Lake whitefish embryos have a lipid profile that matches other coldwater fish species. However, the relative lack of temperature-driven homeoviscous adaptation in fatty acid composition in lake whitefish embryos suggests that only specific lipids are important during colder incubation temperatures [e.g., 22:6(n-3) and/or 18:1(n-9)], or that incubation conditions may only become an important component on fatty acid use after hatching. In addition, embryos may have limited ability to alter how certain fatty acids are utilized, synthesized or converted early in development (Wang et al., 1987). It will be interesting to examine if embryos possess the required components to convert fatty acids, and if this ability increases post-hatch, particularly as this post-hatching lipid catabolism is likely to increase.