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. |
Natalie Portman shows Benjamin Millepied what he's missing in sexy seePrincess Amalia of The Netherlands, 20, who fled to Spain for a year after kidnap threatsPolice detective lays bare Hells Angels' twisted links to the MAFIAHanna Cavinder announces RETURN to college basketball with MiamiBraless Maura Higgins turns up the heat in a daring cleavageParis Olympics opening ceremony on river Seine will last nearly 4 hoursFormer Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Peter Barca announces new bid for CongressRap artist GloRilla has been charged with drunken driving in GeorgiaNatalie Portman shows Benjamin Millepied what he's missing in sexy seeRybakina, Vondroušová into Stuttgart quarters while Jabeur out