Abstract: To study the differences of phospholipids(PLs)and fatty acids in fish head between marine fish and freshwater fish. In this study,the fish heads of marine fish(Scomberomorus niphonius,Decapterus maruadsi,Golden pompano)and freshwater fish(Oreochromis mossambic,Carassius auratus,Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)were used as raw materials. Total lipids were extracted by Floch method,and the total lipids were separated into neutral lipids,glycolipids and phospholipids by silica gel column chromatography. The distribution and compositions of phospholipids from the fish heads of six species fishes were analyzed and compared by using thin layer chromatography(TLC). The fatty acid composition of lipids in the fish heads of six species was analyzed by gas chromatography(GC). The results showed that the highest extraction rate lipid in the fish heads of six species were neutral lipids,accounting for 48.98%~77.84% of the total lipids,the second was phospholipid,accounting for 5.93%~22.86% of the total lipids,and glycolipids extraction rate was the least,accounting for 3.76%~15.91% of the total lipids. Four phospholipids were detected in fish head phospholipids,namely,phosphatidylethanolamine(PE),phosphatidylcholine(PC),sphingomyelin(SM)and lysophosphatidylcholine(LPC),PC was significantly higher than other phospholipid components. Lipids contained a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFA),docosahexaenoic acid(DHA)was the main one,and contained eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA). The content of DHA and EPA in phospholipids in fish heads of marine fish and freshwater fish was the highest in total fatty acids,which was 18.39%~21.43% and 5.61%~10.38%,respectively,and the PUFA content of DHA and EPA in marine fish head was higher than that in freshwater fish head. Therefore,marine fish head is a potential source for extracting n-3 PUFA,especially for preparing n-3 PUFA-PL.