The dredging of coral reefs to build artificial islands in the West Philippine Sea has alarmed conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). In April 2013, poaching vessel F/V Min Long Yu destroyed 3902 square meters of seabed in the Tubbataha Reefs. Ongoing reclamation in a half-dozen reefs has now obliterated 1.2 million square meters – 310 times the damage wrought on Tubbataha.
Mechanical dredgers which cut, crush and compact corals have also stirred up sediments to smother adjoining reefs. This threatens the biological productivity of the West Philippine Sea – a spawning and feeding site for endangered sea turtles and high-value fish like tuna.
