This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Illegal bomb fishing is causing extensive damage to some of the world's most biodiverse coral reefs, according to a new pilot study involving Lancaster Environment Centre coral reef researcher Dr. Using an AI-powered underwater listening system, the team found that bombs are being detonated in a global marine biodiversity hotspot at a rate of almost one per hour, revealing the true scale of one of the world's most destructive fishing practices and providing vital evidence to support conservation efforts.
Bomb fishing is recognized as one of the most destructive fishing practices in our oceans. The practice involves using improvised explosives to stun or kill large numbers of fish for harvest. This efficiency comes at a significant ecological cost, with explosions causing widespread destruction.
Bomb fishing is particularly prevalent on highly threatened tropical coral reefs, where concentrated fish stocks are often found in shallow waters. Globally, 90% of coral reefs are set to be lost due to climate change by 2050 under 1.5°C warming scenarios, and bomb fishing represents an acute additional stressor. Despite being universally outlawed, bomb fishing has been documented in at least 34 countries.
Each blast can indiscriminately kill fish tens of meters away while simultaneously causing physical destruction to the coral reef framework. Repeated blasts can leave entire reefs degraded into rubble fields that are unable to recover without costly interventions. These ecological impacts also have significant socioeconomic consequences for communities that depend on coral reefs.
Declining fish populations can reduce food security and income, while reef degradation can also weaken natural coastal protection and reduce the appeal of reefs for tourism. A range of factors can incentivize bomb fishing, including poverty and a lack of alternative livelihoods. Weak enforcement can also allow illegal supply chains for explosive components—as well as the practice itself—to continue.
However, the true extent of bomb fishing across impacted regions remains unknown, making it difficult to identify the hotspots and patterns of activity needed to inform effective management. In their paper, 'Widespread bomb fishing in Indo-Pacific Archipelago revealed through machine learning accelerated passive acoustic monitoring', published in Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, a team of researchers from universities in Indonesia and the UK, including Lamont, set out to determine the intensity of bomb fishing, estimate the maximum extent of reef degradation caused by the practice, and document patterns of activity over an extended period. The team focused on the Spermonde Archipelago in Southwest Sulawesi, Indonesia—a suspected hotspot for bomb fishing.
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