This paper draws from an ethnographic vignette of dynamite fishing in southeastern Tanzania. I consider the utility of participant observation as a method for examining ecologically destructive practices, especially in contexts where such activities are illegal or prohibited by conservation regulations. I raise self-reflexive critiques, internal to my home discipline of anthropology, and discuss the methodological, ethical, and analytical challenges of attempting to document cases of dynamite fishing and other related phenomena of pressing environmental concern. Ultimately, I maintain that participant observation remains a valuable tool for documenting and explaining environmentally destructive activities.

中文翻译：

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当代环境人类学中的代表性困境：记录坦桑尼亚东南部的炸药捕鱼

本文取材于坦桑尼亚东南部的民族志炸药捕鱼小插图。我认为参与者观察的作用是检查生态破坏性做法的一种方法，尤其是在此类活动是非法的或受保护法规禁止的情况下。我在家庭人类学的内部提出自我反思的批判，并讨论试图记录炸药捕鱼和其他紧迫的环境现象的方法论，道德和分析挑战。最终，我认为参与者的观察仍然是记录和解释破坏环境活动的宝贵工具。