The object of this study is to obtain fundamental data on cultured fishes produced in Korea to improve their food components. For this purpose, the food components of cultured fresh water fishes such as eel, Anguilla japonica, snakehead, Channa argus, and common carp, Cyprinus carpio, were investigated and compared with those of the wild ones. The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1. Common characteristics in the proximate composition were that wild fish was higher in crude protein content and lower in crude lipid content than those of cultured one. 2. Among the 9 kinds of minerals analyzed in all the samples, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium contents were absolutely predominant being more than $99.52\%$. These four elements in feedstuff also occupied $99.68{\sim}99.92%$ of total minerals. 3. The neutral lipids of wild and cultured eel, snakehead and common carp occupied $55.7{\sim}95.8%$ of lipid fractions, while the content of the phospholipids in snakehead was particularly higher than those of others. 4. The neutral lipids of wild and cultured eel, snakehead and common carp mainly consisted of triglycerides ($85{\sim}95%$), and a little quantity of diglycerides, monoglycerides, free sterol ester and hydrocarbon were also identified in the neutral lipid. 5. The phospolipids of eel and common carp were mainly occupied by phosphatidyl choline ($71.3{\sim}83.9%$), followed by phosphatidyl ethanolamine ($12.1{\sim}23.5%$) and phosphatidyl serine ($7.5{\sim}13.8%$). The phospholipids of snakhead consisted of phosphatidyl choline ($50.7{\sim}64.5%$), phosphatidyl ethanolamine ($28.0{\sim}35.5%$) and phosphatidyl serine ($7.5{\sim}13.8%$). Generally, phosphatidyl choline content was higher in wild fish than in cultured one, while phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl serine contents were higher in cultured one. 6. The major fatty acids in total lipid of wild eel, snakehead and common carp were $C_{16:0}\;and\;C_{20:5}$, while those in cultured ones were $C_{18:1},\;C_{18:2}\;and\;C_{22:6}$. The fatty acid composition of neutral lipids showed similar tendency to that of total lipid, and the main fatty acids in phospholipids of cultured fishes were $C_{18:1}\;and\;C_{18:2}$. In glycolipids, $C_{20:5}\;and\;C_{22:6}$ were higher in wild fishes, while $C_{18:2}$ were higher in cultured ones. 7. Total amino acids contents of wild and cultured eel were nearly the same, being $16.65\%$ ana $15.99\%$ respectively. The major amino acids of wild and cultured fish were glutamic acid, leucine, aspartic acid and lysine in order. In snakehead, the contents of aspartic acid and proline in cultured fish were higher than those in wild one, while the contents of glutamic acid, alanine, glycine were higher in the wild one. Total amino acid content of cultured common carp was $21.7\%$ compared with $17.08\%$ in wild one. The contents of glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glycine, proline and alanine occupied higher quantities in cultured common carp compared with those in wild one while the other amino acids revealed no significant difference. 8. Aspartic acid in free amino acids of cultured eel held $1.0\%$ of total free amino acids, while that in wild eel held $2.9\%$. Histidine, arginine and tyrosine content of cultured fish were two times higher than those of wild one. But free amino acid composition of samples seemed to be no marked differences according to cultured places. The contents of arginine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, methionine and phenylalanine of snakehead ware higher in wild one than in cultured one, while the contents of lysine, histidine, glycine, and alanine ware higher in cultured one. In free amino acids content of wild common carp, histidine, glycine and lysine occupied $76.9\%$ of total free amino acids. Lysine, histidine, aspartic acid, alanine, valine and leucine were higher in wild one compared with those of cultured one, while glycine and tyrosine contents were higher in cultured fish.