Philippines blames China for loss of giant clams in disputed shoal and urges environmental inquiry
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines blamed Chinese fishermen on Monday for a massive loss of giant clams in a disputed shoal controlled by China’s coast guard in the South China Sea and urged an international inquiry into the amount of environmental damage in the area.
The Philippine coast guard presented surveillance photographs of Chinese fishermen harvesting large numbers of giant clams for a number of years in a lagoon at Scarborough Shoal, but said signs of such activities stopped in March 2019.
Parts of the surrounding coral appeared to be badly scarred, in what the coast guard said was apparently a futile search by the Chinese for more clams. The lagoon is a prominent fishing area which Filipinos call Bajo de Masinloc and the Chinese calll Huangyan Dao off the northwestern Philippines.
“Those were the last remaining giant clams that we saw in Bajo de Masinloc,” Philippine coast guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said at a news conference.
Related articles
Iran helicopter crash that killed President Raisi could reverberate across the Middle East
JERUSALEM (AP) — The helicopter crash in which Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreig2024-05-21Inside Victoria Beckham's extensive wardrobe as she turns 50: From multi
Victoria Beckham no doubt lives up to her Spice Girl name when it comes to her extensive designer wa2024-05-21Rare bornean orangutan is born at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has officially welcomed its newest primate to the animal theme park's family2024-05-21New BYU basketball coach Kevin Young focused on building NBA pipeline with Cougars
PROVO, Utah (AP) — Kevin Young wants to turn BYU into a breeding ground for NBA talent.Young, who wa2024-05-21Young Boys seals 6th Swiss soccer league title in 7 years after rallying from firing coach Wicky
GENEVA (AP) — Young Boys sealed its sixth Swiss league title in seven years by winning at Servette 12024-05-21Takeaways from this week's reports on the deadly 2023 Maui fire that destroyed Lahaina
HONOLULU (AP) — More than half a year after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century burne2024-05-21
atest comment