Blast fishing (known variously as dynamite and bomb fishing) has caused long-term damage to reefs and coastal livelihoods for decades. Blasting reefs with explosives provides fish for commercial and consumption purposes across the globe, but the practice has also led to large-scale destruction of coral reefs in much of Southeast Asia, Tanzania, the Red Sea, and other areas in Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. Despite its destructive nature and widespread dispersion, there have been few reviews that offer insight to assist in analysing and managing this broad-scale threat. We address this gap with a comprehensive global analysis of the blast fishing literature to explore the distribution of blast fishing, primary drivers, ecological and economic implications and solutions. Our review analysed 212 papers from seven databases. Blasting is widespread, misreported, and ongoing. Lack of effective enforcement and governance drives blasting; socioeconomic causes may contribute but are not dominant. A combination of deterrence measures and co-managed marine protected areas (MPAs) emerges as the most effective solution to blasting. Our review provides a basis upon which further analysis can build in order to better understand blast fishing and thereby improve conservation outcomes for coral reef ecosystems, as well as the outlook for fishing communities.

Blast fishing has caused long-term damage to reefs and coastal livelihoods in Tanzania and across the globe for decades. In 2015, a Tanzanian government campaign against blasting was initiated; a subsequent reduction was observed. The aim of my study was to: (1) assess the current global status of blast fishing, (2) analyse causal factors underlying involvement in blast fishing and cessation of the activity in Tanzania; and (3) assess how Tanzania’s coastline communities and their fish stocks have been affected by the reduction of blast fishing. Primary data on economic indicators, marine resource management and fishery characteristics were collected in 2019 from 101 households and 234 fishers in 9 coastal districts in Tanzania. Data were collected using household and fisher surveys, which are stored in .pdf format. The data and metadata are stored in .xlsx format, alternative open access formats can be provided on request. The r code used to conduct the analysis is stored in .r format.

Blast fishing (known variously as dynamite and bomb fishing) has caused long-term damage to reefs and coastal livelihoods in Tanzania and across the globe for decades. Blasting reefs with explosives has provided fish for commercial and consumption purposes, but the practice has also led to large-scale destruction of coral reef ecosystems by reducing the populations of coral colonies and reef species. In 2015 and 2016, a Tanzanian government campaign against blasting was initiated along the entire coastline. Subsequently, a significant and near uniform reduction in blasting was observed. The aim of my study was to: (1) assess the current global status of blast fishing, and to elucidate broad causes, implications and solutions to the problem; (2) analyse causal factors underlying involvement in blast fishing and reduction of the activity in Tanzania; and (3) assess how Tanzania’s coastline communities and their fish stocks have been affected by the reduction of blast fishing. My literature review analysed 212 papers from seven databases and found that ineffective enforcement and governance structures drive blasting; socioeconomic causes may contribute but are not dominant. A combination of deterrence measures and co-managed marine protected areas (MPAs) emerged as the most effective solution to blasting. I surveyed 98 households and 19 fisher focus groups with 243 fishers in four Tanzanian regions with historically high levels of blast fishing. Survey sites were purposively chosen based on previous records of blasting activity, including controls with low blasting histories; respondents were systematically selected. My primary data show that the profitability of blasting is its primary cause. The government campaign against blasting is regarded by the majority of respondents as the primary cause of the reduction. Fish catches are widely reported as having increased following the campaign. These data support the literature review as well as previous studies conducted in the region. Further research incorporating geographic and market factors will deepen understanding of destructive fishing in developing coastal fisheries.