Dangers Caused by Dynamite Fishing

Dynamite fishing, also called blast fishing, is a method used by some fishermen to kill or stun large numbers of fish for ease of harvesting. Industrial-grade dynamite, homemade devices, such as bottle bombs, and explosive bait and lures are used on targeted fish, usually schooling species, including parrot fish and fusiliers. The practice is controversial and often illegal because of the risk of death or serious injury to fishermen, the devastating effects it has on aquatic species and their habitat, and its adverse economic impact on fishing and tourist economies.

Accidents

• In July 2011 three fishermen were killed in a dynamite-fishing accident in the waters off the southeastern Indian coast near the town of Thondi. IBN Live News reports that one of them lit the fuse on a stick of dynamite and threw it at the water. A gust of wind blew the dynamite back. It hit the boat and exploded. In addition to the risk to life and limb posed by dynamite to those working in close proximity to it, the explosive can endanger populations in its vicinity. Author N. Irving Sax rates the disaster hazard level of dynamite as "dangerous" because of the potential for accidental explosions caused by reactions to other substances, shock and heat. Additionally, heat exposure may cause it to emit toxic fumes.

Coral Reef Blast Damage

• Schooling fish are the preferred targets of blast fishers, and this frequently places coral reefs directly in the line of fire. Schools of much sought-after species such as sweetlips and grouper hide under large coral formations. Other valuable catches, such as butterfly fish and surgeon fish graze in and around reefs. A reef's recovery time from a single blast is five years, says marine biologist Helen E. Fox. The rubble from an explosion settles slowly. The craters caused by the blast eventually fill and new coral communities are established.

Thwarted Regrowth

• Dr. Fox and her team studied coral reefs that had sustained multiple blasts. After six years of observation they found no real ecosystem recovery. This failure to recover occurred even in the presence of a large quantity of coral larvae. The scientists noted that repeated blasts change the shape of the coral, resulting in new ocean current patterns flowing over and around the reef. These new currents form a "killing field" -- a flow of water that kills coral larvae, thwarting regrowth.

  Dr. Fox concludes that efforts to rehabilitate blast-devastated coral reef ecosystems are of limited value, which leaves policy management to stop blast fishing as the only solution.

Adverse Economic Impact

• The Tropical Research and Conservation Center reports that fishermen who practice blast fishing earn four times more than fishers using sustainable methods. This profit windfall, however, lasts only a few years. The coral reef ecosystem soon collapses under the duress of explosions. Twenty years after blasting began, blast fishers earn only about a quarter of the income that was once generated by their sustainable fishing methods.

  Tourism is adversely affected by coral reef destruction. Many resorts are struggling because blast-damaged reefs do not attract visitors. Future earnings are also forfeited. The Center cites the example of the Malaysian state of Sabah where economists projected revenues of $55,000 annually for each new ecotourism resort. Blast fishing in recent years has cut off that avenue of economic development for the region.