Submarine Mafia

Feb 23, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka's coastal fisheries and coral reefs are being destroyed by a rapid rise in dynamite blasted 'fishing', with the lucrative practice now exploding into an organized crime involving big money, officials said. . Dyanamite fishing is a destructive way of killing fish by setting off explosives underwater so that the resulting shock waves kill fish in a vast surrounding area.

Dynamite Mafia

Though first started by some fishermen in isolated areas a few decades ago, the practice is now being bank-rolled by a rapidly growing mafia from outside the traditional fisher community.

Traditional fishermen and officials say the 'dynamite mafia' has now perfected a system which they put into practice with assembly line precision.

Underwater photos obtained by LBO from an eyewitness, shows the entire crime sequence in action.

First, a small boat goes over a fishing ground unobtrusively dropping primed sticks of dynamite.

Sometime later a second boat comes and drops scuba divers nearby who stealthily start collecting the dead fish in gunny bags.

A boat then comes again to pick up the gunny bags.

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