Southeast Asia’s seas have long been relied upon as a life source; According to The Asia Foundation and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, over half the world’s population relies on fish for a significant portion of their diet. Over 12% of the world’s population relies on fisheries as their form of livelihood.

As a practice, fishing is not inherently bad for the ocean. However, when populations of species are caught faster than they can reproduce, this is called overfishing. In recent years, IUU (Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated) fishing has taken hold of the Southeast Asia seas, corroding the food supply and aquatic environment. IUU fishing is creating tension between supply and demand; New investments are needed to implement sustainable practices and mindful management in order to ethically profit off Southeast Asia’s fish.

Below, we’ve outlined the most common methods of IUU fishing in the Southeast Asia seas. While these methods are illegal in most Southeast Asian countries, the practices are still widely used where enforcement is limited. Despite their pervasive use, these practices are responsible for the destruction of countless sea creatures as well as more than half of Southeast Asia’s coral reefs.

Poison Fishing

Poison fishing is a toxic method of live reef fishing. Using cyanide, divers seek out coral reefs and spray the harmful toxin, stunning fish and killing the coral reefs in the process. Through this method, the fish captured are not only for consumption, but exotic fish found in coral reefs are caught for aquariums as well.

Blast Fishing

Blast fishing, which uses dynamite or grenades, indiscriminately kills fish in an immediate vicinity. Like poison fishing, this highly destructive method often targets coral reefs, obliterating the fragile habitats in the process. It’s also extremely dangerous: fishermen often die due to prematurely exploding devices.

Bottom Trawling

Entire ecosystems can be irreparably destroyed by bottom trawling. Using weighted “rockhopper” trawl nets that are dragged by boat over an ocean floor, this method of IUU fishing causes extensive habitat loss that is near impossible to repair. Sea creatures that would typically not be sought out by fishermen are caught and killed unnecessarily in the process.

Ghost Fishing

Ghost fishing refers to lost, discarded, or abandoned fishing gear continuing to catch and kill sea life despite not being in use by any fisheries. Gear from ghost fishing ensnares anything in its path.