Blast fishing

Since the end of the Second World War, coral reefs of the Indo Pacific and especially the 

South China Sea have been subjected to dynamite or blast fishing.

Originally, blast fishing used commercial dynamite or other explosives but in recent years the trend has been for fishers to make their own bombs using artificial fertilizer.

FUSES SMUGGLED AND

USED FOR BLAST FISHING

The fishers do not 

blast at random 

but choose the site 

carefully for maximum catch.

The bombs are usually

on 5-second fuses and are dropped into the centre of an area judged to have many fish. After the bomb has exploded, the fishers use dip-nets to collect the stunned and dying fish, either from the boat or underwater.

Blast fishers hunt by preference for schooling fish, so larger fish such as sweetlips  and groupers which aggregate in groups  and hide under large coral heads are specific targets.  

Schools of fish visible in open areas are also targeted; butterfly fish and schools of fusiliers which stream along just above the reef slope or parrot fish and surgeon fish schools grazing on the reef crest are actively sought.   SURGEON FISH (LEFT) AND MANY OTHER FISH THAT GRAZE ON OR AROUND THE REEF ARE TARGETED.

Larger fish such as this grouper are much sought after by blast fishers.

SCHOOLS OF BUTTERFLY FISH (ABOVE) ARE ACTIVELY SOUGHT.