Philippine Sea

The Philippine Sea is the western part of the Pacific Ocean bordered on the west by the Philippine archipelago, the South China Sea (also known as the West Philippine Sea >) and Taiwan, to the north with the Japanese archipelago, to the east with the Mariana Islands and to the south with Palau.

In 1944, during World War II, it was the scene of a naval battle between the United States and Japan, the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

Delimitation of the IHO

The highest international authority on the delimitation of seas for maritime navigation purposes, the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), considers the Philippine Sea a sea. In his world reference publication, "Limits of oceans and seas" (Limits of oceans and seas, 3rd edition of 1953), he assigns it the identification number 34 and defines it as follows:

It is the North Pacific Ocean area off the eastern coast of the Philippines. It is limited:
West. By the eastern boundary of the Eastern Indian archipelago (48), the South China Sea (49) and the East China Sea (50).
North. On the southeast coast of Kyushu, the southern and eastern boundaries of the inner sea (53) and the southern coast of the island of Honshu.
East. By the crest of Japan and the Bonin, Volcano and Ladrones islands (Mariana), all of them included in the sea of the Philippines.
South. By the line between the islands of Guam, Yap, Pelew (Palaos) and the Halmahera Islands.

Limits of oceans and seap. 31.

Biology

The Philippine Sea is home to an exotic marine ecosystem. About five hundred species of hard and soft corals are found in coastal waters and 20 percent of the world's known shellfish species are found in Philippine waters. Sea turtles, sharks, moray eels, octopus and sea snakes can be commonly seen along with numerous species of fish such as tuna. In addition, the Philippine Sea serves as a spawning ground for Japanese eel, tuna, and different species of whales.

Biodiversity

Human impact

The Philippine Sea is both a hub of marine biodiversity and a biodiversity hotspot. At least 418 species are threatened due to unsustainable practices. According to the Asian Development Bank, there is a 90% reduction in marine life in the area, due to the various economic procedures that are carried out. The Philippine Sea is the terminal point for the cities' sewage pipes. Mangrove forests are also being cleared for the sake of real estate development and timber production. Mercury waste and mine runoff also end up in the Philippine Sea. These are some of the reasons why the Philippines is ranked as one of the highest in reef degradation.

Climate change

Increased temperature change caused changes in marine ecosystems. The ideal temperature for coral is 24-29 degrees Celsius. If the water temperature exceeds or exceeds this threshold, the growth of the coral would slow down or even die. As fish and other marine life depend on corals for their livelihoods and habitat, communities that depend on fishing are also greatly affected. As the Philippine Sea lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire, the physical damage caused by typhoons coming from the east can further destroy marine habitats.

History

Fernando de Magallanes, Portuguese explorer at the service of Spain, who arrived in the Philippines

The first European to navigate the Philippine Sea was Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, who named it the Philippine Sea when he and his men were in the Mariana Islands prior to exploring the Philippines. It was later discovered by other Spanish explorers from 1522 to 1565 and the site of the famous galleon trade route.

On June 19–20, 1944, the Battle of the Philippine Sea (a very large and decisive naval battle of World War II between Japan and the United States) took place in the eastern Philippine Sea, near the Mariana Islands. The aircraft carriers Taihō, Shōkaku, Junyō, Hiyō, and Ryuho were bombed, torpedoed, and sunk by US carrier-based aircraft and assaulted from other naval vessels. The aerial part of the Battle of the Philippine Sea was nicknamed the "Great Marianas Turkey Drop" due to massive losses of Japanese aircraft and pilots. The battle facilitated the Allied conquests of Saipan, Guam and Tinian in the Marianas, Palau in the southwest, and ultimately the Philippines.

It was not until 1989 that the Pentagon revealed the loss of the one-megaton nuclear bomb during the A-4 Philippine Sea incident in 1965.

Following an escalation of the Spratly Islands dispute in 2011, various Philippine government agencies began using the neologism "West Philippine Sea" to refer to the South China Sea. However, a PAGASA spokesperson said that the sea east of the Philippines will continue to be called the Philippine Sea.

Battles of the Philippine Sea

Main article: Battle of the Philippine Sea

Japanese transport division three under attack by the United States Navy of Task Force 58 in the Battle of the Philippine Sea on the afternoon of 20 June 1944. The heavy cruise that circulates to the right is Maya or Chokai. Beyond is the little Chiyoda aircraft carrier.

A historic battle between the naval fleets of the United States and Japan took place in the vicinity of the Philippine Sea. This was called the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and it occurred near the Mariana Islands on June 19–20, 1944. It was also the largest carrier-to-carrier battle in history involving the United States Fifth Fleet. and the First Mobile Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

In addition to the navy, air activity was also present in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, as hundreds of planes from both countries fired on each other. The Americans won hands down and dubbed the air war the "Great Turkey Throw of the Marianas" due to the number of downed Japanese aircraft.

Japan struggled to recover from the severe damage to its imperial navy and air force sustained by the battle. This was largely attributed to the United States' victory in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, which was a vital part of the American claim to the Philippines and the Mariana Islands from Japan.

After World War II

In 1989, the United States Department of Defense disclosed the loss of a one-megaton nuclear bomb in the Philippine Sea during an incident in which a Navy Skyhawk jet fell into the sea from the aircraft carrier Ticonderoga in the Philippine Sea of 1965. . Neither the plane nor the pilot nor the bomb were recovered.

Following an escalation of the dispute over the Spratly Islands in 2011, various Philippine government agencies began using the designation "West Philippine Sea" to refer to parts of the South China Sea. However, a spokesperson for the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that the sea east of the Philippine archipelago will continue to be called the Philippine Sea.

Economy

Fishing

Fish pot on the coast of the municipality of Currimao, in Ilocos.

The Philippines depends on the Philippine Sea for one of its sources of food and livelihoods. In the Coral Triangle area, the Philippines harvests algae, milk fish (Chanos chanos), shrimp, oysters, mussels, and live reef fish as aquaculture products. Anglers also catch most of the fish such as small pelagics, anchovies, sardines, mackerel, and tuna, among many other species found.

A recent scientific expedition discovered that the in-sea Benham Plateau (also known as the Philippine Plateau) is diverse in its marine ecosystem, attracting migratory commercial fish such as tuna, marlin, and mackerel. The Benham Plateau also it is considered as a rich fishing ground for fishermen from Aurora, Quezon and Bicol. The Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources considered it necessary to teach fishermen sustainable fishing to avoid destroying coral formations that could negatively affect the food chain on which migratory fish depend. Migratory fish have a fairly high value, as, for example, a single bluefin tuna found on the Benham Plateau can sell for ₱2,000 in the market.