Objective To understand the infection of anisakis (L3) in marine fishes caught in the sea around Zhoushan and provide scientific evidence for the clinical treatment, prevention and control of anisakiasis. Methods The fishes were dissected to detect anisakis larvae, which were identified by microscopy. Results The overall infection rate of Anisakis simplex larvae in fishes was 49.10%. Anisakis larvae were detected in 218 of 444 fishes belonging to 21 species, including hairtails, Pneumatophorus japonicus, Miichthys miiuy, Argyrosomus argentatus and Muraenesox cinereus (infection rate90%). The infection density of anisakis per fish varied from 1 to 114 with average density of 15.28 per fish. Totally 3332 anisakis larvae were detected in 218 marine fishes (99.46%), while the infection rate of Pseudoterranova larvae (L3) was only about 0.54%. Conclusion The infection rate of anisakis larvae was high in marine fishes in Zhoushan. However, the fishes with negative finding might be still infected with anisakia larvae.