Dietary Lipid Requirements of Adult Lobsters, Homarus americanus (M.E.)

Abstract

The effects of several dietary lipids on adult American lobster (Homarus americanus) were assessed over a 10 month feeding period. Cod liver oil (CLO) resulted in greater percent weight gains, feed conversion, percent edible meat and higher serum protein and hemocyte counts than either corn oil (CO) or hydrogenated coconut oil (HCO). These differences were probably due to an essential fatty acid (EFA) requirement by the lobster for linolenic series ω3 or other fatty acids present in CLO. The linoleic or ω6 fatty acids of CO appeared to have some sparing effect on several of the EFA deficiency symptoms. It was found that 5% CLO was optimal for mean percent weight gain, molt incidence, feed conversion and hemocyte counts of lobsters. Further increases in dietary CLO to 10% and 15% resulted in no significant improvement of any of the condition indices used. There was a decrease in serum protein and calcium when lobsters were fed a non-saponifiable sterol deficient diet. The addition of 1% cholesterol to the diet raised the serum protein, but resulted in even a greater decrease in the serum calcium level.