What is a FAD? It is surprisingly simple: a large float anchored to the sea floor with old fishing nets dangling from it, placed in near-shore areas away from reefs. The nets grow algae almost immediately,attracting small reef fish. These small fish attract medium fish, and the pelagic species such as tuna and mackerel follow. At one test site near Pere Island in Manus Province, local fishermen reported catching 4000 fish in one day, using hand lines only. Results like these have drawn fishermen away from their over-used inshore reef areas, allowing these ecosystems to recover from years of hard use.