In this paper, according to the research and application of fishway at home and abroad, and in combination with in-situ research, the construction, development process and main structure types of the fish-passing facilities are detailed introduced, the fishway board type, its corresponding hydraulic characteristics and the general principles of fishway design are listed, the differences of application conditions and the design issues involving in the fishway are analyzed. Finally it is proposed that the research and design of the fishway should be enhanced to a new step at present and in the future.