Documentary makers catch ‘dynamite’ fishermen on film

A camera crew working on the new show Big Pacific in Philippines filmed the coastguards giving chase to men who were fishing with dynamite The screening of the series starts across the globe this summer Footage of the incident has been included in the m

Documentary filmmakers shooting a new blockbuster nature series in the Philippines said on Sunday that they chased men they saw fishing with dynamite.

A camera crew working on the new four-part show Big Pacific — which is to start screening across the globe this summer — filmed as the coastguards they were with gave chase.

“The fishermen fled and crashed into the shore, abandoning their vessel,” the series’ executive producer Kyle Murdoch said.

He said his crew was in a lagoon in the Philippines shooting a dugong mother and her calf when they “felt a massive underwater explosion.

“They rushed over to the other side of the cove where some people were dynamite fishing. Luckily we filmed the whole thing. The rack and ruin was incredible.”

“Our team was devastated by what they saw — but they were able to capture it all on film and show the real problems these animals face and what local heroes are trying to do,” Mr Murdoch added.

Footage of the incident has been included in the “making of” the episode of the big-budget series, which is being billed as the next landmark nature series in the mould of the BBC’s Planet Earth and Great Barrier Reef.

It will be aired by public broadcasters from the US to China, Europe and Japan this year.