The Society for the Conservation of Reef Fish Spawning Aggregations

The Society for the Conservation of Reef Fish Aggregations (SCRFA) strives to promote and facilitate the international conservation and management of reef fish spawning aggregations. The Society was formed in 2001 following a series of meetings in which scientists and marine resource managers voiced their collective concern for the dire need to better manage reef fish spawning aggregations globally., , Many reef fishes aggregate in large numbers at specific times and places to reproduce. These spawning aggregation sites are often located at the outer reef edge or reef passes. Some sites may be used by many species, either simultaneously or at different times of day, month or year. Once they have been discovered, their predictable nature makes them extremely vulnerable to overexploitation. Overfishing has already depleted a substantial number of such reproductive gatherings in the Caribbean. Although scientific documentation is lacking for the Asia-Pacific, considerable anecdotal evidence also suggests that many spawning aggregations of groupers (Serranidae) are systematically being destroyed by the live reef food fish trade, especially in Indonesia and the western Pacific. Many remaining aggregations throughout the tropics are seriously depleted and may soon disappear if they are not quickly protected. These aggregations are bottlenecks in the lives of many reef fish species, their conservation is critical for the persistence of the populations that form them and many are in urgent need of protection. , , Through the announcement of SCRFA, we hope to recruit a diverse membership, attracting representatives from regulatory bodies, NGO's, scientists, fishery managers, educators and the private sector. Together this membership will directly support, promote, influence and facilitate relevant initiatives as an independent body. Activities to be developed, or promoted by SCRFA range from ongoing documentation of aggregation status throughout the tropics, development of a global database of aggregation sites, and facilitation of the development of appropriate fishery specific management approaches, conservation and management policy, and awareness raising.,