Published February 19, 2024
- The Philippines’ fisheries bureau said China is trying to “intentionally destroy” the Scarborough Shoal.
- The fish-rich atoll is hotly contested by China, but internationally recognized as Manila’s.
- The bureau on Saturday accused Chinese vessels of pumping cyanide into the shoal’s waters.
The Philippines’ fishing bureau has accused Chinese fishing vessels of using cyanide to destroy the Scarborough Shoal, a fish-rich atoll in the South China Sea contested by both Manila and Beijing.
“These Chinese fishermen use cyanide,” Nazario Briguera, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, said on Saturday, per a translation from Filipino by The Philippine Star.
Cyanide fishing is a controversial fishing method that typically involves dumping the highly toxic chemical near coral reefs or in fishing grounds to stun or kill fish so they can be easily captured.
It is widely condemned because it indiscriminately affects most marine species in the area, causes severe damage to aquatic ecosystems, and can make fish harmful to handle or eat.
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SOURCE: www.businessinsider.com
RELATED: China Accused of Poisoning Waters With Cyanide Fishing
A Chinese coast guard ship sailing past a Philippine fishing boat near the China-controlled Scarborough Shoal on February 15, 2024. The Philippines is accusing Chinese fishermen of poisoning fishing areas.TED ALJIBE/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Published February 19, 2024
The Philippines is accusing Chinese fishermen of poisoning the ecosystem of the bountiful, but contested, fishing areas in the South China Sea.
“These Chinese fishermen use cyanide,” Nazario Briguera, a spokesperson for the Southeast Asian country’s fisheries bureau, said on Saturday, according to local media.
The Philippines and China have been at loggerheads over the Scarborough Shoal since a territorial spat in 2012 escalated to the point where China seized de facto control over the area. The shoal is situated within the Philippines’ 200 nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which according to international maritime law grants it the sole right to the natural resources found within.
Briguera claimed Chinese fishing crews were deploying the toxic chemical to intentionally damage the shoal and discourage Philippine fishermen from operating in the area, which China claims as its own, as it does with most of the South China Sea.
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SOURCE: www.newsweek.com
RELATED: PCG: No evidence China, Vietnam used cyanide in Panatag
Published February 19, 2024
MANILA, Philippines — There is no evidence that Chinese or Vietnamese fishermen destroyed corals and marine resources in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal using cyanide, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
“We do not have any scientific study or any evidence that would suggest that the cyanide fishing at Bajo de Masinloc can be attributed to the Chinese or even the Vietnamese fishermen,” PCG-West Philippine Sea spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said, referring to Panatag, in an interview with GMA News over the weekend.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Feb. 17 said that based on information gathered by the agency’s ground personnel, the illegal activity had already caused extensive damage within the lagoon area.
