The Asia-Pacific Grouper Network was initiated in 1998 at a meeting of grouper aquaculture researchers in Bangkok, Thailand, to promote effective regional cooperation among Asia-Pacific economies involved in grouper aquaculture research and development. Since 1998, a range of government and non-government institutes and agencies with complementary skills and expertise have worked together and achieved considerable progress in grouper aquaculture research and development. The networking activities have also gradually expanded to cover tropical marine fish aquaculture and other aquaculture species of importance.

The network has held several meetings to promote research cooperation and implement research activities. In the recommendations from participants at the APEC/NACA workshop in Medan in 2000, NACA was requested to formalize the participation of institutes within the network. This report provides details of the formalization process and was presented in draft form to the 13th NACA Governing Council for consideration. The process, supported by the APEC Fisheries Working Group and NACA, was undertaken through survey and consultations by questionnaire, that was widely circulated throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

The survey showed a wide range of grouper and other marine finfish species that are currently under research in institutes of the Asia-Pacific region. The research is mostly focused on production technology and appears to give less attention to non-technical issues, such as environment, marketing, food supply, certification, socio-economics and livelihoods. Efforts are being taken under the network to support further research on these issues. The survey shows a strong support for participation in a grouper network, and indeed expansion of networking activities to other species. The following gives the main recommendations arising from the survey that were presented for review by the NACA Governing Council.

This report has been prepared based on the recommendations of the NACA member governments to formalize the network within NACA as a regional network to support research and development in marine fish culture in the Asia-Pacific region.