What is cyanide fishing?

“Cyanide fishing” is one of the most destructive techniques used for catching live fish. In this practice—which is illegal in many countries—fishers squirt concentrated sodium cyanide onto reefs to stun fish and scoop them up for the aquarium trade or the live food fish market.

Is cyanide fishing banned?

Yes, it IS illegal to catch fish with cyanide. The Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia have all banned cyanide fishing, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, yet it still happens on a large scale.

What is the cause of cyanide fishing?

Finally, cyanide fishing is a common practice where cyanide is used to stun fish and make them easier to capture. It can also kill fish which cannot tolerate higher doses used to stun larger fish. About 70% of fish caught for aquariums are captured using sodium cyanide.

Is cyanide used to catch fish?

Catching live fish using cyanide is easy. Crush a couple of sodium cyanide tablets into a squeegee bottle of water, dive around a coral reef, find a fish you fancy, and squirt the toxic liquid into its face. The mixture stuns the fish without killing it, making it easy to catch in a net, or even by hand.

Who uses cyanide fishing?

Cyanide fishing is thought to have originated in the Philippines in the 1950s, but in the 20th century, it was also adopted by fishermen from Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Maldives, and beyond. Cyanide fishing was firstly used by aquarium fish collectors but was later adopted in order to catch fish for food.

When did cyanide fishing start?

The use of cyanide to stun and capture live coral reef fish began in the 1960s in the Philippines to supply the growing market for aquarium fish in Europe and North America, a market now worth more than $200 million a year.

When did cyanide fishing begin?

1960s
The use of cyanide to stun and capture live coral reef fish began in the 1960s in the Philippines to supply the growing market for aquarium fish in Europe and North America, a market now worth more than $200 million a year.

Which types of fishing are the most damaging?

Bottom Trawling Bottom Trawling is one of the most damaging methods of fishing. It is an industrial technique that uses huge nets weighed down with weighty ballast that gets dragged down the sea bed, collecting and squashing everything that is on the way, from fish to aquatic plants.

What type of fishing is illegal?

Examples of illegal fishing include doing so without a license, taking fish that are too small, taking fish from another country’s jurisdiction, fishing in areas closed to fishing such as seasonal spawning sites, using illegal gear, or taking more fish than is legally permitted.

What is illegal fishing called?

“IUU” stands for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. IUU fishing includes all fishing that breaks fisheries laws or occurs outside the reach of fisheries laws and regulations.

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