Safe and efficient live transportation is an effective way to keep the freshness of fish, which could better meet the needs of the consumers while increasing the economic benefit of the enterprises. In this paper, two kinds of live transport, i.e. water or water-less transport were reviewed, the advantages and disadvantages of the two transportation methods were compared, the effects of fish body constitution, temperature, water quality (pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia-nitrogen and metabolic concentration) and other factors on the survival rate of the transported fish were elaborated, and then some problems existing in live fish transport were pointed out and the countermeasures proposed. Through the analysis of the available data, it is believed that the water-less transportation using ecological ice temperature supplemented with carbon dioxide as an anesthetic would be the focus of future research and application; in addition, the development of anaerobic live transport and the related high-efficient transport equipment also need special attention; and all these will contribute to the faster development of China's fisheries modernization.