In Search of Blast Fishing in Indonesia
All photos by the author
Air Bangis is a small fishing village located in the north of West Sumatra, Indonesia. My plan, while visiting the area, was to interview a few locals about their views on blast fishing, an illegal practice which uses an explosive (often dynamite) to catch fish. When my friend Redha and I first arrived in the village he set about to find people willing to be interviewed while I packed my camera gear. Within a few minutes he came back bursting with excitement. “I met a guy who will take us on a 4-day boat trip; they’re 100% sure we can find bomb fishers out there,” he told me.
With no time to think things over, I parked my car, hoped for the best, and boarded the little wooden boat.