Philippines blames China for loss of giant clams in disputed shoal and urges environmental inquiry
Time:2024-05-21 09:44:08 Source:politicsViews(143)
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.
Previous:Inquiry slams UK authorities for failures that killed thousands in infected blood scandal
Next:The Latest
You may also like
- Uber and Lyft say they'll stay in Minnesota after Legislature passes driver pay compromise
- Tourism improves villagers' life in SW China's Yunnan
- Fighter jets fire at targets in live
- S. Korea's opposition party leads parliamentary elections with 62.5% votes counted
- Kate Hudson hits the stage to debut songs from her new album Glorious at star
- The Philippine president says he won't give US access to more local military bases
- Commemoration ceremonies held to honor fallen heroes in SW China
- Supreme Court rejects appeal from Black Lives Matter activist over Louisiana protest lawsuit
- Here comes the char