With the increasing area of restored mangrove vegetation, marine-fouling organisms, barnacle in particular, are suggested to be an important factor affecting the survival and growth of mangrove seedlings. This paper reviewed the biochemical and ecological studies on the settlement of barnacle, its damage on mangrove seedlings, and its chemical control. The settlement and distribution model of barnacle on mangroves is significantly affected by the environmental factors such as seawater salinity, tide inundating depth, canopy density, hydrographical regime, and some biotic factors, but few are known about the amino acid composition and one-dimension structure of barnacle's adhesive proteins, especially their processes and mechanisms of cross-link, aggregation, and adhesion. More attention should be paid on understanding the damage mechanisms and its weight of barnacle on mangrove seedlings, and the study on the response and adaptation models of individual plant in nature mangrove ecosystem to barnacle disturbance should be strengthened, which are potentially valuable for the research of barnacle control.