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.