Mar Environ Res 2016 Dec 01;122:67-75. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2016.09.008.

Future aquafeeds may compromise reproductive fitness in a marine invertebrate.

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Aquaculture of higher trophic level species is increasingly dependent on the use of terrestrial oil products. The input of terrestrially derived n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) into marine environments has subsequently increased, with unknown consequences for recipient species. We exposed a sea urchin, Heliocidaris erythrogramma to three experimental diets for 78 days: a high n-3 PUFA marine imitation treatment, a high n-6 PUFA "future aquafeed" treatment and an intermediate "current aquafeed" treatment. Female urchins fed the high n-6 PUFA diet produced larvae with lower survival rates than all other treatments. Males fed the high n-6 PUFA diet produced no viable sperm. Fatty acid composition in reproductive material revealed comprehensive biosynthetic and dietary sparing capabilities in H. erythrogramma. Despite this, the ratio of n-6 PUFA to n-3 PUFA in reproductive tissue increased significantly with diet. We suggest alterations to this ratio is the likely mechanism of negative impact on larval development.

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Genes referenced: impact LOC100887844