The rising global demand for seafood has pressured fishermen to increase their catches using more efficient fishing methods (Kornei, 2018). This has led to the pervasiveness of unsustainable and destructive fishing methods which often leave detrimental impacts on marine ecosystems (United Nations Environment Programme, 2019).
One such method is fish bombing (also known as blast or dynamite fishing) which uses explosives to kill or stun fishes (The Nature Conservacy, 2022). These bombs are either home-made using fertilisers and diesel fuel or illegally sourced from the mining industry and are usually released in shallow, near-shore waters (Braulik et al., 2015).
The explosions release shockwaves underwater, killing fishes almost instantly by rupturing their internal organs such as their swim bladders and causing fractures to their skeletons (Braulik et al., 2015). However, this fast, high-yielding fishing method comes at a heavy cost. The sound intensity from fish bombing also kills marine organisms, juvenile fishes, fish eggs, invertebrates which are often not used by fishermen and left behind in the ocean (Braulik et al., 2015).
However, the most devastating environmental impact of all is the destruction of coral reefs often found near these shallow waters. Repeated blastings damage coral reef structures, resulting in dead zones that detrimentally affect reef-dependent fish populations and the livelihood of coastal communities who depend on them for food and tourism income (The Nature Conservancy, 2022, United Nations Environment Programme, 2019).
Despite its illegal nature, fish bombing is still widely practiced in many countries especially those in South East Asia, such as Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia (Braulik et al., 2015). This is due to the difficulty associated with detecting, responding, and catching perpetrators (United Nations Environment Programme, 2019).
Moving forward, long-term mitigation measures must address the underlying causes to curb fish bombing practices (Woodman et al., 2003). One such solution is the development of acoustic monitoring systems that are able to identify and locate underwater fish bombs in real-time, and relay this information to law enforcement authorities and affected communities so that immediate action can be taken (Braulik et al., 2015, Lighthouse Foundation, n.d.). Local governments will also need to explore softer, bottom-up approaches that involve coastal communities in sustainable coastal management planning and develop other alternative sources of income for local fishing communities (Woodman et al., 2003).
References:
Braulik, G. T., Wittich, A., Macaulay, J., Kasuga, M., Gordon, J., Gillespie, D., & Davenport, T. R. B. (2015). Fishing with explosives in Tanzania: Spatial distribution and hotspots. Wildlife Conservation Society Tanzania Program, Zanzibar, 19.
Kornei, K. (2018). Gunshot Sensors Pinpoint Destructive “Fish Bombs”. Retrieved 24 February 2022, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gunshot-sensors-pinpoint-destructive-fish-bombs/
Lighthouse Foundation. (n.d.). Malaysia: Dynamite fishing is still a common practice. Retrieved 24 February 2022, from https://lighthouse-foundation.org/en/Malaysia-Dynamite-fishing-is-still-a-common-practice-2.html
The Nature Conservancy. (2022). Reef Fisheries Management | Reef Resilience. Retrieved 24 February 2022, from https://reefresilience.org/management-strategies/coral-reef-fisheries-module/reef-fisheries-management/
United Nations Environment Programme. (2019). Stopping fish bombing. Retrieved 24 February 2022, from https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/stopping-fish-bombing#:~:text=Not%20only%20do%20the%20bombs,support%20system%20for%20many%20species.
Woodman, G. H., Wilson, S. C., Li, V. Y., & Renneberg, R. (2003). Acoustic characteristics of fish bombing: potential to develop an automated blast detector. Marine pollution bulletin, 46(1), 99-106.