Elevated levels of arachidonic acid in fish from northern Australian coastal waters

Abstract

The fatty acid composition of 10 species of fish caught off the northwest coast of Australia (latitude 17 degrees S) was examined. All species contained high levels of omega 6 fatty acids (9.6-23.1% of total fatty acids) with arachidonic acid being the major omega 6 fatty acid (5.9-14.8% of fatty acids). Docosatetraenoic and docosapentaenoic acids of the omega 6 series accounted for 3-8% of the total fatty acids. The ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids in these fish varied from 0.38 to 0.93, compared with an average ratio of 0.16 for fish from the northern hemisphere (latitude greater than 30 degrees N). The present data and figures from the literature indicate that the marine food chain in the southern hemisphere contains significant quantities of omega 6 fatty acids.

Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Arachidonic Acid and Eicosanoid Metabolism in Juvenile Barramundi Lates calcarifer

“…Some explanation for these inconsistencies may be found in whole-body composition of wild barramundi collected from different environments (Nichols et al, 2014;Sinclair et al, 1983). These authors found that Northern Australian barramundi, maintain a characteristically high ARA content regardless of their environment.…”

Background Paper on Fat and Fatty Acid Requirements during Pregnancy and Lactation

“…A few fish, including farmed fish fed corn and some tropical fish used for human food [Sinclair et al, 1983], do contain high amounts of AA [Weaver et al, 2008], but AA is generally not highly concentrated in any one food group. Data on effects of prenatal AA consumption in humans are scant, and research is mostly limited to several animal studies.…”

Year‐round high arachidonic acid levels in herbivorous rabbit fish Siganus fuscescens tissues

“…Herbivorous species (including omnivorous species) reportedly contain high levels of AA (23)(24)(25). Moreover, carnivorous fishes that feed on macro-algae-consuming sea urchins and sea snails are also known to have high levels of AA (25).…”