The effect of dietary protein and lipid from squid and fish meals on egg quality of broodstock for gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata)

Abstract

To investigate the specific component of squid meal which enhances spawning quality, gilthead seabream broodstock were fed four isonitrogenous, isolipidic and isocaloric diets containing fat-soluble or fat-insoluble extracts from fish and squid meals for 2 months during the spawning season. A positive effect of the fat-insoluble fraction of squid meal was observed on the total number of eggs, egg viability and the number of larvae produced daily per kilogram of female. Increased dietary levels of eicosapentaenoic acid correlated with the number of fertilized eggs produced, whereas elevation of n − 3 highly unsaturated fatty acid levels was correlated with a reduction in the percentage of eggs with more than one lipid droplet. The results of this study highlight the value of squid meal as a good protein and lipid source in diets for gilthead seabream broodstock.