A whale replica is seen on the beach of Naic, Cavite, in 2017. Through art installation depicting a dead whale choked by plastics, Greenpeace Philippines seeks to underscore the massive problem of plastics pollution in the ocean. and calls on the ASEAN to address this looming problem on its shores. (Photo by Greenpeace)
Jul 5 2021
The island of Palawan in the Philippines is considered an environmental haven of cleanliness and beauty. But what was discovered recently in the fish market of Puerto Princesa? A dorado fish, one of many they say, with a belly full of plastic wastes such as bottle caps, candy wrappers and a yellow plastic spoon.
Besides pollution, there are big losses to small-scale fishers in coastal communities in recent years due to the proliferation of commercial fishing fleets and factory ships of other nations.
Not only is China grabbing the fishing grounds of the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations, but huge fishing fleets run by corporations dominate the ocean. They are destroying the oceans by irresponsible “bottom trawling” and many fish species are needlessly killed.
The ships drag huge nets along the ocean floor, destroying everything in their paths, destroying corals and ecosystems and habitats of fish. The commercial fishing industry kills between 0.97 and 1.97 trillion wild fish worldwide every year. This is called “by-catch” and “accidental take.”
For example, every hour 30,000 sharks are killed, that is, 50 to 70 million sharks every year, hauled on board, fins cut off, and the fish thrown back to die, all to delight diners with shark fin soup. This is a barbaric attack against nature.
The shark is a magnificent creature, evolved after millions of years into the perfect ocean hunter and essential to maintaining balance in the ocean’s wildlife. This mass killing has caused a 70 percent decline in shark populations globally over the past 50 years, making them an endangered species.
Read the full news in LiCAS.news.
