The large yellow croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea) is an economically important marine fish with the highest annual yield in China. However, with the rapid development of the large yellow croaker culture industry, there have been increasingly severe outbreaks of infectious disease caused by marine viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Furthermore, our limited understanding of the immune system of the large yellow croaker limits the development of vaccines and strategies to prevent many problematic diseases. Especially in regards to viral related therapies and antiviral prophylaxis. To better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the immune response to pathogenic viruses, we used high-throughput deep sequencing technology to investigate the transcriptome of the large yellow croaker challenged with Poly I:C, a viral mimic.