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. |
Appeals court upholds Steve Bannon's contempt of Congress convictionDog Show 101: What's what at the Westminster Kennel ClubClosing prices for crude oil, gold and other commoditiesSome older Americans splurge to keep homes accessible while others struggle to make safety upgradesSudan’s military fends off an attack by paramilitary forces on a major Darfur cityI tried out a Kim KardashianWhy a judge put Beach Boys' Brian Wilson under conservatorshipNewcomer Arraez hits a walkMariners' top reliever Matt Brash to miss the rest of season after Tommy John surgeryUkraine says Russia is trying to break through its defenses in the northeastern Kharkiv region