Officials in the Philippines reported that about 200 tonnes (About 440,000 pounds) of illegally harvested giant clam shells worth an estimated $25,000,000 United States dollars have been seized, making one of the largest ever hauls of the endangered species. As of now, police investigations are still ongoing though 4 suspects have already been detained in the province of Palawan. In the Philippines, killing endangered species can lead to prison sentences of up to 12 years and fines of up to 1,000,000 Filipino Pesos (Equivalent to over $20,000 United States dollars).

Jovic Feballo, a spokesperson of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, said that the sized shells included those of Tridacna gigas species, which are the world's largest clams. These clams can grow to over 1 meter (3.3 feet) and weigh up to 250 kilograms (550 pounds). Mr. Feballo said that these shells are vital to the local marine ecosystem as they host marine algae, which are a food source for many fish species regularly consumed by people. He also added that the removal of such important species "will permanently affect the marine ecosystem and future generations will be deprived of the benefits accruing from it".

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