Israeli aquaculture started in the mid 1930s with the introduction of European fish (common carp) and technology. Followed by the introduction of tilapia in the 1960s, most of the production was done in extensive fishponds with average yields of under 5 t per ha. Much of the fresh water culture (17,000 t in 1996) is done, at present, in water reservoirs, which hold rainwater for summer irrigation. However, due to the shortage of fresh water, mariculture development is a natural and welcome development. The Ministry of Agriculture policy is to achieve production surpassing 10,000 t annually within the next decade. Mariculture activities started in the early 1970s, as R&D in the Eilat area, on the shores of the Red Sea, with the active participation of the National Center for Mariculture (NCM). Most of the marine aquaculture R&D is done in this Center, situated in the City of Eilat. Its interdisciplinary structure and mode of operation is discussed briefly.