This issues brief proposes an agenda for markets and trade research that supports pro-poor development of aquaculture. It summarises key trends and issues relating to global aquaculture development and identifies critical markets and trade dimensions. Coinciding with renewed interest and change in global agricultural research, this brief is targeted to aquaculture development practitioners and researchers. It aims to provoke discussion on the key areas of markets-related analysis needed to ensure that aquaculture research delivers the strongest poverty reduction and food security outcomes. This focus means that the paper inevitably covers both markets and trade related research and identifies some critical gaps in the foundational poverty analysis.