In coastal communities across Indonesia, local fishers are pushing back against destructive and illegal fishing methods by organizing into volunteer patrol groups known as Pokmaswas.

The Air and Water Police Unit (Satpolairud) of West Manggarai called on coastal residents of Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), to not use illegal explosives, fish bombs, and fishing gear while at sea.

Indonesia and Australia agreed on an alternative livelihood development program, cooperation in supervision and law enforcement, as well as a Public Information Campaign (PIC) to address fishing violations by Indonesian fishermen in the Australian waters.

Decades of blast fishing have destroyed much of the coral reefs off Indonesia’s Lora village, reducing fish catches. A community organization is seeking to have the region zoned as a conservation area.

In central Indonesia’s Spermonde archipelago, a coral reef destroyed by blast fishing — where sticks of dynamite are thrown into the reef to kill fish — has been recovering, but scientists weren’t sure if its ecosystem would return as well. That is, until they heard the endearingly unusual sounds of marine life.

Securing a vast area like the ocean requires cutting-edge technology to monitor illegal activities and safeguard aquatic species. What are the latest innovations being deployed to conserve protected areas of the ocean?

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) here has detained three individuals for suspected illegal fish bombing last night.

LAHAD DATU: Two fishermen were detained for alleged involvement in fish bombing activities off Pantai Sungai Merah here.

Dynamite fishing practices allegedly perpetrated by fishermen from West Nusa Tenggara threaten to cause serious damage to coral reef in the Sawu Sea National Park in Flores, East Nusa Teng.

Depending upon the institutional framework, coral reef ecosystems and local economic development can be synergistic. When managed properly through local institutions, coral reef systems can deliver ecosystem services that create livelihoods and increase local prosperity in dependent communities. 

Coral recruitment was assessed in highly diverse and economically important Spermonde Archipelago, a reef system subjected to land-based sources of siltation/pollution and destructive fishing, over a period of 2 years. 

This paper presents initial results from a study of factors that inhibit or enhance hard coral recovery in rubble fields created by blast fishing in Komodo National Park and Bunaken National Park, Indonesia.