THE POTENTIAL OF CERTAIN INDIGENOUS COPEPOD SPECIES AS LIVE FOOD FOR COMMERCIAL FISH LARVAL REARING

In the search for potential indigenous live food organisms for fish la rval rearing, zooplankton samples were collected from a shallow coasta l lagoon, facing the South China Sea during the dry monsoon (May-Septe mber 1991) and the wet monsoon (November-April 1992) seasons. The domi nant copepod in the zooplankton community, Oithona sp., accounted for more than 70% of the total zooplankton during the wet season. The lipi d 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 co ntent showed high concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) an d docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3). Their polyethylenic acid contents we re higher than those of the monoethylenic acid, whereas the C18 polyun saturated fatty acid (PUFA) components were minor constituents. They h ad 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 Late s calcarifer. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.