona sp., accounted for more than 70% of the total zooplankton during the wet season. The lipid content ranged from 0.48 to 1.42% wet weight (1.62-6.57% dry weight) with higher values during the wet season. The essential fatty acid content showed high concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3). Their polyethylenic acid contents were higher than those of the monoethylenic acid, whereas the C18 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) components were minor constituents. They had high ratios of n-3 to n-6 PUFA, and are thus regarded as a suitable food organism for commercial fish larval rearing, especially for Lates calcarifer.
(Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, Mengabang Telipot, 21030 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia)
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