Farmed Versus Wild Fish Consumption in Relation to Fatty Acid Composition in the Kingdom of Bahrain

The benefits of fish consumption depend on the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; C20:5 n3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6 n3) in the portion of fish consumed. This study was performed to compare some farmed (local and imported) fish species and some of the most consumed wild fish species in Bahrain markets in terms of n-3 (omega-3) and n-6 (omega-6) PUFAs, n-3/n-6 ratio, and EPA and DHA values.  Lipid was extracted with a mixture of methanol: chloroform (1:1 v/v). It was converted into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) through the fatty acid methylation process, and then analyzed through gas chromatography (GC-FID). The results showed that there were no significant differences (P>0.05) between wild and farmed fish in total n-3 PUFAs, but farmed fish was significantly higher than the wild (P<0.05) in total n-6 PUFAs concentration. Wild fish had significantly higher EPA and marginally higher DHA compared to farmed fish. The n-3/n-6 ratio was significantly higher (P<0.05) in wild fish compared to farmed fish. This study concluded that all the selected fish samples (wild and farmed) contain higher ratios of n-3/n-6 than the suggested optimal ratio (0.2). However, all wild sampled fishes (except for Greasy Grouper), included in the study, were potentially healthier for consumers as part of a regular well-balanced diet. Among wild fish samples, the top three richest fish in n-3 PUFAs that can be the favourite consumer’s choice at the Kingdom of Bahrain for health-promoting are Double bar Bream (Faskar), Spangled Emperor (Sha’ree), and Rabbitfish (Saffy). In contrast, the deficit in n-3 PUFAs content of farmed fish accounted for the reduction in their nutritional quality that may have resulted from poorly manufactured feed.