Fish bombing or famously know blast fishing, is a form of destructive fishing that is illegal in most countries, including Malaysia. It involves the use of explosives, usually homemade, that are mixed in a bottle. When the charge explodes, it causes shock waves which kill or stun fish. The fish then float to the surface or sink to the bottom. This enables the blast fishers to collect some of them.

In Malaysia, blast fishing is still illegally practiced, especially in Sabah and to monitor this closely marine police is continuing a close watch on fish bombing activities in Sabah’s east coast waters. Due to this close investigation it led to the arrest of two local sea gypsies who were carrying out blast fishing activities in the waters off Semporna on October 8^th.

Sabah Marine Police commander Asst Comm Mohd Pajeri Ali said the two suspects were from Kg Halo in Semporna were caught with some 40kg of bombed fish when marine police intercepted them in waters off Semporna.

He said the marine intelligence unit had been gathering information as they got some information from the sources regarding the activities of the suspects for a few days before its patrol unit moved in to intercept the suspects on a pump boat during operation “Op Pensura”.

On Wednesday, Oct 9^th he said that the suspects were being investigated under the Fisheries Act for using banned fishing methods and can be fined up to RM20,000 and two years jail if convicted.

The Security forces have stepped up these operations statewide after the incident of July 5 where a local dive instructor Ab Zainal Abdu, 30, and China nationals Zhao Zhong and Xu Yingjie, both 26, were killed while taking diving lessons at a site off Pulau Kalapuan in Semporna waters.