To effectively utilize the abandoned saline-alkali water in Xinjiang and establish a model of inland saline–alkali water fishery breeding, we conducted a study from April to September 2022 at Swan Lake of the Fourteenth Regiment in Alar City, Xinjiang. We collected water and fish samples every 30 d to analyze the changes in physical and chemical water quality indices, growth trends, and nutritional components of Cyprinus carpio, Carassius auratus, Ctenopharyngodon idella, and Triplophysa yarkandensis under pond ecological farming. The results indicated that the concentrations of Sal, Alk, Na⁺ , K⁺ , Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Cl^– , SO₄ ^2–, CO₃ ^2– and HCO₃ ^– in Swan Lake decreased significantly in July (P＜0.05), and there were no significant changes in Cu²⁺ concentration (P＞0.05). The specific growth rate (SGR) and weight gain rate (WGR) of Cyprinus carpio, Carassius auratus, and Ctenopharyngodon idella were lower than those of Triplophysa yarkandensis under this breeding mode. The moisture, crude protein, crude ether extract, and crude ash contents in the muscle of Cyprinus carpio, Carassius auratus, and Ctenopharyngodon idella were 75.32%–76.13%, 17.79%–22.35%, 2.74%–4.25%, and 1.67%–4.45%, respectively. The content of delicious amino acids (DAA) in the muscle of the three types of freshwater fish was significantly higher when cultured in saline-alkali water than in freshwater (P＜0.05); the essential amino acids (EAA)/total amino acids (TAA) and EAA/non-essential amino acids (NEAA) in the muscles of Cyprinus carpio and Carassius auratus were following the ideal model of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) contents in the muscles of the four kinds of fish were high, owing to the dietary sources of high quality protein and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Principal component analysis indicated that the amino acid and fatty acid composition of Triplophysa yarkandensis was significantly different from that of the three major freshwater fishes (P＜0.05). The results showed that the growth rate of bulk freshwater fish was slow under the ecological breeding mode of saline–alkali ponds in Xinjiang, and the nutrient composition of the four kinds of fish was balanced, owing to the dietary source of high quality protein and PUFA. Our study highlights that saline-alkali aquaculture can improve the nutritional quality of bulk freshwater fish, promote effective utilization of saline-alkali water in Xinjiang, and achieve the sustainable development of saline-alkali water fisheries.