The College of Fisheries and Life Science traces its origins to the Aquaculture Department established in 1952 under the Northeast Aquatic Products Technical School. It was renamed the Department of Aquaculture of Dalian Fisheries College in 1978. In 2002, the department was elevated to the College of Life Science and Technology of Dalian Fisheries College. Following approval by the Ministry of Education in 2010, Dalian Fisheries College was renamed Dalian Ocean University, and accordingly, the College of Life Science and Technology became the College of Life Science and Technology of Dalian Ocean University. In 2011, it was renamed the College of Fisheries and Life Science of Dalian Ocean University. In 2019, the Marine Fisheries Science and Technology program, which originated from the Fishing Department of the Northeast Aquatic Products Technical School founded in 1952, was integrated into the college.
The college currently offers Master's degree programs in two first-tier disciplines: Fisheries and Biology, and one professional Master's degree program in Fisheries Development. The first-tier Fisheries discipline comprises three catalog-listed second-tier disciplines—Aquaculture, Fishing Science, and Fisheries Resources—and three non-catalog second-tier disciplines: Aquatic Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction; Aquatic Animal Nutrition and Feed Science; and Aquatic Animal Medicine. The Fisheries discipline obtained the authority to confer Master's degrees in 2006. It was selected as a High-Level Key Discipline of Liaoning Province in 2009, ranked joint third in the 2012 national discipline assessment for fisheries, designated as a First-Class Characteristic Discipline of Liaoning Province in 2014, and included in Liaoning Province's Double First-Class Key Construction Disciplines in 2016. In 2021, the Plant and Animal Science field within Agricultural Sciences, underpinned by the Fisheries discipline, entered the top 1% of the ESI global rankings for the first time. The Biology discipline obtained Master's degree conferment authority in 2000, was recognized as a Key Discipline of Liaoning Province in 2008, and as an Advantageous & Characteristic Discipline of Liaoning Province in 2009. It encompasses four second-tier disciplines: Hydrobiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Microbiology, and Physiology. The Fisheries Development discipline obtained professional Master's degree authorization in 2002. This discipline focuses on research related to aquaculture, fisheries resources, fisheries equipment, disease prevention and control, fisheries management, and recreational fisheries in the inland waters of northern China and the marine areas of the Yellow and Bohai Seas.
The college offers six undergraduate programs: Aquaculture, Marine Fisheries Science and Technology, Biological Science, Aquarium Science and Technology, Aquatic Animal Medicine, and Biological Breeding Technology. Among these, the Aquaculture program is among the first batch of National First-Class Undergraduate Program Construction Sites. The Marine Fisheries Science and Technology, Biological Science, and Aquatic Animal Medicine programs are Provincial First-Class Undergraduate Program Construction Sites. The college hosts 16 national, provincial, and municipal platforms, including the National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center for Aquaculture, the MARA (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs) Key Laboratory of Northern Mariculture, and the MOE (Ministry of Education) Key Laboratory of Facility Fisheries. It also operates 1 national practical education base for undergraduates, 3 provincial practical education bases, 1 provincial virtual simulation experimental teaching center, and over 30 on- and off-campus teaching and research bases, with a total laboratory area exceeding 21,000 square meters.
The college has 123 faculty and staff members, including 31 full professors, 41 associate professors, and 103 holding doctoral degrees. The faculty includes 2 dual-appointed academicians, 2 national candidates of the New Century Hundred, Thousand, and Ten Thousand Talents Project, 1 scholar supported by the MOE Program for New Century Excellent Talents, 4 experts receiving special government allowances from the State Council, 2 National Excellent Teachers, 2 position scientists in the MARA Modern Agricultural Industry Technology System, 1 talent selected for the China Association for Science and Technology's Young Talent Lift Project, 2 scholars listed on Elsevier's Highly Cited Chinese Researchers list, 2 scholars listed among the Top 100,000 Global Scientists, and 1 scholar listed among the World's Top 2% Scientists. A total of 22 faculty members have been selected for various provincial and municipal talent programs such as Liaoning Outstanding Scientific and Technological Worker and the Xingliao Yingcai Program. Four individuals have received honors including Liaoning Outstanding Teacher, Liaoning Provincial Teaching Master, and the Liaoning May 1st Labor Medal. The college also hosts 1 Liaoning Model Worker Innovation Studio and 1 Liaoning Huang Danian-style Teaching Team.
Adhering to the research philosophy of veteran fisheries scientists that industry challenges define our research agenda, the college focuses on basic research and applied technology development in marine fisheries. It centers on biological studies of characteristic economic species in China's Three-North regions and the Yellow-Bohai Sea area, as well as technologies for breeding, artificial propagation, enhancement, and aquaculture. Serving rural revitalization and the marine economy, it has forged a distinctive model where scientific research drives industry advancement, integrates production with education, and fosters collaborative talent development. The college currently possesses 15 provincial-level scientific research innovation platforms and 11 ministerial/provincial-level innovation teams. Its research achievements are prolific, having received national awards such as the National Science Conference Award, the Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, and the Second Prize of the National Technology Invention Award. Over 100 achievements have been awarded at the provincial/ministerial level, and 6 nationally certified new aquaculture varieties have been developed. Responding to societal needs and industry trends, the college continuously deepens educational and teaching innovation and reform. It has cultivated a large number of outstanding professionals in marine and fisheries fields for the nation, achieving substantial teaching reform accomplishments. Notable achievements include: Leveraging Multidisciplinary Strengths to Build a Distinctive Freshwater Fisheries Teaching System (National First Prize for Outstanding Teaching Achievements); Research and Practice on Reforming the Teaching Content, Curriculum System, and Talent Training Model for the Aquaculture Undergraduate Program (National Second Prize for Outstanding Teaching Achievements); Reform and Practical Research on Professional Degree Postgraduate Practical Education in Fisheries Based on Collaborative Innovation (National First Prize for Practical Teaching Achievements in Agricultural Professional Degree Postgraduate Education); and Exploration and Practical Research on Reforming the Applied Talent Training Model for the Aquaculture Program and Two Decades of Exploration and Innovation in Cultivating Composite Applied Undergraduate Talents in Fisheries (both receiving the Liaoning Provincial First Prize for Outstanding Teaching Achievements).
The college will thoroughly implement the university's development philosophy of building a Blue University. Aiming to support the construction of a high-level marine university with distinct characteristics and significant industry influence, and guided by the university motto Inclusiveness and Sustainable Development, the college will closely integrate with the university's strengths in fisheries and marine disciplines. Adhering to a connotation-driven development path, it will base itself in Liaoning, serve the Yellow and Bohai Seas, extend its reach to the Three-North regions, and focus on the three major fields of fisheries, life sciences, and marine science. Upholding the working principle of Unity, Diligence, Pragmatism, and Innovation, with talent cultivation at its core, supported by discipline construction and team building, and committed to serving the industry and societal development, the college strives to make new contributions to the construction of a high-level marine university, to the comprehensive revitalization of Liaoning in the new era, and to the national strategies of building a strong maritime country and a strong agricultural nation!