Over the last few years, several aspects of Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) culture have been developed and optimised but the dietary lipid level for optimal growth has never been determined. Hence, five isonitrogenous diets (56 % dietary protein) with increasing dietary lipid levels (4,8,12, 16 and 20 % DM) were fed to satiation to triplicate groups of twenty fish (mean initial weight 10 g). Fifteen tanks were randomly assigned one of the five diets. Feed was distributed using automatic feeders, and fish were fed over a 16-week period. At the end of the experiment the fish fed on diets containing the two lowest dietary lipid levels (4 and 8 %) showed a 3-fold body-weight increase with a significantly higher daily growth index than fish fed higher lipid levels (1·2 v. 0·8). Moreover, these fish displayed a significantly lower dry feed intake (12 g/kg per d) and feed conversion ratio (1·0) compared with fish fed higher lipids levels (16-19 g/kg per d; feed conversion ratio 2·0). Low dietary lipid levels (,12 %) significantly improved nutrient retention and gain and hence growth, without major effects on whole-body composition. Despite the slight alteration in n-3 PUFA muscle content in the fish fed low-fat-diets, this fish fed low dietary lipid still remains a rich n-3 PUFA product and generally maintained its nutritional value. These results evidenced a low lipid tolerance of Senegalese sole juveniles and suggest a maximal dietary inclusion level of 8 % lipids for both optimal growth and nutrient utilisation without compromising flesh quality.Lipid nutrition: Flatfish: Dietary lipid tolerance: Protein-sparing effectThe aquaculture industry has expanded in Europe over the last decades, but few marine fish species have contributed to this growth. The successful development of Southern European aquaculture has resulted in increased production of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and turbot (Psetta maxima), leading to market saturation and reduced prices. For these reasons, great efforts have recently been devoted to find new candidate species, to improve diversity and to ensure sustainable development of the industry.Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) is a promising flatfish species for marine farming, especially due to its high market value. Over the last few years significant advances have been accomplished on Senegalese sole weaning techniques and larvae feeding (1 -3) . However, little is known about the nutritional needs of this flatfish species during its juvenile stage (4,5) . The protein requirement for maximum protein accretion in Senegalese sole has been estimated at 600 g/kg diet (5) , but, so far, no studies concerning the optimal dietary lipid level have been carried out.Dietary formulations in aquaculture tend to increase lipid content as a non-protein source for enhancing growth and sparing protein, and for reducing organic matter and N losses (6 -10) . Nevertheless, in flatfish species positive results on protein sparing are limited and controversial. High ...