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Omega-3 fatty acids are considered “good” fats. Our bodies can’t produce Omega-3's on their own, so they must be obtained from food sources, thus making these fats "essential." Omega-3's are a type of polyunsaturated fat.
Doctors at Harvard Medical School have found evidence to suggest that Omega-3 fats can stop dangerous irregular heart rhythms, which can trigger heart attacks or sudden death. Other studies have shown that Omega-3 fatty acids can protect against heart disease and stroke.
This is why the American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least two times per week, since fish is a great source of Omega-3's. Walnuts, flax and flaxseed oil are other good Omega-3 sources.
Maybe you’ve read that seafood is high in cholesterol. This is true, but not in the way you might think. The cholesterol in foods (dietary cholesterol) isn’t what affects our blood cholesterol. It’s saturated fat that causes our cholesterol levels to rise.
Shellfish are very low in saturated fat which is the major contributor to blood cholesterol, and the majority of other fish are low in dietary cholesterol. Research has shown that the low total fat combined with the high percentage of good fats, like omega-3's, in seafood actually reduces the amount of blood cholesterol produced in the body after eating a meal of fish.
Source: National Fisheries Institute
Published 06/15/07
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There are three types of fats that our bodies obtain from the food we eat. These fats are monosaturated fat, saturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. 
