Kofiau Island, 50 miles from mainland Papua in Raja Ampat, Indonesia... a strange place to hear a sonic boom, I thought. But it is Indonesia, and that noise means only one thing – bomb fishing.  Bomb fishing developed after World War II when local people found a great use for unexploded ordnance: pack it in a coconut, add a fuse, throw it in the water and presto! Lots of dead fish...and turtles...and coral...and everything else in the vicinity. At one point in Komodo there were up to 50 blasts a day. 

This practice, now using ammonium phosphate fertilizer (as was used in the Oklahoma City bombing) is still the preferred fishing method in much of Indonesia – illegal, but generally un-enforced. The damage it causes is amazing. All the corals die, taking years to recover. In this part of Indonesia, the corals are highly resilient, so they do come back. In other places, "weeds" such as crown of thorns starfish return. With SCUBA gear, the impacts are very visible, dramatic and sad.

We were exploring a beautiful lagoon on the island of Wayag in the Raja Ampat Regency with TNC's Raja Ampat community outreach team when we heard the blast. Up the lagoon, we found a boat beached and men scurrying around as we approached. Two kept watch while the third hurried below and came up with a "coconut.”  It was surely a bomb that they could use on us if confronted. They would be gone on the next tide, and no one would ever find us. Before testing their resolve, we turned and left. Unfortunately, this scene is not uncommon in Indonesia.

To combat this threat and others, the Conservancy is working with traditional owners to create Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) within the Coral Triangle. MPAs are designed to allow the traditional communities to control their fish stocks in a responsible manner. Some areas are set aside as "no-take zones," and the balance of the MPA – about 70 percent – is available for traditional fishing, recreational diving, recreational fishing, aquaculture (pearl farming) and other non-destructive, compatible uses. 

The area where the bombers were hiding is within a newly-designated MPA, and afloating patrol station soon will be in place. Bombers will be reported by the traditional owners, and the rules of the MPA will be enforced by legal action.

Until then, beware of any fishermen offering coconuts!