Ecological ruin upon WPS

A Filipino marine scientist lambasted China’s environmental insensitivity that may further destroy marine ecology in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), particularly at Escoda (Sabina) Shoal.

In a news forum on Saturday, Dr. Jonathan Anticamara of the University of the Philippines Institute of Biology said the massive presence of Chinese fishing vessels in Escoda Shoal is causing “destruction and over-exploitation” in the area.

“That was Xi Jingping’s explicit instruction for the Chinese to fish in the South China Sea, particularly in the area where they started reclamation in 2014. They don’t care about the destruction there,” Anticamara said.

He noted that Chinese maritime militia vessels also contributed to the destruction of marine ecology in the area as the floating anchors of the ships could pull up the corals beneath the ocean.

He added that most Chinese ships anchored closely together which could cause blocking of the sunlight needed by the corals, hence, resulting in their gradual death and destruction.

“Chinese do not care about environmental sensitivities. Their practice is so destructive,” he said.

Meanwhile, Anticamara predicted a potential “ecological disaster” after a group of marine scientists recently conducted a two-day research and survey, have “observed extensive coral bleaching” in the Escoda Shoal.

“What we saw is the same, extensively, within that area, almost 100 percent of the corals died and there are different stages, but the most extensive stage is where the corals are either completely white, or they are covered in brown or they crumbled down and broken,” he said.

“I predict that a majority or almost all of the shallow water of Escoda Shoal is now dead, the corals are given that trend, because there is no exemption,” he added.

‘Man-made depressions’

Anticamara said the researchers have found “depressions or sunken areas” on the ocean floor of Escoda that appeared to be man-made and someone might have excavated it for sampling purposes, usually of corals.

“That’s not a natural process — that kind of digging — because it’s a little bit deeper, they are targeting the corals from the bottom and now these corals are exposed. So, I think that’s a man-made,” he added.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) earlier reported it had spotted Chinese divers in the area which was followed by the discovery of dumped crushed corals in the area.