Hi all, I would like to introduce our group and the recent project we've started in the Western Indian Ocean. My name is Bob Bowen and I am the IT manager with the Coastal Resources Center ([url]http://www.crc.uri.edu/[/url]) at the University of Rhode Island in the US. Through our Sustainable Coastal Communities and Ecosystems project and in collaboration with the Western Indian Ocean Marine Sciences Association (WIOMSA), we are supporting the development of the Western Indian Ocean Mariculture Network. We have just launched an online forum at [url]http://www.wiomsa.org/mariculture/forum/[/url] We are also populating a web-based data system containing a regional inventory of small scale mariculture projects, a directory of mariculture experts, and an online publication library. This system will launch shortly. The establishment of the Mariculture Network was based upon feedback received at the 4th WIOMSA Science Symposium held in 2005 in Mauritus. This network focuses on small scale, community-based, sustainable mariculture projects in the WIO region. We would appreciate any comments and feedback on methods for making our ICT efforts pay off in supporting this network.