The Star 18 Apr 12;
KOTA KINABALU: Fisheries and marine police officers have stepped up checks to ensure the catch collected through fish bombing does not end up in Sabah’s northern Kudat district’s markets.
This follows complaints of marine life being caught by such a method and sold to the public, Kudat Marine Operations Force commanding officer Asst Supt Mohammad Aris Jambul said.
He said enforcement officers inspected wet markets and fish landing sites in the district, known for its abundant and cheap seafood, but did not find such fish.
“But this does not mean we will be lax in our enforcement. Such checks will be done from time to time,” he said.
Fish bombing, also known as blast or dynamite fishing, is an outlawed practice of using explosives to stun or kill schools of fish for easy collection.
This method endangers the surrounding ecosystem, as the explosion also destroys the underlying habitat such as coral reefs. The explosives also pose a danger to the fishermen, who risk accidents or injuries.
ASP Mohammad Aris said three men were detained in Kudat last year for fish bombing.
“We seized about 60kg of bombed fish from them,” he said.
