Entry

Dynamite Fishing Kills Diver & Reef life in Vietnam

USAID, Cover Photo via Flickr: A.Connah
Vietnam Police have arrested  four fishermen for taking the life of a scuba diver and destroying aquatic life with explosives, nearby Phu Cu. The fisherman have said they saw bubbles rising to the surface which they thought were from a large fish. After throwing explosives in the area of the bubbles, [...]

blast_fishing

USAID, Cover Photo via Flickr: A.Connah

Vietnam Police have arrested  four fishermen for taking the life of a scuba diver and destroying aquatic life with explosives, nearby Phu Cu. The fisherman have said they saw bubbles rising to the surface which they thought were from a large fish. After throwing explosives in the area of the bubbles, one man dove in to collect their “prize” only to find a scuba diver whose life they  took.  Despite their attempted escape, the four men were captured after authorities heard the loud blast. Another sad story on man’s impact on the ocean and to each other. 

Dynamite or blast fishing is illegal in Vietnam and other parts of the world but is still prevalent. From The Coral Reef Alliance:

On average, a 1-kilogram (35 ounce) beer bottle bomb can leave a rubble crater of approximately 1 to 2 meters in diameter, killing 50 to 80 percent of the coral in that area (Reefs at Risk, 2002). It can take hundreds of years for the physical structure of a coral reef to rebuild after being reduced to rubble by fishers using explosives. Although illegal, dynamite fishing is practiced in up to 30 countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania and is also common in Eastern Africa.

It seems the public is generally uneducated about blast fishing. Take a look at video games like this one that are being made for cell phones. I am at a loss for words.

As aquarists we should be worried about the state of the oceans and coral reefs; I can assure you, blast fishing is not a sustainable practice…. To add some hope to an otherwise miserable story and situation, check out what EcoReefs is doing to help rehabilitate damaged reefs.

 

[CDNN]

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Meta

  • Thanks for sharing this frightening and tragic story.

    Julie Bennett
    Communications Manager
    The Coral Reef Alliance
  • Michael
    That is just terrible. So much loss of life from one poor decision. :(

    ~Michael
  • Nicholas Sadaka
    Thanks for the post Eric. I HATE reading this kindof stuff, but it is so, so neccessary that we as aquarists are aware of these practices. I don't mean to step on any toes, but I encourage all aquarists to go the route of aquacultured livestock. I know there are times when we have no choice but to buy "wild caught", but please try to only do so when there is no other choice. We as aquarists really need to be leaders doing everything possible to sustain and help our reefs. We have more tools available to us than most and need to try extra hard since we are often implicated as "part of the problem". I've said it before, but I really, really wish we could band together somehow and really enact some change. Sorry to be longwinded, but this stuff always hurts me badly to hear about. Such a beautiful world and so sad what we are doing to it. I couldn't bring myself to watch the cell phone video game. Thanks again for sharing that Eric.
  • LH
    That's terrible. Dynamite / cyanide / other unsustainable fishing practices are bad enough as it is. Poor diver, probably having the time of their life - though on a positive note, a great state of mind to have 'left' in, surrounded by the beauty of the underwater world...
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