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.
The government wants to buy their flood
Florida man charged with murdering girlfriend's 13
Ashley Roberts puts on a VERY cheeky display in a nude long
Ashley Roberts puts on a VERY cheeky display in a nude long
Target to lower prices on basic goods in response to inflation
Ben Stiller, 58, says he was 'freaked out' by the horrible reviews for his rare box
11 Republican "fake electors" indicted for falsely declaring Trump won Arizona
Russian theater director and playwright go on trial over a play authorities say justifies terrorism
Vermont House passes measure meant to crack down on so