Field Surveys

As part of the SCRFA Global Database initiative, field surveys were conducted in the western Pacific to collect information on the present status and the history of exploited spawning aggregations. Very little information from this region is readily available, or has been published, despite increasing pressure on exploited aggregations by the live reef food fish trade, growing commercialisation of reef fish fisheries in general, and concern about aggregation overexploitation.

Most spawning aggregations are initially discovered by biologists or divers as a result of information provided by fishers. A systematic approach to revealing the presence of aggregations in a region is through semi-structured fisher interviews. We have developed a series of guidelines and a survey framework that can be applied and adapted to a wide range of situations:

• Fisher Survey Interview Guidelines
• Under Water Census and Documentation

You may refer to our methods manual tool kit for that covers all aspects of studying spawning aggregation.

To date, field surveys, largely conducted by interviews in fishing communities and with fisheries officers, dive operators, as well as literature reviews have been undertaken in the Federated States of Micronesia, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Palau, Fiji, E. Malaysia and E. Indonesia. The data are being incorporated in the Global Database and are yielding a wealth of information, not only on aggregations, but also on the general biology of aggregating species, as well as on attitudes and opinions about fishery management. Species accounts on aggregating fishes are available.

Our various 'case studies' for different countries were generated largely in this way and have revealed hundreds of potential spawning aggregation sites. We are now working to validate some of these by conducting underwater visual census surveys at the times and places indicated by fishery interview results.