Abstract: A modern adaptation of an old fishing technique is gaining recognition in the Pacific and elsewhere as an effective means to increase fishing productivity in the open sea. The use of man-made, free-floating, and anchored floating devices to aggregate pelagic fishes for subsistence, recreational and commercial fishing has increased markedly in recent years; estimates of deployed and planned units exceed 1,000. These devices have been anchored in depths ranging from several hundred to several thousand fathoms. This report reviews the development and present use of fish aggregating devices in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.