The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) revealed that Chinese fisherfolk have been using the deadly chemical compound cyanide to damage Bajo de Masinloc — a body of water also known as the Scarborough Shoal.
BFAR spokesperson Nazario Briguera had this to say about the said traditional fishing grounds, an area claimed by the People’s Republic of China even if it’s well within the West Philippine Sea.
“These Chinese fishermen use cyanide,” said Briguera in Filipino during a Saturday News Forum press conference held in Quezon City.
“[T]hey intentionally destroy Bajo de Masinloc to prevent Filipino fishing boats to fish in the area.”
Briguera estimated that the damages caused by the cynanide fishing could exceed P1 billion. However, the BFAR has yet to conduct a formal study on the matter.
The West Philippine Sea lies within the 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines, a claim already backed by the Permanent Court of Arbitration way back in 2016.
BFAR said that this is a “serious concern,” especially since it could also kill off developing fish larvae and corals.
According to data from the governent, around 385,300 rely on the West Philippine Sea for their livelihood. They catch around 275,520 metric tons of fish each year, which is equivalent to 6% to 7% of the country’s fisheries sector.
“[The use of cyanide beyond their EEZ is a] clear case of illegal, unreported and undocumented fishing,” Briguera said.
So, it’s not Scarborough, UK. Of course that would have been really surprising. Thanks for this summary, ideally it should be in the body of the post.
it’s not Scarborough, UK.
York City fans in shambles.
As someone who lives in the Greater Toronto Area, a place with a city called Scarborough in it, I was extremely confused and extremely terrified for way longer than I needed to be.
No idea there was a shoal out there called Scarborough as well.
That being said, I can’t say I’m surprised Chinas reaction here is to salt the earth they can’t have.
I was similarly pretty confused here that it was referring to the little seaside town in Yorkshire, which I assume all these other Scarboroughs (that I too had never heard of) are named after.
Morning Joe Scarborough
Ah yes, the similarities are striking
I genuinely thought your first picture would be Scarborough, ON based on the thumbnail. Your second picture is not Scarborough, ON. This is Scarborough, ON:
Note: you can see the core from your second image in the distance on the left.
Scarborough on what? Toast? 😋
Reminds me of the two explorers from That Mitchell & Webb Look (youtube link)
“Of course not! Not North Wales! That’s ridiculous! It’s nothing like North Wales. No, South Wales of course. The resemblance is uncanny”
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
“If I can’t have you, no one will.” – China, apparently.
And as usual, no one will do something decisive about it because China is a huge bully and is using its reputation as the world’s factory and its economic heft to intimidate anyone who thinks of doing anything about it.
China is a huge bully and is using its reputation as the world’s factory and its economic heft
Funded by Western capitalists for the last 30 years in their never-ending greed for profits.
Should’ve kept manufacturing in their own countries, but no. Paying their workers well means less profits.
Funded by Western capitalists for the last 30 years in their never-ending greed for profits.
Oddly, it’s less this and more hatred of unions and workers’ rights. They could make even more money from people who are able to afford luxuries.
And the reason they hate those things. Is that because in a short-term it impacts their real profits.
Greed is always a short-term outlook. No immoral greedy person ever looked at something and said, boy if I just made society better we as a whole would benefit a whole lot more. It’s always, give it to me. Give it to me naooooooow!
Yeah. If they weren’t so evolutionarily maladaptive, they could easily have provided for their offspring for the foreseeable future of the species in a way that would be be resilient to societal and environmental changes. It really is past time that this mental illness is studied and characterized.
Oh great now they’re deliberately poisoning the oceans as well.
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A lot of sensationalism here around the use of cyanide. This is a real (but ecologically damaging) way to fish: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanide_fishing
The accusation is that Chinese fishing vessels are illegally and maliciously doing this around Scarborough, substantially hurting the local fishing industry.
This is awful, but it’s not the mass-poisoning of the food supply as this article is inviting you to conclude that it is.
Are they insane? This is not just cruel and disgusting, it’s also incredibly stupid. This will seriously damage their reputation among other nations.
Damaging another nations food supply is a crime against humanity.
I’m pretty sure China has lost it’s reputation with most countries and China is only dealt with due to fear of China retaliating economically.
In addition, I don’t think China really cares what everyone else thinks or how their actions are perceived.
What are they gonna do about it?
Not sure if crimes against humanity can be brought before the ICJ since this can’t really be construed as a genocide. But I’m sure this is going to get amplified by the US media soon and will harm China geopolitically.
I’d want their coastguard to arrest the fisherman and charge them with terrorism using chemical warfare. But that might be a bad idea lol.
Bro, USA didn’t give a fuck about their own corporations shitting all over the environment. Or when Bolsonaro raped the Amazon, which is right in USA’s backyard. Goodluck with expecting US media to care about the environment.
Of course they don’t care, but they want to prepare the US population for conflict with China. This is the ONLY reason they “care” about Uyghurs too.
Are you going to Scarborough Shoal?
Motor oil, nets, and cyanide
It’s not the home to a single soul
Not since all the poisoned fish diedAny other sources? Not reported anywhere else.
Since the practice of cyanide fishing was never widely publicised or officially approved, its origins are uncertain; but it is believed to have originated in the 1950s in the Philippines.
The World Resources Institute (WRI) determined that approximately 20% of the live fish traded on the Philippine market in 1996 were caught using cyanide
Estimates suggest 70% to 90% of aquarium fish exported from the Philippines are caught with cyanide.
The Philippines when they use cyanide fishing in Southeast Asia: don’t worry guys, it’s a perfectly safe and normal activity and contributes to the economy.
The Philippines when someone else uses cyanide fishing in Southeast Asia: horrible! Environmental catastrophe! Condemn them!
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remember 1.5 billion people live there? that’s like wiping North America and Europe combined
Ok, just all of the CCP government.
