The fourth session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) Committee on Aquaculture (CAQ) met in Alexandria, Egypt, from 7 to 9 June 2004 and was attended by delegates from fifteen Members of the Commission. The session reviewed the status of aquaculture in the region and the activities of the networks linked to the Committee. Among the past activities the Committee acknowledeged that the updated regional aquaculture project proposal listed objectives that focused attent ion on activities considered of relevance to the region. However, it was recognized that regional differences existed making it difficult to prepare a single project that could be endorsed by all Members as well as attract donor support. It was further suggested to split priorities differentiating issues of a regional interest from priorities related specifically to a sub-region. The Committee approved the proposed workplan of the networks and recommended the reestablishement of the former CAQ n etwork on Environmental Aspects of Aquaculture Management in the Mediterranean (EAM) as well as to broading the scope of activities of the other networks. The Committee reviewed the expert report on the external evaluation of the CAQ and it networks and recommended that the CAQ should remain an independent entity and further reinforced. It was also agreed that the CAQ needed an adequate share of the GFCM autonomous budget to support its activities.