Ornaments made from the shells of endangered giant clams, believed in China to have auspicious powers and the luster of ivory, have become coveted luxuries, a trend that has wreaked havoc on the ecosystem of the South China Sea.
China banned harvesting of giant clams last year, but in the tiny seaside town of Tanmen on the island of Hainan, most stores still sell products made from the more than 1.2m-wide shells.
The once sleepy fishing village has transformed over the past three years to harvest clams on an industrial scale. There are about 460 handicraft retailers, compared with 15 in 2012, with the industry now supporting about 100,000 people.
Photo: Reuters
The price of giant clams has risen 40-fold over the past five years, while the plundering of the seabed has led to severe degradation of the reefs, scientists and academics said.
“With rising tensions in the South China Sea, Tanmen fishermen’s important role in strengthening China’s claims in the disputed waters and supporting the [Chinese] People’s Liberation Army Navy are recognized by the Chinese government,” said Zhang Hongzhou (張宏洲), an associate research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. “As a result, authorities have turned a blind eye.”
China claims almost the whole South China Sea, setting it at odds with rival claims from Taiwan and its Southeast Asian neighbors, including the Philippines. The region accounts for more than one-10th of global fisheries production.
The city of Qionghai, which administers Tanmen, announced in March last year that it would strictly enforce the ban on digging, carrying and selling of endangered marine species, including the giant clams.
“The government is enforcing the ban,” said Zhang Hongying (張宏英), an official at the Qionghai foreign affairs office.
Another official surnamed Zhao said authorities were not doing anything to support the industry.
“If the business is legal, our government won’t stop people doing it, but there’s no government file saying that we are going to do something to promote the shell industry,” he said.
Fishermen said they had not been allowed to dig for clams since last year, while shopkeepers said new supply remained tight.
To harvest the clams, the entire reef has to be dug up, said Neo Mei Lin, a marine biologist at the National University of Singapore.
“What used to be really good coral reefs in there have definitely been decimated over the last two to three years,” Lin said.
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