Effect of hypo- and hyper-saline conditions on osmolarity and fatty acid composition of juvenile shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931) fed low- and high-HUFA diets

Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone) grown in ponds are exposed to salinities of less than 5 g L^?1 during inland shrimp culture or to more than 40 g L^?1 from evaporation and reduced water exchange in dry, hot climates. However, dietary requirements for shrimp grown in low or high salinities are not well defined, particularly for fatty acids. Feeding shrimp postlarvae with highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) enhances tolerance to acute exposure to low salinity, as a result of better nutritional status, or/and specific effects of HUFA on membrane function and osmoregulation mechanisms. This study analysed the effect of HUFA supplementation (3% vs. 34%) on L. vannamei juveniles reared for 21 days at low (5 g L^?1), medium (30 g L^?1) and high salinities (50 g L^?1). Juveniles grown at 5 g L^?1 had lower survival compared with controls (30 g L^?1) or shrimp grown at 50 g L^?1, but no significant effect on survival was observed as a result of HUFA enrichment. In contrast, growth was significantly lower for shrimp grown at 50 g L^?1, but this effect was compensated by the HUFA‐enriched diet. Osmotic pressure in haemolymph was affected by salinity, but not by HUFA enrichment. Shrimp fed HUFA‐enriched diets had significantly higher levels of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in hepatopancreas and gills. These results demonstrate that growth at high salinities is enhanced with diets containing high HUFA levels, but that HUFA‐enriched diets have no effect on shrimp reared at low salinities.