The fatty acid composition in the edible portion of wild (Japanese catfish Silurus asotus and Iwatoko catfish S. lithophilus) and cultured catfish (Japanese catfish S. asotus, Japanese and American channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus, Thai catfish Clarias macrocephalus and Thai catfish hybrid C. macrocephalus & C. galipinus) was analyzed. Cultured Japanese catfishes had a higher lipid content than wild ones. Lipid accumulation was not found in viscera. The tail meat of catfish had a higher lipid content than the dorsal meat. Catfish showed the characteristic to accumulate lipid under the skin. The most abundant fatty acid of catfih was oleic acid (18:1n-9). The proportion of saturated fatty acid in Thai catfish was high compared with that of other catfish. The linoleic acid (18:2n-6) content of cultured catfish was higher than that in wild ones. The arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) content of wild catfish was higher than that in cultured catfish. The contents of eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3) of catfishes grown in Japan showed a higher content than those of catfishes cultured in American and Thailand. The contents of 18:2n-6, 20:5n-3, and 22:6n-3 in tail meat were higher than those in other portions of ordinary meat. These results suggest that Japanese catfish is a useful and functional food material.