Since 1980 a programme of Fish Aggregation Device (fad) deployment has been carried out in the Cook Islands. Government has deployed all fads between 1 to 3 nautical miles from shore at depths ranging from 800 to 1,600 metres. The fads have undergone various designs with varying degrees of success. The average fad lifespan during the early 1980s was nine months; however, it increased to 18 months, with some fads in operation in excess of 30 months. Each fad cost between nz$ 7,000 and nz$ 9,000 to build and deploy. Since their introduction, fad have been widely accepted as a very effective apparatus in coastal small-scale fishing activities, specifically for pelagic species. Judging by the progressive behaviour of local fishing communities, there is sufficient reason to believe that fads have created productive fishing zones for Cook Islands fishermen to enable them to supply the ever-increasing local market for fresh fish. fads are an integral part of local fishing communities and provide a reasonable form of income to the increasing fishing community.