Abstract

Many coral reef fish species that have long been important for food and livelihoods reproduce by gathering in large, concentrated and predictable spawning aggregations. Particularly over the last two decades, these have become the target of expanding fishing pressure. Yet we are only recently beginning to understand their value to coral reef health, fishing communities and their vulnerability to fishing. An analysis of 888 records of fish spawning aggregations for over 200 species from 44 families in 52 countries has revealed important information for science and management of fish aggregations and the fisheries they support. The records are maintained in a global web-based database managed by Science and Conservation of Fish Aggregations (SCRFA). Currently over a quarter of the records show a declining trend in numbers of fish aggregating, and alarmingly 4% are document-ed as having disappeared entirely. Despite the limited information available on the level of management and monitoring of these aggregations, current information suggests that only about 35% have some form of management in place such as marine protected areas or seasonal protection from fishing, and only about 25% have some form of monitoring. Four case studies on the effective-ness of management of aggregations are provided for red hind in the tropical western Atlantic, square-tailed coral grouper in Melanesia, three species of grouper in Palau and Pohnpei, and white seabass in eastern Pacific. This Status Report provides the current status based on the best available information for fish spawning aggregations globally. Additional records are needed on a range of species from more locations around the world to further understand aggregating species and exploitation of aggregations.

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