Ensuring adequate fish nutrition presents a major challenge for advancing the culture of novel species. A goal of public aquariums is maintaining healthy specimens with long lifespans, and an outcome of this is that fish will spawn on-exhibit. This productivity provides an opportunity for the aquaculture of novel species. Public aquariums hold great potential to drive aquaculture innovation, possessing diverse and biologically rich living collections. Given that marine fish have high dietary requirements for omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, we can use this opportunity to assess the correlation between nutrition and hatch success in non-traditional aquaculture species.
From 2023-2026, a NOAA SeaGrant collaborative initiative between 3 academic institutions (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Roger Williams University, and the University of Massachusetts Boston) and 7 public aquariums (New England Aquarium, National Aquarium, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Aquarium of the Pacific, and North Carolina Aquariums at Roanoke Island, Pine Knoll Shores, and Fort Fisher) has sought to facilitate capacity expansion of captive breeding programs among these aquariums. To better understand fatty acid dynamics of novel species, partner aquariums submitted over 200 egg and diet samples from 10 species of marine teleost fish for fatty acid analysis at Roger Williams University. Additionally, for samples collected from copper sweeper (Pempheris schomburgkii), we also assessed hatch rate data for eggs collected daily from June-August 2024, and for select spawns during March-May 2025. For each collection, hatch rate was recorded roughly 48 hours post-spawn. Hatch success was recorded, and any observable deformities noted.
Fatty acid profiles of these samples were derived using a modified Folch extraction method, where concentration of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) was determined via gas chromatography. Fatty acid profile output data was analyzed using a principal component analysis, with key fatty acids: long-chain omega-3s (DHA, EPA), omega-6s (ARA, Linoleic acid), and omega-9s (Oleic acid), as variables.
This talk will discuss how diets influence egg quality in a public aquarium setting, and how this information can be used to better inform husbandry practices. Diet and nutrition will be important components moving forward as aquariums look to culture more of their species that spawn on exhibit.