Dynamite Fishermen Destroying Reefs in Indonesia
By Rocky Thompson on February 1st, 2013
For the past several weeks illegal commercial fishermen in the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia have been fishing with dynamite. They throw the explosives overboard and then pick up the dead fish to sell on the mainland 100 miles away. These are not subsistence villagers, they are people from outside the local communities looking to make a profit. The problem has become well known because the area is a major surf destination, and though there have been loads of complaints there’s been no government action to stop the fishermen. The problem is particularly vexing because they’re blowing up reefs that are already threatened.
While this might seem to be one of those things that would “take care of itself” when a fisherman blows up his own skiff, that has yet to happen. A petition at Change.org has been created. Time to get our ambassador to Indonesia on the case.
Tags: environment, Surf