Although Bonaire's reefs are supposed to be a refuge from fishing, we frequently see locals fishing over the reef, especially early in the morning, from their small wooden boats.
This damages the reef in two ways: their anchors are destructive to coral reef structures, and their fishing removes large predatory fish. The removal of top predators can destabilize the whole ecosystem.
A couple of days ago, we encountered this cheap, homemade anchor beneath a fishing boat (bottom photo). It consisted of a small chunk of concrete and some very lightweight twine. If the fisherman lost this anchor, he probably has another in the boat.
Today, we found the carcass of a reef fish (top photo). This ocean triggerfish had been caught and filleted, then the carcass was tossed in shallow water. In past years, we have always enjoyed our brief encounters with this species. Perhaps not surprisingly, we have not yet seen any ocean triggerfish on the reef this year.
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