No abstract

The demand for wild tambaqui has led to overfishing of their natural stocks, and has thus increased the demand for farmed fish. This has raised a question regarding the nutritional value of these groups of individuals; to see if they differ when they grow in wild and farmed environments. The meat of 28 tambaqui was evaluated by measuring the moisture, ash and total proteins among the fish from the two different environments in the states of Amazonas and Rondônia, Brazil. The averages of the centesimal composition showed significant differences, between environments and states. The moisture values of wild fish between the states did not differ, but were higher than those farmed in either of the states. The ash value also showed differences between groups by environment and between states. However, it was found that wild tambaqui from both states exhibited the best levels of protein and did not show statistical dissimilarities. The group farmed in Rondônia was also similar to the wild ones caught in that state. As for farmed fish, the averages between states were different, with the lowest value attributed to fish from Amazonas. The data show that wild tambaqui had a higher nutritional value than farmed fish.