Hanoi (VNA) – The Philippine authorities have seized 336 giant clam shell pieces buried in the shorelines of Bugsuk island in Palawan province.
The pieces are worth about 8.1 million PHP (145,000 USD).
As reported by AFP, Jovic Fabello, a spokesman for the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, said the shell trade has become a substitute for the ivory trade following widespread bans on the trade of elephant tusks.
Giant clams, including Tridacna gigas, which may grow to 1.5 metres in diameter and weigh more than 200 kilogrammes, are a protected species in the Philippines. They play a key role as food, shelter and building blocks in coral reef ecosystems where fish populations spawn.
A study released last year by the group Traffic, which monitors the illegal global trade of protected species, found the Philippines seized more than 121,000 tonnes of giant clams between 2003 and 2022, accounting for 99.8% of giant clams seized in trafficking incidents in Southeast Asia during that time./.
The pieces are worth about 8.1 million PHP (145,000 USD).
As reported by AFP, Jovic Fabello, a spokesman for the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, said the shell trade has become a substitute for the ivory trade following widespread bans on the trade of elephant tusks.
Giant clams, including Tridacna gigas, which may grow to 1.5 metres in diameter and weigh more than 200 kilogrammes, are a protected species in the Philippines. They play a key role as food, shelter and building blocks in coral reef ecosystems where fish populations spawn.
A study released last year by the group Traffic, which monitors the illegal global trade of protected species, found the Philippines seized more than 121,000 tonnes of giant clams between 2003 and 2022, accounting for 99.8% of giant clams seized in trafficking incidents in Southeast Asia during that time./.
VNA
