News

Illicit fisherman in Bali are using explosives to catch their fill off of Menjangan Island, according to reports from locals.

Menjangan is one of the most pristine areas of diving in Bali and has become a hot spot for underwater photographers. But local fishermen claim that authorities have turned a blind eye towards “bomb fishing” which is rapidly destroying the underwater environment.

“We suspect that several officers from the West Bali National Park have turned a blind eye toward the practice and have received bribes from the perpetrators,” an anonymous local fishermen told the Jakarta Post. “So far, not a single individual has been arrested for bomb fishing.”

Years of intervention from NGO’s and locals eliminated the majority of illegal fishing practices in Bali, but these new destructive practices threatens Bali’s tourism and underwater environment.