ABDUL Rakim, 57, sits on the porch of his home, fixing his fishing net in Kg Tanjung Aru Baru, a water village in the Tanjung Aru sub-district famous for its beautiful sunsets by the beach.

His fishing net was torn when debris got tangled after fishing on his sampan two nights ago near Gaya Island, he said.

“Nets are much safer, although the catch is not as much. I can pull in triple the weight using fish bombs,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

In the 1980s, Rakim had lost three fingers on his right hand when blast fishing using fertilizer bombs with friends in Lahad Datu.

“I was young; just got married then. Just arrived in Sabah from the southern Philippines. I was desperate to put food on the table,” said the IMM13 refugee card holder.

Rakim said pointed to greed being behind his decision to take the risk of adopting the destructive fishing method, after learning to construct the bomb using fertilizer back home in the Muslim-dominated south.

He said usually, fish-bombing activities are carried out by a lone bomber and his crew mate, but once the bombs are detonated, the catch is usually shared with those who helped to pick up the fish.

“Once the bombs explode, fish will start to float, along with foam on the surface of the water. Everyone begins to scoop up the dead fish.

“Some go diving with the aid of a breathing apparatus, comprising a long plastic hose inserted in the mouth and a homemade swim fin, going as deep as 15m underwater to pick up dead or stunned fish,” he said of the practice he gave up many years ago.

Rakim said the risk to his life and birth of his third daughter led him to put an end to the dangerous fishing activity. 

“It wasn’t until my third child here that I started thinking about who would take care of my family if I died from a fish bomb.

“The money is good but the risks are high. I have seen my friends with their limbs blown to shreds, as the bombs explode instantly when lit,” he said.

He added that hospital visits are rarely an option for migrants, as it runs the risk of being detained by the Immigration officers or running into corrupt cops seeking kickbacks.

“I feared what would happen to my family if I ever got detained and deported. This is why when accidents happen, we try to treat the injuries on our own,” Rakim said, adding he had seen some of his friends die in this manner.

Rakim said in the 1990s, he moved to Gaya Island and settled in Tanjung Aru Lama to get away from his circle of friends who practiced fish bombing. 

“My wife pleaded for me to stop many times. She said it was okay if I couldn’t bring home a big catch, so long as there was enough food on the table.” 

However, he admitted putting a stop to fish bombing would be no easy task, as many will take it up for as long as demand for fish continues to rise.

The death of three divers, including two Chinese nationals, due to fish bomb blasts on July 5 has thrust the fatal activity back into the the spotlight again.

While Sabah police had described it as an isolated case, WWF-Malaysia said an average of 65 fish bombings a month had been recorded, based on a four-month study last year.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Salahuddin Ayub had denied fish bombing was becoming more rampant, calling the July 5 incident a one-off.

State officials and environmentalists, however, believe fish bombings are a frequent occurence, and that fish catches in the area will collapse due to the destruction of coral reefs that serve as a habitat for marine life if such activities are not controlled or ended entirely.

If left unchecked, the state’s booming tourism industry and hundreds of thousands of Sabahans who rely on the fishing industry will be negatively impacted. – July 14, 2019.