中国科学院水生生物研究所（以下简称水生所）是从事内陆水体生命过程、生态环境保护与生物资源利用研究的综合性学术研究机构，其前身是1930年1月在南京成立的国立中央研究院自然历史博物馆，1934年7月改名为中央研究院动植物研究所，1944年5月又分建成动物研究所和植物研究所。中国科学院成立以后，于1950年2月将国立中央研究院动物研究所、北平研究院动物学研究所、国立中央研究院植物研究所藻类部门合并，组建中国科学院水生生物研究所，所址上海，1954年9月迁至武汉。2011年水生所整体进入中国科学院“创新2020”试点工程。2015年被认定为中国科学院“率先行动”计划特色研究所。

水生所战略定位和发展目标是，面向国家在水生态环境保护、水生生物资源利用等方面的重大战略需求，围绕内陆水体生命过程、生态环境保护与生物资源利用领域的基础性、战略性和前瞻性重大科技问题，着力重大理论创新和核心技术突破，强化创新价值链的延伸，在水环境保护、淡水渔业和微藻生物技术领域发挥引领示范作用。

Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as IHB) is a comprehensive academic research institution engaged in the study of the life process, ecological environment protection and biological resources utilization of inland water bodies. Its predecessor was the Museum of Natural History of the National Academy of Sciences in Nanjing in January 1930. In July 1934, it was renamed the Institute of Flora and Fauna, Academia Sinica. In May 1944, the Institute of Zoology and the Institute of Botany were established. After the founding of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Zoology, the Institute of Zoology, and the Algae Department of the Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences were merged in February 1950 to form the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Institute was located in Shanghai and moved to Wuhan in September 1954. In 2011, the institute entered the "Innovation 2020" pilot project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 2015, it was recognized as a featured institute under the "First Action" Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The strategic positioning and development goal of the institute is to meet the country's major strategic needs in water ecological environment protection and utilization of aquatic living resources, focus on major theoretical innovation and core technology breakthrough, and strengthen the extension of innovation value chain by focusing on basic, strategic and forward-looking major scientific and technological issues in the field of inland water life process, ecological environment protection and utilization of living resources. It plays a leading and exemplary role in the field of water environment protection, freshwater fisheries and microalgae biotechnology.