Blast fishing destroying Tanzania's marine habitats (BBC)
By Gladys Njoroge
BBC Africa, Tanzania
The rich marine life off Tanzania's coast is coming under threat because of blast fishing - a technique using explosives that some fishermen use to maximise their catch.
''Blast fishing destroys the fish habitats under water where fish reproduce and that has had a big impact, especially on us who use ring nets to fish," a 32-year-old fisherman says.
"The number of fish has drastically reduced we are not able to catch many fish like before," he said as prepared his wooden boat to go fishing in the calm and beautiful waters of the Indian Ocean.
Small fishing vessels like his dot the coastline that hugs Tanzania for thousands of kilometres.
He and his colleagues have informed the police in the past about those who use the crude fishing method, but it did not stem the practice.
"When they are arrested they bribe and come back, and if they find out that you reported them they mark you and threaten to hurl explosives on your boat, so sometimes we are scared to report them," he said.
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more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29049264
It's like organized crime has taken up fishing ...