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
Four people killed in a house explosion in southwestern Missouri
GOODHOPE, Mo. (AP) — Four people in rural Missouri died when an explosion that could be heard 10 mil2024-05-21Kylie Minogue reveals her unlikely friendship with Coldplay's Chris Martin
Kylie Minogue has revealed her unlikely friendship with Coldplay's Chris Martin.The Australian pop l2024-05-21Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, attends her late mother
The Duchess of Edinburgh sported an elegant ensemble as she attended day one of the Royal Windsor Ho2024-05-21Norwegian Islamist wanted over deadly shooting at LGBTQ+ festival is being sent back from Pakistan
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A radical Norwegian Islamist who is suspected of complicity in the deadly2024-05-21Britain's new bonkers EV: Callum Skye is an £80k electric buggy built in Warwickshire
Britain has a new sports car. But it's not like anything else you've seen on the road before.Callum,2024-05-21Trump hush money trial: Testimony resumes after jurors hear crucial Michael Cohen recording
NEW YORK (AP) — The prosecution’s star witness has yet to take the stand in Donald Trump’s hush mone2024-05-21
atest comment