15 - Words from the Chair

The impacts we are having on our oceans are ever more apparent, with growing awareness of increasing fishing pressure on diminishing marine resources. However, I suspect that even though some people are aware of these impacts, the urgent need to address unsustainable fishing pressure, especially on vulnerable life history events like spawning aggregations, is not widely appreciated. Certainly proactive management is rarely practiced.

So what can we do? SCRFA is but one of many NGOs working on aspects of the global overfishing crisis and the massive challenge that we face to ensure sustainable practices. We focus on fish spawning aggregations because these reproductive events are critically important for fish population regeneration, support many important fisheries, are little managed and are disappearing quickly. They are also easy to understand and appreciate. Our work is not about lobbying, but rather we aim to understand this fascinating aspect of the life history of many species of fish, and package information in a way that is easy to appreciate by local communities, marine users, scientists, government authorities, and others. To build a better and wider understanding of reef fish spawning aggregations and their key role in fisheries and the marine ecosystem we also participate in international forums in the belief that knowledge of the significance, and beauty of these wildlife spectacles, will lead to their stewardship and conservation.

This newsletter is just one aspect of our many initiatives to broadcast far and wide the latest news on fish spawning aggregations from around the world. You will find unravelling the secrets of aggregating species, and providing insights into the many challenges we continue to face.

Martin Russell
Chair/CEO, SCRFA