What is meant by dynamite fishing?
Blast fishing, also known as dynamite fishing, is a highly destructive, illegal method of catching fish which uses dynamite or other types of explosives to send shock-waves through the water, stunning or killing fish which are then collected and sold.
What is the cause of dynamite fishing?
Dynamite is used by unscrupulous fishermen to blast coral reefs and other shallow areas to stun fish, which are then collected from the surface or shallow waters. Because it explodes like a bomb, it is locally known as bomu. Its explosion is highly damaging to the benthic communities and branching corals.
Why is dynamite fishing prohibited?
The explosives used destroy the marine environment, leaving it devoid of life. Dynamite fishing has contributed to massive destruction of Southeast Asian coral reefs over the past 20 years. Dynamite fishing is one of the most pervasive fishing techniques and it is banned by most countries.
Who invented dynamite fishing?
Some records say the practice began in the Philippines, where fishermen used dynamite left over from the two world wars. However, there is evidence that it was practiced in Peru even earlier.
What is the effects of dynamite fishing?
Dynamite fishing destroys both the food chain and the corals where the fish nest and grow. Blast fishing kills the entire food chain, including plankton, fish both large and small, and the juveniles that do not grow old enough to spawn.
Is blast fishing illegal in the US?
Blast fishing is highly destructive and illegal. Dynamite or other types of explosives are used to send shock-waves through the water, stunning or killing fish which are then collected and sold.
Can you really fish with dynamite?
Around the world, fishermen are using explosives, often with dynamite, to maximize their catch. Called blast fishing or dynamite fishing, the practice goes on in nations from Lebanon and Malaysia to the Philippines, while some countries—Kenya and Mozambique, for instance—have managed to stamp it out.