NEWSWEEK
＜Pollutants from hundreds of Chinese ships have reached such a high volume that they could cause irreparable damage to coral reefs and fish.
Satellite images collected over the past five years show that human filth released from Chinese ships has accumulated in the waters of the South China Sea, which is in the midst of a territorial dispute with neighboring countries. These filth are causing significant damage to coral reefs and fish, a U.S.-based analyst revealed on July 12.
Analyst Liz Dare, who heads Simularity, a software company that develops artificial intelligence (AI) specialized in analyzing satellite imagery, noted that hundreds of Chinese fishing boats have anchored in the waters of the Nansha Islands, lowering their anchors and dropping human filth, sewage, and waste water into the sea.
Speaking at an online forum organized by a Philippine think tank on China’s actions in the area, Dare warned that the accumulated pollutants have reached such a significant amount that they are causing seaweed blooms that are damaging coral reefs and seriously affecting fish stocks.
Dare said on April 12 that the pollution was “accumulating under the anchored ships,” the Associated Press reported. Hundreds of vessels have lowered anchors into the waters of the Nansha Islands, dumping untreated sewage over coral reefs in the anchored waters.”
Catch May Decline Sharply
According to Dare, at least 236 Chinese vessels had been sighted as of June 17 at the atoll known as Union Dui. In addition to the threat to migratory tuna and other fish species that spawn in the coral reefs in the area, the offshore waters, which are a major source of food for the region, could also suffer a sharp decline in marine resources, according to the crisis.
This is environmental destruction on a tremendous scale, and we are approaching a point of no return,” Dare said at the aforementioned forum, according to the Associated Press.
In response to Dare’s warning, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said it would decide on a response after conducting its own assessment and verification. 2021 began with the arrival of some 200 Chinese fishing boats on Whitsun Reef, on the northeastern edge of Union Island.
As of January 12, Chinese officials had not commented on Dare’s pollution accusations. However, they have in the past emphasized their country’s efforts to protect the environment and local fishing industry in the South China Sea, the Associated Press noted.
China’s moves to point to its territorial claims over vast areas of the South China Sea have long caused tensions with neighboring countries, including Japan, India, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
On the 12th, there was a separate incident in which a Chinese warship chased a U.S. warship.
This publication contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry, but had not received a response by the time of publication of this article.Mischief Reef in the Nansha Islands. The black dots are Chinese ships.
