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Bomb fishing damages Indonesia reefs
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Researchers found over 8,000 underwater bomb blasts yearly off Sulawesi, Indonesia, damaging reefs.
The practice threatens the world's most biodiverse marine ecosystem, the Coral Triangle.
Background
Bomb fishing, or blast fishing, uses improvised explosives to stun or kill fish, which are then easily caught. Although illegal, it is documented in at least 34 countries and is particularly associated with tropical coral reefs. The new study focused on the Spermonde Archipelago in Southwest Sulawesi, Indonesia, a suspected hotspot within the Coral Triangle, the most biodiverse marine realm on Earth.
How it unfolded
- Aug 19, 2026A study published in Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation reveals that bomb fishing occurs almost hourly in the Spermonde Archipelago, with an estimated 8,446 incidents per year damaging up to 17 hectares of reef.
- Aug 22, 2026Technology Org reports that researchers used an AI-powered underwater listening system to detect the blasts, highlighting the scale of the practice and providing evidence for conservation.
- Aug 25, 2026Yale E360 covers the study, quoting lead author Ben Williams that a single bomb can destroy 200 square feet of reef, and noting that the Spermonde Archipelago has lost 76.26% of its live coral cover over 30 years.
Who’s saying what
- Researchers
- Ben Williams, lead author, says bomb fishing is 'quite likely the leading cause of reef loss in this area' and that the new results provide 'strong evidence' but are 'not the smoking gun'.
- Conservationists
- The study is described as providing 'vital evidence to support conservation efforts' against one of the world's most destructive fishing practices.