ECSFRI is made up of the following research sections: marine fishery resources investigation, marine fishing technologies, aquatic products processing, fishery environment protection, fishery information and ichthyology. It is also equipped with various kinds of sophisticated facilities, a mariculture experiment base and an advanced trawl model testing pool which is the only one in China so far. In addition, some nationwide organizations are set up within ECSFRI: Fishing Gears and Materials Quality Surveillance and Inspection Center, East China Sea Fishery Environment Monitoring Station and East China Sea Fishery Resource Dynamic Monitoring Station.

ECSFRI has about 200 professionals including 50 senior researchers. The institute publishes two academic journals: Marine Fisheries and Modern Fisheries Information. Since 1978, over 170 research projects have been awarded by the state or the ministries. The outstanding achievements are: Japanese pilchard resource survey and exploitation in the East China Sea, Yellow Sea and the offshore; Filefish and some other demersal fish resources survey and exploratory fishing in the northern East China Sea and adjacent zones; The design for fishing gear testing pool; Fishery resource survey for Guinea-Bissau marine waters; and The application of remote sensing technologies to marine environment and marine fishery resource survey.