Vertebrates
What is SCRFA?
by
Yvonne Sadovy
Many
species of fish aggregate to spawn. Since these spawning aggregations
are likely the only opportunity for such species to reproduce, and can
be highly predictable in time and space, they are typically easy to
find and readily overexploited. Experience in the Pacific, and elsewhere,
including Hong Kong (see Chinese bahaba in Porcupine !24), shows
that heavily fished aggregations rapidly decline, with serious consequences
for the future of fish populations that depend on them. SCRFA stands
for the Society for the Conservation of Reef Fish Aggregations and was
founded in 2000, following a mini-symposium on reef fish spawning aggregations,
in response to biologists’ concerns over the increased commercial targeting
of reef fish spawning aggregations. While these are well able to sustain
subsistence fishing levels, they clearly do not withstand the heavier
levels associated with larger scale commercial fisheries, such as some
of the tourist markets for chilled fish in the Caribbean and export
markets in the Indo-Pacific like the luxury trade in live reef fish.
The heavy fishing of spawning aggregations is considered to be a significant
threat to the sustainable use of reef resources. SCRFA has received
funding from the Packard Foundation to generate a database, carry out
research, and produce educational materials on spawning aggregations
as a basis for improving their management and conservation.
Editorial
