Aquaculture of aquatic species has recently exp anded to include applications for their use as viable exp erimental models. Although not commonly appreciated aquatic species have long served as fun damental tools in discovery. The wide diversi ty of species differentially responding to a multiplicity of life situations has provided an array of realized and more importantly unrealized investigational opportunities. Features often curtailing advancement in this arena are: 1) an under appreciation of these animals structurally, and physiologically so to identify potential contributions; 2) the animals life history and requirements of each life stage; 3) the support in an aquaculture sense to allow these species to be viable and accessible laboratory models and 4) cross-talk between aqua culturists and other scientific endeavors. Collaborative efforts provide the best opportunity for advancement. Paramount in these efforts is an understanding of the potentials and liabilities of a given model once developed. Equally important is an understanding that aquatic species are not "wet mammal s". Unconventional approaches relative to their mammalian counterparts may be necessary to deal with an aquatic animal and the aqueous environment. This talk will examine components of successful and unsuccessful approaches to collaborative investigations using aquatic and marine species.