Marine ranching is a long-term and world-widely used marine fishery development measure. This paper reviewed the development of marine ranching around the world as well as the existing definitions and classifications. Abroad, fishery resources enhancement is generally regarded as marine ranching. Since the 1940s, the artificial reef has expanded from the simple fish aggregation to the protection and restoration of marine ranching habitat, and aimed to the increase and utilization of fishery resources. In northeast Asian, such as Japan and South Korea, the objective of constructing artificial reefs is to increase, aggregate and catch fishery resources on large scales; and many countries in Europe and America build artificial reefs to increase and protect fishery resources and develop recreational fishery. Overall, the overseas marine ranching construction with fishery resources enhancement as the main purpose has both successes and failures, whereas the successful experience is worth our learning. The overseas definitions and classifications of marine ranching are in small number, the definition is presented and used in a more rigorous way. China paid much attention to the development of marine ranching in recent years, and supported it as an important means for aquatic biological resources conservation, fishermen industrial upgrading, and marine ecology civilization construction. Great progress has been made in the construction scale, output effect, technical level and development mechanism of marine ranching. However, the industry and sci-technology are still in the initial stage, and facing a series of problems to be solved urgently due to the late start. From 1960s to 1970s, Chinese scholars put forward the concepts of marine ranching and marine farming and ranching, and made a distinction between the two definitions. Subsequently, many scholars equated the enhancement of fishery resources with marine ranching. Recently, the development of marine ranching is rapid in China, but the definition of marine ranching is non-standard, such as numerous definitions, meaningless definitions, and lacking precise definitions. Finally, this paper summarized and prospected the development trend, development concept, target positioning, construction content, research support and other aspects of marine ranching. Grasping the development philosophy, positioning, content and goal of marine ranching rationally and practically, we should strengthen the publicity of the existing marine ranching industry standards, especially the definition and classification, and guide the orderly development of marine ranching research and construction work, which is the key for effectively supporting the healthy development of marine ranching.