The objectives of the study were to examine if early cod larvae could incorporate long-chain highly unsaturated
fatty acids like docosahexaenoic acid (22:6 n−3, DHA) from dietary phospholipids (PL) more efficiently than
fromdietary triacylglycerides (TAG), and to investigate if because of this, PL fromcopepods is a better DHA source
than PL from rotifers for larval cod. Two diets of Brachionus plicatilis Nevada were compared in one first feeding
experiment. Their lipid composition was similar, but %DHA of PL fatty acids was different; 2.1% for Brachionus-
Low and 9.4% for Brachionus-High. A second experiment compared the Brachionus-High diet (9.4% DHA in PL)
and cultivated nauplii of Acartia tonsa that contained 30% DHA of PL-fatty acids. The total lipid per fry dryweight
(DW)and the lipid class compositionwere similar for all larval groups at 17 days post-hatching (dph). The %DHA
of total fatty acids in PL of newly hatched larvae (2 dph)was 26%, and the values for fed groups varied from 17 to
30% DHA of PL fatty acids. The dominant fatty acids in the PL of larvae and PL of the diets were well correlated
(r2= 0.84, p b 0.05), specifically for %DHA (r2= 0.90).