Spawning Aggregations

Richard Barnden · Issue 87, Nov/Dec 2015 · pp. 40–44

Products mentioned: Nikon D800, Nauticam Housing, Sea & Sea YS-250 Strobes, Nikon 16mm Lens

A Spawning aggregation is a group of fish that temporarily gather at higher than normal densities for the sole purpose of reproducing. In the mid 70’s Robert E. Johannes a tropical marine ecologist came to the islands of Palau and pioneered the idea of integrating local knowledge from fishermen with Western concepts of management and applying it directly to resource conservation and fisheries management. Local knowledge of lunar cycles and spawning aggregations is invaluable for the protection of breeding grounds which would rarely be discovered without knowledge from local fishermen. Johannes pioneering work and the help of local communities later went on setting up fishing ‘closures’ of particular species of fish around their spawning aggregation cycles. These are still in force today. Not only locally enforced policies make Palau such a unique and special place for spawning aggregatio…