Stop Fish Bombing Timeline
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2003
Research suggests that through the use of hydrophones that a detection system capable of distinguishing underwater explosions from background noise, and locating their origin by triangulation. Read the original paper.
2004
Research demonstrates that a triangular array of hydrophones 1 m apart is capable of detecting blast events whilst effectively rejecting other sources of underwater noise such as snapping shrimp and nearby boat propellers. A total of 13 blasts were recorded in Sepangor Bay, North of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Read the original paper.
2015
Stop Fish Bombing was founded - a Partnership between Scubazoo, ShotSpotter (now SoundThinking™), and Teng Hoi.
2015
Proof of Concept Demonstrations in Kota Kinabalu and Semporna, Malaysian Borneo protected Marine Parks.
2017
Proof of Concept Demonstrations in Kota Kinabalu and Semporna, Malaysian Borneo protected Marine Parks.
2018
Published research demonstrating real-time fish blast location in Sabah, Malaysia using a networked hydroacoustic array based on the SoundThinking™ gunshot location system. Read the original paper.
February 23, 2019
Stop Fish Bombing USA officially accepted by the Earth Island Institute Board as EII Project. Earth Island Institute provides 501(c)(3) Not For Profit status (Tax ID: 94-2889684) .
June 2019
Gary Lauder, an American venture capitalist with Lauder Partners (the first investor in SoundThinking™), donation to Stop Fish Bombing USA received by Earth Island Institute.
ShotSpotter (SoundThinking™) Labs established to support Gary Lauder’s donation conservation efforts.
SFB Malaysia established in partnership with Danish Hydrology Institute - Malaysia.
Semporna Island Project joins SFB efforts to conduct site surveys of Marine Parks in Kota Kinabalu and Semporna waters for sensor placement and community engagement efforts.
Operational Development Project commences.
October 2019
SFB Board meets and develops Strategic Plan and Cost Model to expand SFB process to the Philippines and Indonesia.
December 17, 2019
SoundThinking™ “Go Live” day - provides Fish Blasting detection alerts from the Incidence Response Center Alerts to SFB Malaysia.
January 2020
Gary Lauder, the donor, and his daughter, Eliana, in Kota Kinabalu.
Eliana facilitates design sprint and meets Bajau Laut in Semporna.
February 2020
Sabah Parks provides official endorsement of SFB Malaysia efforts to stop fish blasting. Click here for details.
On the 12th, SFB Malaysia team meets with Sabah Parks officials to explain the project approach and provide the SST Respond App. Click here for details.
Eliana to Kudat for Bajau Laut familiarization and facilitates technology sprint in Kota Kinabalu with SFB Malaysia, DHI Malaysia, and Semporna Island Project providing direction for future SFB development.
First apprehension of Fish Bombers by Marine Police in response to SFB alert.
March 2020
Sabah Parks acknowledges sensors assist in data collection to learn Fish Bomber patterns of activity that enable targeted enforcement action and requests a proposal to continue sensor deployment after phase 1 is complete.
March 18, 2020
Stop Fish Bombing International, SFB USA, and SFB Malaysia agree to temporarily delay upcoming plans amid the COVID-19 Pandemic. Read more.
April 10, 2020
The arrays in Sabah are still operating and are fully capable of detecting and reporting bombs autonomously. Read more.
October 11, 2020
SFB Joins Coalition To Study The Effects Of Seal Bombing On Whale Behavior In The Monterey Bay. Read more.
December 2020
SFB International activities are handed over to SFB Malaysia and the board is officially dissolved. SFB and SFB MY continue as the primary stakeholders. Details.
SFB and SFB MY participate in Fish Bomb Free Sabah online event as part of BluHope.org’s BigBluDay 2021. Watch the webinar here.
January 13, 2021
Malaysian Government has imposed Movement Control Order 2.0 in Sabah.
February 13, 2021
Stop Fish Bombing USA End Of Year 2020 Summary And 2021 Objectives. Read the full statement.
June 1, 2021
Malaysian Government announces nationwide lockdown through June 15th due to rise in COVID-19 cases. Lockdown later extended through July 1st.
June 10, 2021
As part of World Ocean Day and Week 2021, Asia Dive Expo hosted a webinar with the topic of the Coral Triangle as the centerpiece - Terence Lim of SFB MY was asked to join as a speaker. Click here to watch.
May 2022
European Union (EU) Ambassador meets with Stop Fish Bombing Malaysia. Click here for details.
September 2022
Stop Fish Bombing teams with WWF Malaysia for Coral Restoration. Click here for details.
2021/22 IRPS for Accomplishments - Integrated Reef Protection System is Operational
The harmful practice of fish bombing devastates our reefs, kills marine life, turns habitat to rubble, and continues without a solution - until now. Our video frames the problem and the solution: The Integrated Reef Protection System (IRPS) has decreased fish bombing in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) by 60 - 70%. An underwater acoustic array monitors fish bombing and reports the locations of these blasts immediately to marine law enforcement.
Hydrophones measure the time of arrival of the fish blast explosions at three areas in Sabah Malaysian Borneo near urban and remote MPAs. Additionally, a marine radar on an island hilltop observes small boat traffic and can correlate the underwater blasts with specific vessels. The radar tracks and blast locations are displayed within minutes on smartphone apps, alerting law enforcement and augmenting their response.
Our most recent array was deployed in Mabul - a fish bombing hotspot - partially funded by WWF Malaysia for coral restoration efforts at recently bombed sites.The array was deployed June 22. In the first 20 days of operation, 138 blasts were detected, and enforcement officials notified who apprehended three boats filled with bombed fish. The technology works very well. Our fixed arrays successfully reduced fish bombing in the areas monitored, but to eradicate fish bombing we need mobile sensors, more nimble to fill in shadow zones and follow bombers as they migrate.
October 2022
Stop Fish Bombing accepted into the Global Fisheries Transparency Coalition. Click here for details.
FUTURE PLANS:
Future Plans Integrated Reef Protection System 2:
Development of the next generation system with smaller sensor, more easily relocatable, deployable on boats/buoys and full integration of the marine radar and drone has started. Initial Field Tests are planned for the end of this year or early next year. The end goal is a scalable, relocatable system to allow expansion to other countries in the Coral Triangle with fish bombing problems. Here are the three IRPS 2 Projects:
Project 1 - New Sensor: size reduction + performance improvements. The new sensor uses an off-the-shelf CPU, based on the new SoundThinking™ sensor, that brings much needed modularity.
Project 2 - Boat-Mounted Sensor and Buoys: Develop a boat-mounted sensor that can be deployed simply, like a fish finder, on marine enforcement, fishing, and diving.boats.A buoy, with solar power and satellite communications, can greatly assist by providing effective array geometry that would otherwise be impossible.
Project 3 - Radar with Drone: The radar is extremely important, as it allows better tracking of bombers and IUU fishing. The feeding of bomb alerts from the fish bombing arrays to the radar is a first, and will become a developed methodology for working with law enforcement. A drone targeting the location of a blast alert can provide photos of the reported location. These photos can serve as both a basis for ground truth, and as additional evidence to be used in a court of law.