These are the proceedings of a workshop hosted by APEC and NACA under the project 'Collaborative APEC-NACA Grouper Aquaculture Network' (APEC Project FWG 01/99). The workshop was held in order to further the development of a sustainable grouper aquaculture industry in the Asia-Pacific region through the establishment of a collaborative network of researchers.

The workshop was attended by representatives from 12 APEC economies including Australia; Brunei-Darussalam; China; Taiwan, Province of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia; Peru; Philippines and Thailand. The meeting was attended by representatives from NACA, the Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC), INFOFISH, New Caledonia and a non-governmental organisation, The Nature Conservancy. The objectives of the workshop were to establish a regional research network to:

• Facilitate development of a sustainable grouper aquaculture industry.
• Reduce the reliance on wild fingerlings for coastal grouper aquaculture.
• Contribute to the protection of endangered reefs and reef fish from illegal fishing.
• Facilitate development of new aquaculture industries with significant export potential.
• Provide an alternative source of income and employment to people currently engaged in destructive and illegal fishing practices.

The meeting was very successful with a number of recommendations made in support of APEC Fisheries Working Group and NACA objectives for grouper aquaculture. Specifically, the Workshop recommended expansion of the cooperative development model applied during this workshop to other tropical marine fish projects, which it was felt, could form the basis for future cooperation between regional agencies.