The Java Sea Shipwreck lay hidden for centuries before being discovered in the 1980s. Fishermen spotted feeding birds where there was no land or reef nearby. Since fish often make their homes in ship wreckage, fishermen will return to wreck sites repeatedly to take advantage of this steady supply. Unfortunately, the people who found the Java Sea Shipwreck used explosives to catch the fish, badly damaging the site. Divers also took any visible cargo before the fishermen eventually sold the location of the wreck to a salvage company.