Best Posts in Thread: Professional diver killed in dynamite fishing in Cebu

This is a rather disturbing news. I met Bernard in 2012 while my husband and I went diving with Divelink in Malapascua. He was a really nice guy, one of a few who are against the hush-hush practice among dive guides of removing critters to hide them from the competition or to stage them for the photographers/divers in order to collect huge tips. I know that some dive center/resort owners would rather wish that this issue (about the circumstances of his death) will just go away because raising awareness means bad publicity which in turn means low profit. The fact that the Philippines is at the center of marine biodiversity puts it on the map as a coveted diving destination. Take that out of the equation and they will have to compete against countless other resorts all over the world who can offer guests better value for their money.

You might be interested in signing this petition:

Petition · Pasil Public Market: Declare your fish dynamite-free · Change.org

This may not stop dynamite-fishing right away but it gets us one step closer to keeping the sea safe and to keeping it fair for fishermen who practice legal and sustainable fishing. Perhaps by raising awareness, local and provincial government will finally stop looking the other way and pretend that the problem no longer exists.