CHINA's fishing/militia fleet is still at Rozul (Iroquois) Reef, the same area where corals were found to have been harvested in mid-September by divers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, according to a US satellite image. STILL HERE Satellite image taken on Monday, Sept. 17, 2023 shows China’s fishing/militia fleet still at Rozul (Iroquois) Reef which is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). At least 35 ships are visible in the area where corals have been harvested based on an underwater survey recently conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). "Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling, a coastal state granted an exclusive economic zone enjoys the rights to the resources within that zone. Vice Admiral Albert Carlos, commander of the AFP Western Command (Wescom), reported over the weekend that the corals that grow in abundance in the shallow waters close to Rozul Reef have disappeared, apparently due to massive coral harvesting.

Source: Manila Times September 19, 2023 15:27 UTC