Bomb Fishing Is Wreaking Havoc on Indonesia's Coral Reefs
Researchers are using AI and audio recording technology to document the devastating impact of blast fishing on Indonesia's coral reefs. The practice, which uses explosives to kill fish, is destroying marine ecosystems and turning vibrant reefs into barren rubble.
Why it matters
The destruction of the Coral Triangle threatens global marine biodiversity and highlights the urgent need for environmental enforcement in vulnerable ecosystems.
This article was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
A bomb-fished coral reef in Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Ocean Agency
Fishers operating off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia, are detonating more than 8,000 underwater explosives each year, researchers estimate. The practice is turning picturesque coral reefs to “rubble.”
Nicknamed the “Amazon of the Seas,” the Coral Triangle is the world’s most biologically diverse marine ecosystem. Sink below the surface and you’ll encounter the sound of a vibrant symphony of snapping shrimp, crunching crustaceans, and feeding fish.
But then the rhythmic music of life will dissolve into eerie silence, punctured only by the plosive boom of detonating bombs.
Off the coast of Indonesia’s Spermonde Archipelago, underwater microphones captured over 3,500 explosions in just 3,600 hours of recording, according to researchers from the Zoological Society of London.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in