AP Whois Photo Blog: In Libya, which is inundated with explosives, some fishermen are using TNT to bring in their catch

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AP Whois Photo Blog: In Libya, which is inundated with explosives, some fishermen are using TNT to bring in their catch

A fisherman with an improvised explosive device searches for fish in the sea outside the rebel-held town of Benghazi, Libya. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev) © 2011 AP

By Sergey Ponomarev, Associated Press.

Soon after I arrived in Benghazi, Libya, I started to notice the faint sound of explosions near the waterfront. I asked my driver where they came from, and he gave a surprising answer: It was the sound of people fishing.

In Libya, a place flooded with explosives after months of fighting, some fishermen are using TNT to kill fish. After two weeks of trying, I got someone to take me fishing. Once on the open sea, a fisherman got into the water, found some fish, and lit and threw an explosive device made from tin cans, TNT, matches and foil.

The IEDs that are used for fishing seen in a box in the fisherman's boat. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev) © 2011 AP

You have to be careful, I was told, throwing the device far away and keeping your head above the water so you don’t get hurt by the explosion. After a five-second delay, the now-submerged tin can exploded and dead fish just needed to be collected by the fishermen. They say they can get as many as 400 pounds of fish a day this way.

The underwater blast from the explosive is seen as men fish near Benghazi. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev) © 2011 AP