In the early 20th century, in order to safeguard the country’s maritime rights and interests and to develop national fisheries industry, the government of Qing Dynasty and Republic of China learning from Japan, United States and other countries’ experiences, began to develop China’s fisheries education. After the founding of new China, Shanghai Fisheries College and other fisheries colleges had been founded since 1952 in succession. In 1950’s and 1960’s, learning experiences from Soviet Union, the system of fisheries higher education was established in China. After decades of development, the fisheries higher education had made great achievements, and made outstanding contributions to the development of fisheries industry in China. In the late 20th century, to meet the needs of the marine industry development, and the selfdevelopment needs of fisheries higher education, and the needs of building a modern marine society, the fisheries colleges and universities have changed their names to marine universities, and have transformed from single discipline universities into multidisciplinary marine universities. The transformation has promoted the development of marine higher education in China. For the effective development of marine higher education, it is suggested to take higher starting point and the road of international education, and to develop basic sciences and applied sciences coordinated, and to optimize the structure of marine higher education further, and to build a good threedimensional linkage mechanism between the government, marine universities and the society.