Introduction

In July 2024, Beijing publicly released "The Investigation and Assessment Report on Marine Ecology and Environment Status of Huangyan Dao [Scarborough Shoal]." This investigation, conducted by a collection of five Chinese monitoring agencies, proclaimed the condition of the shoal to be "excellent", waving aside Philippine government complaints about rampant illegal giant clam harvesting and reef destruction. 

Given that there was no independent outside investigator involved--and faced with a mountain of evidence of highly destructive giant clam harvesting stretching over a decade--there is every reason to doubt the veracity of this report.

1. The First Harvesting, 2012-2016

After China seized control of Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines in 2012, its fishing fleets arrived to conduct large-scale operations, using highly destructive propeller-dragging methods to break apart coral and extract clams. Philippine authorities documented boats “filled with assorted corals and giant clams.” 

Giant clam shells are prized in China as luxury goods, acting as substitutes for outlawed elephant ivory. Large raw shells can sell for tens of thousands of dollars and carved art pieces are auctioned for millions of yuan. Blood clams from Scarborough Shoal have been especially valued for their rarity and color.

As the landmark arbitral tribunal ruling of 2016 ruled, “China was aware of the harvesting of giant clams. It did not merely turn a blind eye to this practice. Rather, it provided armed government vessels to protect the fishing boats.” 

Though China rejected this ruling, Hainan province--then the center of the giant clam trade--shortly thereafter enacted a ban on the commercial harvesting and trade of all giant clam species. This was presented as evidence of responsible environmental management, and indeed most of the clam harvesters in fact did depart the shoal for a time. 

Satellite-based hydrospatial company TCarta has produced and analyzed imagery showing the extensive scarring of the reef from this propeller-dragging process just after its apex in 2017, and how much of this scarring had healed since then.

2. The Second Harvesting, 2017–2024

It wasn't long, however, before satellite imagery showed the ships had returned in force, while Chinese companies continued to trade giant clam shells. While some moved underground, others--such as Nanyang Star--operated in the open with advertisements such as this (since removed from the internet), featuring products made from clams extracted from Scarborough Shoal:

This was possible because Chinese law has been interpreted to distinguish between live giant clams (strictly protected) and "aged, naturally formed shells," which can be traded if sourced from licensed suppliers and accompanied by proper permits. The problem with this is that it's not just the clams themselves that need protection, but the reefs from which their aged shells are extracted.

The post-2016 extraction process no longer involved the easily detected propeller-dragging method, but moved to the use of high-pressure water pumps to "quickly suck sediment from the seabed. This extracts giant clams while also destroying the seabed and sending abrasive sediment drifting through nearby areas."

These TCarta satellite photos of plumes inside the reef provides evidence of clammers likely using this water-pump method for clam shell extraction:

As further evidence of this state-sanctions clam shell trade, just last year the Dandong Intermediate People’s Court acquitted traders in a landmark case, establishing that commerce in such shells is not criminal but merely subject to administrative regulation. 

This system of regulated commerce enabled companies like Nanyang Star and Zhongbaoping to operate in the open, holding all necessary business and "Aquatic Wildlife Business and Utilization" licenses such as those below (since removed from the internet):

These permits are issued by provincial authorities and allow for the legal trade of giant clam shells for “special circumstances” such as exhibitions, breeding or commercial utilization. As a result, the trade is not outright prohibited but regulated, which created a pathway for continued exploitation.

Thus, even after the public crackdowns, high-value giant clam art pieces have been auctioned for millions of yuan and major companies continue to operate with state and industry association backing. 

Second Banning of the Clam Harvesters, June 2024-present

Clam shell harvesting at Scarborough Shoal continued through early 2024, as captured on this image:

However, SeaLight's analysis of Planet Labs imagery reveals that in June 2024, even as China's investigation was ongoing, the clam fleet once again disappeared and has yet to return:

To review:

• May-June: Investigation team on site
• Mid-June: Fishing fleet departs
• July: China issues report

Why would the vessels leave after over a decade of clam harvesting if the shoal was in "excellent" condition? Beijing has had nothing to say about this, but the preponderance of the evidence (and common sense) strongly suggests that Beijing’s narrative of a “pristine” Scarborough Shoal is a fabrication.