This paper examines the effect of different fatty acid composition, together with varying dietary vitamin E contents on fatty acid composition and tocopherol and tocotrienol contents of carp, and compares with other species of fish and the storage quality of the fish produced. Dietary fatty acid composition affected fatty acid patterns of tissues of carp significantly, but this was correlated with the fat content of the diet. Varying the vitamin E content results in no or only very slight variations in the fatty acid pattern of the tissues. The content of α‐tocopherol in the tissues was affected significantly by dietary α‐tocopheryl acetate content and by dietary fat source. There was a negative correlation between (n‐3) fatty acids and the storage of α‐tocopherol, while this was positively correlated with (n‐6) fatty acids. The content of α‐tocopherol in fish affected the stability during storage with the content of malondiaidehyde used as a parameter for measuring the extent of fat oxidation. Other relationships, e.g. with sensory qualities and S‐containing substances in the edible part of the fish, are discussed.