Want to raise fish high in omega-3 fatty acids

[bsfman]

From what I have gleaned, tilapia and catfish are higher in omega-6 fatty acids, which can actually contribute to poor heart health if they are out of balance with omega-3s. I'd like to find a fish that is high in omega-3s that can be successfully raised in an aquaponics environment.

Hi DonnaRae, if you do some Googling on the topic, you may find several studies that attribute the higher Omega 6 ratios in farm raised catfish and tilapia to being fed primarily a corn based diet. Even salmon that are farm raised have a higher omega 6 level than wild ones. Evidently the omega 3 levels are the same as wild caught, but the higher omega 6 levels throw the ratio out of kilter. Not surprisingly, even free ranged chicken eggs have a higher omega 3 content than factory farm eggs - perhaps because of the high percentage of corn in the factory farm chicken feed versus the insects and green shoots the free rangers dine on.

The solution is probably to feed your tilapia or catfish a diet that mimics what they would eat in the wild. Easier said than done, I know, but it can be done. Insects, vegetables and greens all provide nutrition without corn.

In Oklahoma, you may be able to raise Black Soldier Fly larvae. They are high in protein and if fed the occasional serving of fish guts or whole trash fish, the BSF larvae reportedly contain very high omega 3 levels. Presumably that will be assimilated by the fish too.