Lipid composition of milkfish grown in ponds by traditional aquaculture

Abstract

Milkfish is one of the most important food fish in the Southeast Asia. It is widely cultured in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Taiwan(Chen 1976). In the Philippines, about 90% of the total aquaculture production comes from milkfish culture (BFAR 1976). Traditional aquaculture techniques are still favoured by many Philippine fish farmers. Tese techniques rely on cultivation of natural food bases. As suitable areas for aquaculture become a limiting factor, an increase in productivity could be brought about the use of artificial diets. Fundamental studies on nutrient requirements and metabolism are desirable to formulate artificial diets for aquaculture. Most fish are known to effeciently digest and metabolize lipids. However, there is no informationon lipid metabolism, composition, and requirement of milkfish. This study, therefore, compares the lipid composition of milkfish grown on two different natural food bases by traditional aquaculture.