Protected areas not exempt as blast fishing blows up in Sri Lanka 
By Malaka Rodrigo LK Source: mongabay 7/12/2022
Malaka Rodrigo
Credit: Dharshana Jayawardena
Blast fishing is widely practiced in the seas around Sri Lanka, with even marine parks and historical shipwrecks not immune to this illegal practice.
Authorities say blast fishers work as part of a network to evade capture and obtain explosives, including by smuggling them in by sea from India.
The easy availability of explosives transcends conservation issues and raises serious national security concerns, experts say, pointing to the use of explosives in a coordinated terrorist attack on churches during Easter of 2019.
Blast fishing also poses a threat to recreational divers, with a serious injury or even death spelling the end for Sri Lanka’s dive tourism industry that’s already reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing economic crisis.
 

It was a perfect morning in Pigeon Island National Park in eastern Sri Lanka, where a group of tourists in a boat was taking in the rich marine life in the water around them. All of a sudden, there was a loud blast close by. As silence settled once again, they saw the fish that had been flitting nimbly about now either floating dead on the surface or struggling to swim. Through the clear water, they could see more dead fish in the seabed.

 
Continue...

News Id SourceStampcountry
5476Swing-jig walleyeoodmag2019-03-14CA
5477National Lifejacket Day – Is It Time for Change?Fish'n Canada2019-05-16CA
54787 Reasons Why Size Matters for Halibutnoaa2019-03-14CA
5479Ancient fish ponds in the Bolivian savanna supported human settlementPLOS2019-05-15BR
5480Walleye, sauger in danger of disappearing from Lake Winnipeg, says Manitoba Wildlife Federationglobalnews2018-10-29CA
5481Fishing changes coming to Lake Winnipeg to help restore fish populationglobalnews2019-05-07CA
5482The mysterious case of the Kamloops Lake monsterCBC News2019-05-13CA
5483'Like a bad dream': Parks Canada fights back against invasive species in KejiCBC News 2019-05-13CA
5484Paddlefish Snagging Harvest Season to Close May 11outdoornewsdaily2019-05-09US
5485Kenora based angler Jeff Gustafson joins BassmasterCBC News2019-02-02US
5486Ontario Extending its Partnership with Nipissing First Nation to Support Walleye RecoveryOntario's official news source2019-03-12CA
5487Redfish rebound in Gulf of St. Lawrence show no signs of slowdownCBC News2019-05-12CA
5488Lunar Activity Increases Fish CaughtCanadian Angling.com 2019-05-10CA
5489Slab crappie could be a new state recordoutdoornews2019-05-09US
5490Fishing husband, wife cited for being over the limit – to the tune of 250-plus crappiesoutdoornews2018-08-01US
5491Smallmouth bass sets new state recordoutdoornews2019-05-09US
5492Three locked-up bucks found dead in Ohiooutdoornews2010-12-14US
5493New 5-Year Report Shows 101.6 Million Americans Participated in Hunting, Fishing & Wildlife ActivitiesInterior_Press2019-05-09US
5494U.S. angler pays Ontario $400 fine for keeping 52lb lake troutCBC News2019-04-02CA
5495Sweeping reforms to West Coast fisheries recommendedvancouver news2019-05-09CA
5496Huge ‘Prehistoric’ Alligator Gar Caught in Oklahoma’s Lake TexomaNewsWeek2019-04-23US
5497Pimp my shack: Luxury ice fishing a growing trend in AlbertaCBC News2019-02-16CA
5498Alberta Cree man successfully challenges illegal fishing ticketCBC News2018-10-03CA
5499Fish fall from sky with rain in northern MexicoAssociated Press2019-05-06MX
5500B.C. salmon fishing guides fear for livelihoods amid fishery closurevancouver sun2019-05-04CA

218 219 220 219 of [221 - pages.]