Cyanide fishing

 

In this technique, fishers squirt sodium cyanide into the water to stun fish without killing them, making them easy to catch. Cyanide fishing on coral reefs began in the 1960s but since then it has grown massivle to meet the demands of the people.  In Hong Kong alone 20,000 tonnes of live fish are eaten annually in restaurants, all of these fish caught by cyanide fishing. Since cyanide is a highly poisonous substance it does not only affect the fish, it also affects their habitat. It kills nearby coral and algae. It is so dangerous that it is estimates that for each fish killed with sodium cyanide a square metre of coral dies along with it. Cyanide fishing is not always meant for the fish to be eaten. Cyanide fishing is mostly used to stun the fish so they can be brought to aquariums.