The necessity of curbing the deprediations by unscrupulous fishermen upon the fishery resources of our country through the illegal use of explosives in obtaining fish for the markets is a primary objective of the Bureau of Fisheries in its policy of developing and conserving the aquatic resources. Up to a few months ago, the apprehension of fishermen fishing with ex-plosives has been a “catch-as-catch-can” proposition, but recently the Bureau of Fisheries has been prosecuting fishermen for illegal fishing on the basis of laboratory examination reports on fish collected from the fishing boats as they arrive at the various fish landings. To gain the cooperation of other law enforcing agencies in this important activity by strengthening their arguing points in the courts, the Bureau of Fisheries has prepared this guide to the determination of fish caught with the aid of explosives.
Fishes are caught with explosives through the detonation of a tin can filled with explosive powder which is usually obtained from unexploded bombs, artillery shells, torpedoes, or other sources. The can is fitted with a blasting cap ignited by a short fuse timed to explode some seconds after it is lighted with a match. The fish stunned or killed by the resulting concussion may then be taken by simply diving and gathering them in baskets. Fishes inhabiting shallow coral reefs and banks such as caesios, sea basses, snappers and surgeon fishes are the usual catch, but even pelagic species are attacked in open waters with great wastage of the fish that sink to the bottom beyond diving range.
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