‘Help stop destructive fish bombing’

KOTA KINABALU: Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) assisting anti-fish bombing efforts in Sabah need continuous funding and participation from local communities to abolish the practice.

Terence Lim, executive director of Stop Fish Bombing Malaysia, said as efforts were being made to stop such activities, focus should also be on helping affected communities find alternative sustainable incomes.

He explained that over the past few years, they had been partnering with local authorities and NGOs from other parts of the world to help stop the destructive activity.

They have introduced and tested technologies known as shock and blast spotters that help enforcement officials get notified of explosives in the sea and immediately pinpoint the location.

“We need more funding to expand its application, as Sabah’s coast is over 2,000km long, ” Lim said during a Blu Hope of Commonwealth Day webinar on marine life and other environmental issues yesterday.

The webinar organised by NGO Blu Hope Sabah and others will be held over 10 consecutive live sessions. It started yesterday.

The webinar featured topics on Fish bomb-free-Sabah, WWF Malaysia Shark Showcase, the introduction of Blu Hope, Commonwealth Observance Day, and the launches of Water is Life – Sabah Schools, ReWild Carbon/Plastic App, and Sabah Plastic Neutral.

Lim said that coastal villages depend on the sea for a living, and many from those communities have turned to fish bombing for an easy catch.

“We must help them as they are part of the solution, and they are affected by how this project progresses, directly or indirectly, ” he said.

Blu Hope co-founder in Sabah, Monica Chin said communities could be introduced to alternative industries such as seaweed cultivation, coral restoration and cultivation as well as eco-farming.

Blu Hope founder Simon Christopher Simon said millions of people wake up every day not knowing how their food ends up on their table; hence the importance of raising awareness on what is happening behind the scenes and to engage all communities to put a stop to fish bombing.

Clark Dunson of Stop Fish Bombing USA explained that apart from individuals involved in fish bombing for the sole purpose of making ends meet, there were also criminal gangs and industrial players involved.

Gangs terrorise villages and can use up to 100 bombs a day whereas, in industrial fish bombing, an estimated 1,000 explosives are activated per day.

The damage is extensive, with wasted fish, collateral damage, dead reefs – which means no marine life in the area that is destroyed – and potential human injury.

“Some people do not believe this is happening and say that this is an old phenomenon, but no, this is actually taking place at an exponential rate, ” Dunson said.

Captain Dieter Rudolph, director of Earth Island Institute, suggested that more NGOs work together with the authorities for funding, research and execution purposes.