The chemical components such as moisture, crude protein, lipid, mineral contents, fatty acid composition, free amino acid contents, muscle hardness, and color difference of wild and cultured fishes were investigated for 6 species, i.e. red sea bream, Japanese sea bass, ayu, amberjack, bastard halibut, and striped jack. These fishes, were, purchased from Tokyo wholesale market except for the wild red sea bream which was taken from the Owase culture farm in Mie Prefecture. The results obtained are summarized as follows:
(1) Average lipid contents in 6 species of the cultured fishes were about 2.4 times higher than those of the wild type.
(2) No difference was seen in the mineral contents between wild and culture fishes.
(3) Clear differences of fatty acid composition, especially unsaturated fatty acid, were recognized between wild and cultured ayu.
(4) The contents of Tau, His, Lys, Arg, Gly, Ala, Glu, Car, and Ans in wild fishes differed from cultured fishes in all of the species.
(5) Muscle hardness of cultured red sea bream was softer than the wild type, but the opposite results were obtained in bastard halibut.
(6) The color of the skin was very different between wild and cultured fishes in all of the species.