Brazil stands out on the world stage as having the greatest variety of freshwater fish and great aquaculture potential due to a number of factors favorable to fish production. In order to classify fish according to their fatty acid composition and origin (wild vs. farm-raised), a survey of data from native Brazilian freshwater fish was conducted. These data were subjected to statistical analyses (principal component analysis [PCA], cluster analysis, as well as ordination by nonmetric multidimensional scaling [NMDS]), where wild and farm-raised fish separated into distinct groups. A combination of higher total HUFA, higher n-3, lower n-6, and lower n-6/n-3 can be used as qualifying factors of wild fish and the association of lower n-3, higher total DUFA, higher n-6, and higher n-6/n-3 ratio can qualify the farm-raised fish.Abbreviations: NMMS, nonmetric multidimensional scaling; PCA, principal component analysis; SFA, saturated fatty acid Eur.