AI Audio Analysis Reveals 8,000 Annual Bomb-Fishing Blasts Off Sulawesi
Researchers from the Zoological Society of London used underwater microphones and AI software to track blast fishing near Indonesia's Spermonde Archipelago, detecting over 3,500 explosions in 3,600 hours of recordings. They estimate more than 8,000 underwater detonations occur annually in the region, as fishers use homemade explosives to stun and kill fish for local markets.