News

Shocking new photos confirm rumors that illegal fisherman using cyanide and explosives are destroying corals in the marine preserve.

The photos, which you can see here, show the before and after of some of Komodo’s once thriving reefs. According to local reports, fishermen are using “bombs” made from beer bottles, kerosene, and fertilizer to drop onto coral reefs. Others dive down with a tube of cyanide, spraying it on the reef to stun fish, killing corals. 

“The biggest problem is that fishermen seem to be free to come into Komodo, completely ignoring the zoning and resource use regulations,” said Jos Pet, a fisheries scientist who has worked with numerous marine conservation groups in the area in recent years. 

“(The fisherman) are quite simply fishing empty this World Heritage Site,” he said. 

Stay tuned to Divephotoguide.com this week, as we will feature a detailed, special photo blog on the fishing situation in Komodo.