The Society for the Conservation of Reef Fish Spawning Aggregations strongly believes that a good understanding of the biology and effects of fishing on reef fish spawning aggregations, gained through sound scientific study, is key to their successful Management and Conservation. A wide variety of methods, some more effective than others, has been used to study such spawning aggregations since they were first described by early diving scientists in the 1960s and 70s.

The Methods Manual is intended to serve as a resource to aid in choosing productive and scientifically sound methods for investigating reef fish aggregations, and will be particularly valuable to new workers in this field.