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.
Justin Timberlake set to bring his The Forget Tomorrow World Tour to Australia in 2025
At least 40 people die in Kenya after dam collapses
Nvidia to buy Israeli AI company for estimated $700M
Chinese military ready to boost ties with Indonesian counterpart: defense spokesperson
College baseball notebook: Conference tournaments to decide NCAA automatic bids and many at
Beijing improves services to facilitate film and television projects
FDA brings lab tests under federal oversight in bid to improve accuracy and safety
Hamas official says no agreement with Israel if war continues in Gaza
Philippines blames China for loss of giant clams in disputed shoal and urges environmental inquiry
FDA brings lab tests under federal oversight in bid to improve accuracy and safety
US overdose deaths dropped in 2023, the first time since 2018
At least 40 people die in Kenya after dam collapses