Abstract: Systematic and scientific classification of marine natural resources is a basic requirement of marine natural resources management and comprehensive investigation, an important working means to improve the classification system of natural resources in China, and a theoretical basis for the Ministry of Natural Resources to manage the whole national natural resources. In this paper, the authors summarized the classifications of natural resources at home and abroad. Based on China’s fundamental realities, the authors take both natural resources science and earth system science theory as guidance and integrated management of natural resources as basic principle to propose a three-level classification system of marine natural resources involving multiple disciplines and categories, based on natural properties of resources and relevant national laws and regulations. 6 first-class, 27 second-class and 27 third-class are divided in this classification system. In the view of the contents and basic requirements of the comprehensive survey of marine natural resources, the authors proposed the relevant work suggestions based on the classification system, which provide theoretical support for ecological civilization construction and high-quality development of marine economy.