Unlike the Arctic, where many countries around the world have built their own bases to serve a number of fields both in terms of science, economy and military, for Antarctica, this is still an unofficial land. government although the countries closest to it are Argentina, South Africa and Australia. Every year, during the winter, Antarctica does not receive any sunlight for 6 months; In summer, the sun is always on the horizon. Most of the sunlight falling on Antarctica is reflected back by the white ice, 1.9km thick on average, plus the highest terrain in the world (2,800m above sea level) giving this place its climate. coldest on earth. In the middle of summer, when the sun is perpendicular to the Tropic of Cancer, the average temperature in Antarctica is -25°C. In winter, when the sun moves down the Northern Hemisphere, Antarctica is as cold as -65°C and in some places -89.2°C. A cruise ship takes visitors to Antarctica Initially, only seven countries made claims, including Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, and Great Britain, by setting up facilities in the name of scientific research. Some other countries such as India, Italy, Russia, USA, Pakistan, Ukraine… although not claiming sovereignty, they also build long-term and sustainable constructions. In 1959, after much controversy, in order to prevent military conflicts, the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union and nine other countries signed the Antarctic Treaty, which essentially “set aside territorial claims” and use Antarctica for peaceful purposes only. Jane Francis, head of the Antarctic Survey, UK, said: “In 1980, five more countries made claims to sovereignty and now, 54 countries are present in Antarctica with 75 research stations. That poses many problems that need to be solved, such as climate change, fishing, tourism, resource exploitation…”. The results of 50 years of observations show that temperatures in some areas of Antarctica are rising much faster than the global average. This leads to melting glaciers and consequent sea level rise. Marine biologist Damon Stanwell-Smith, who first visited Antarctica more than 25 years ago, said: “Things have changed rapidly and we can see clearly. Just six years ago, there was Areas that are not accessible by boat during the winter are now experiencing large currents, allowing tour operators to bring tourists to visit Antarctica. Still according to Damon Stanwell-Smith, from November last year to April last, despite the raging COVID-19 pandemic, 51,000 tourists set foot on Antarctica, an increase of 17% over the previous year and will continue to grow. continues to increase even though the tour price is from 1,000USD to 100,000USD per person depending on geographical distance. “In addition to the 33 ships registered with the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat, there are 20 other ships under construction, not to mention the kayaking or air-plane tours that make Antarctica an oasis,” Mr. Damon said. play uncontrollably…”. The majority of tourists to Antarctica are Chinese, second only to the US in the ranking because Beijing is investing heavily in the continent, as part of its plan to become a “polar power”. What is Antarctica when the Antarctic Treaty is no longer in place? The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was adopted in 1991. It entered into force in 1998 and is the main instrument related to the conservation and management of biodiversity in Antarctica, in which There is a ban on exploitation of natural resources. However, after 50 years, the countries that signed the Antarctic Treaty can decide to amend the fishing ban provided that at least three-quarters of the current consultations – the 29 countries of the Antarctic Treaty – agree. Notice when the 50-year period will end in 2048. Whales slaughtered at a logistics base in Antarctica However, before the Environmental Protection Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty, seal hunting in Antarctica was practiced as early as the 18th century by the British, Norwegians, Argentines and Chilean. Meanwhile, large-scale whaling in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters increased sharply in the early 20th century, mainly by Norwegian and British companies. Whaling logistics stations erected in Antarctica are implied to be part of that country’s territory because, under international law, state activity is a key element of ownership territory. It is therefore not surprising that it is expressed in many forms by all the claimants to Antarctica, from scientific research facilities to dormitories for experts, rescue stations or offices that maintain navigation, airports, logistics, harbors, lighthouses, not to mention that some governments license whaling, seals, The establishment of national parks, the issuance of postage stamps, the mapping and naming of each area, etc., are concrete examples of the race to own Antarctica. According to National Geographic, UK, an increasing number of activities are damaging Antarctica, such as legal and illegal fishing, including the molluscs it contains. is the main food for whales. Arthur Devries, a fish biologist at the University of Illinois, USA, said that since 2003 he has not found an adult toothfish in Antarctica while in 1970, he caught 500 fish for a season to study a protein in the body of fish that helps make anticoagulants. Environmentalist Huck Dulown of the University of Gundee, UK, says he has collected hundreds of meters of damaged nets left behind by fishing boats, not to mention engine oil and household waste. travel. Huck Dulown said: “There are places called ‘scientific research stations’ but maybe inside are not military bases and it is not excluded that it hid missiles with nuclear warheads as it once happened. It goes against Article 1 of the Antarctic Treaty: “Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only. Any measures of a military nature, such as the establishment of military bases, the conduct of military exercises, the testing of any weapon, are prohibited. Antarctica is humanity’s last unspoiled reserve. Under the ice of this continent is an extremely large mineral resource including oil, copper, gold, titanium, uranium, rare earth …, and the surrounding seas are inhabited by many types of creatures. In addition, the glaciers in Antarctica contain 90% of the fresh water in the world, so South Africa, for example, was planning to pull an iceberg to serve the freshwater shortage in the city of Cap Town. A scientific research station in Antarctica And although Antarctica itself is a demilitarized zone, armed conflicts have arisen in a number of its vicinity, including Chile and Argentina over an island near Cape Horn, as well as claims to the South China Sea. The two countries’ overlapping territorial claims, or the war between Argentina and Great Britain over the Falkland Islands, is the gateway to Antarctica. Although the war ended long ago with the victory belonging to Britain, according to observers, it is very likely that it will flare up again. Jim Tymothy, a professor in the Department of Geopolitics, Yale University, USA, said: “The fate of the territories in Antarctica depends on the coordination of the great powers. If coordination is not achieved, the continent will share seven in the next 20 to 30 years, and that could lead to an Antarctic war, is based on these factors: The emergence of technology that allows the rapid and economical supply of fresh water from glaciers in the South China Sea. Antarctica to dry regions, rising oil prices and increasing demand for crude oil Besides, food also needs to be exploited more due to the growing global population, which requires fishing in Antarctic waters…”. At the moment, there is no such convergence of interests, but more than ever, it is likely to take shape because over 60 years, up to now, 54 countries have joined the Antarctic Treaty. including 29 European countries, 9 Asian countries, 8 South American countries, 4 in North and Central America, 3 in Oceania and 1 in Africa. Not only that, the number of consultative parties of the Treaty with bases in Antarctica is also constantly increasing: Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Korea Countries, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, UK, India, Italy, Norway, New Zealand, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Russia, Spain, South Africa, Ukraine, Uruguay, USA and Switzerland. The remaining 25 countries join the Antarctic Treaty as non-consulting parties but still have the right to attend relevant meetings without being included in the decision-making process. However, although “not included in the decision-making process”, these 25 countries still assert their position in Antarctica through scientific research stations, airports, ports, logistics facilities, etc. So the Antarctic race probably hasn’t stopped yet because no one is sure that in the future, no country will send people to this cold continent…

Tidal flat in Quan Lan island, Van Don district, Quang Ninh province. Photo TTH Fresh sa worms sold at the tidal flats cost more than 300,000 VND/kg, reaching the consumer’s table can be up to millions of dollars and preliminarily processed and dried depending on different prices, the most expensive can be up to nearly ten million VND. /kg. So enough to see, Sa worm is more expensive than many rare and precious specialties from the sea. Sa worm is less distributed, easy to exploit and reproduce, it is more difficult to maintain the natural breed, meanwhile, it is not possible to artificially breed this high-value seafood. In the Northeast Sea, which is geographically located in the Gulf of Tonkin with many bays, conifers and coastal saltwater ponds, it is the ideal habitat of the Sa worm. In addition, the tidal flats must have primary flora and mangrove trees for the slugs to reside. This layer of mangroves keeps the plankton in the water and is the food for the worms and many other bivalve molluscs such as clams, clams, oysters, blood cockles… Sa worm is mentioned as a specialty of Quan Lan and Minh Chau islands, Van Don district, Quang Ninh province because in the tidal flats along Quan Lan island, there is the best kind of worm. Another reason is that the oldest fishery of worms originated from the inhabitants of the island. There are families whose profession of digging and catching fish is passed down from generation to generation, supporting many generations. Increasingly, this item is more and more expensive due to scarcity and there was a time when sage was hunted and sold. Officers of Quan Lan Border Guard Station (Quang Ninh Border Guard) stationed in the area always integrate propaganda content to protect aquatic resources whenever there is a meeting or propaganda sessions. But only the fisherman understands better, if not protected, not “saved” for the next season, the risk of worms will also disappear like blood cockles, boredom, silk clams… Most of the fishers are women. They understand the characteristics of this intertidal marine species. With a specialized sand shovel, they arrived at the tidal flat early in the morning. At night, the worms in the nest come up to eat plankton, they use a shovel to quickly roll up the sand layer to catch it. The sun is up, the temperature is high, the sand is hot, the animal will hide deep down, not being caught anymore. It is important that the fishing profession is completely manual. If mechanized or used tools to plow the sand, the slugs will no longer be able to reproduce and will disappear until they disappear. It has happened in other sea areas such as Tien Yen, Ha Long, and Quang Yen of Quang Ninh province, when the tidal flats dried up, mangroves were cut down, over-exploited, encroached on the sea, and sucked sand. make the sage disappear. The People’s Committee of Quang Ninh province has regulated the period of banning the exploitation of worms in June and July every year (the breeding time of the worms). Mining is only allowed by the traditional manual method of using apricots and spades and only for worms that have reached a size over 10cm long. Along with people’s lives, Quan Lan Border Guard Station, when receiving people’s feedback, authenticates information and coordinates with many levels and branches to protect the intertidal area. Due to the large profits, many traders instigate people to use high-pressure pumps, pump out water, and plow the tidal flats to catch worms. The whole coastal shoal area was overturned, the environment was polluted, and large and small seafood was destroyed. There are times, early in the morning, when people go to the beach to “hunt” sa worms, Border Guard officers also come out to support people in protecting the intertidal area, propagandize and mobilize so that people do not exploit in the form of fishing. extermination, peace of mind to pursue their livelihoods, and at the same time, severely punish households who do not comply with the general regulations, exterminate fishing, and destroy the environment. Van Don has more than 2,000 hectares of tidal flats and nearly 1,000 fishermen make a living by hunting worms and natural intertidal mollusks. The original people in the island very well understand that seafood is their source of life, but when people from other places come, traders only buy for profit, there are always fishing activities that go against the interests of the community. this population. Especially, sand mining activities have been boycotted, protested and petitioned by fishermen, causing the locality to suspend this activity and rearrange order and stability in coastal residential areas. Accordingly, all acts of encroaching on the tidal flats, destroying the habitat of marine resources, local authorities encourage people to detect, denounce and clarify. Recently, Quan Minh Co., Ltd., an enterprise that dredging creeks and exploiting silica sand, has been accused by people of affecting the environment and attacking tidal flats, dumping waste, polluting the environment. affect the growth of the worm. In many places, people see both young worms and the fear of the extinction of worms is real. Van Don district immediately suspended the project’s construction to protect marine resources and at the same time maintain security and order in the area.

Their venom is made up of a mixture called peptide conus. Each of them will have a unique venom formula. More than 50,000 conus peptides have been discovered, they are all neurotoxins and no vertebrate species on our planet possesses this form of venom. Marbled Cone snail possesses an extremely splendid appearance but is considered the most venomous snail species on the planet. They are purely carnivores and predators, feeding mainly on sea worms, small fish, mollusks and even other cone snails. It can release venom at any time in its life, and this species is always ready to wipe out all living things around it. A cone snail, like most snails, moves slowly. However, its attack is extremely quick and powerful. They use a sophisticated detection system to find their prey. Snails eat fish, sea worms or other snails if food sources are scarce. Their secret to hunting doesn’t lie in movement speed, instead they hunt using venom and develop an extremely efficient venom system. Because of their slow movement speed, cone snails often hunt by “holding a tree waiting for a rabbit”, which will lie in the sand at the bottom of the water, only revealing its long tubular mouth and tentacles in the sand. Once it detects prey such as a small fish or something passing by, it will use strong muscle contractions to shoot the tongue connected with the venom gland from its long tubular mouth at lightning speed and “close the gap”. nail” into the body, injecting poison into the prey. This venom will paralyze prey within seconds and die instantly. To prevent their prey from struggling, some species of snails have created a toxin that can reduce pain and anesthetize the prey’s nerves, making the prey feel no pain and slowly die without even realizing it. know. When the prey is fixed and no longer struggling, the conch will withdraw the “hook” (toothed tongue), pulling the paralyzed prey into the mouth. One study estimated that this species alone caused 36 deaths. Divers are afraid to face the Marbled Cone snail. They are very beautiful, just like other normal snail shells, but when hit, they are very fast and even with diving gloves, the snail’s proboscis can still penetrate. A few microliters of the toxin in a snail’s saliva is strong enough to kill at least 10 people. Once the poison enters your system, you may not feel symptoms for several minutes or days. Although the bite is not painful, you may feel numbness or tingling. However, then your whole body may shake, your eyes will go blurry, and your breathing may stop after just a few hours. However, the function of this extremely toxic substance is only for self-defense and to catch prey, but they never actively attack humans. Up to now, about 30 people have died from accidental contact with the marbled cone’s spit. The life of the snail shell collector will end when the sharp hook of this snail pierces the person. The most powerful poison called neurotoxin will temporarily paralyze your nerves. After that, the respiratory organs will close, making it difficult for you to breathe and this can be the worst part. Symptoms of a snail sting include local pain, swelling, numbness, tingling, and vomiting. Symptoms may appear immediately or slowly over several days. In severe cases, muscle paralysis, vision changes and respiratory failure can lead to death. The various neurotoxins contained in cone snails are called cono toxins. In addition to being toxic to humans, in this venom mixture there are many beneficial substances, which can work accurately and quickly on the human nervous system without causing side effects. Therefore, this snail can also open up a new medical future for humans. For example, cono peptides have the potential to prevent spasticity caused by spinal cord injury and may help diagnose and treat small cell lung cancer. Conotoxins can immediately generate nerve signals that reduce heart rate or turn off pain receptors. Ziconotide isolated from it is used as an analgesic. It is said to be 1000 times more effective than morphine and not addictive. Conotoxin ACV1, isolated from Victoria cone cone in Australia, is more effective than morphine and Ziconotide, has a longer analgesic effect and is convenient to use without side effects. It has been shown to be very effective in the treatment of post-operative and neurological conditions, and even accelerates the recovery of nerve damage, and is expected to be developed as a treatment for anxiety. , Parkinson’s disease, muscle tension and hypertension.

This species is extremely toxic, it prefers to hide in coral reefs, rocks and sandy seabeds from intertidal to intertidal zones in southeastern China and tropical seas. Their bodies contain more than 200 pharmacologically active substances and a single drop of venom can kill 20 adults. To date there have been at least 100 recorded deaths from the venom of this species and the actual number could be much higher. The creature we are talking about here is the Cone Snail, also known as the cone snail, is a marine gastropod mollusk, so far more than 70 species have been found along the coast. along the coast of China and there are more than 1,000 species discovered in the world. Their venom is made up of a mixture called peptide conus. Each of them will have a unique venom formula. More than 50,000 conus peptides have been discovered, they are all neurotoxins and no vertebrate species on our planet possesses this form of venom. The Cone Snail has a mostly cone-shaped appearance and the largest can be 23 cm long. They are purely carnivores and predators, feeding mainly on sea worms, small fish, mollusks and even other cone snails. It can release venom at any time in its life, and this species is always ready to wipe out all living things around it. But surely you will find it difficult to understand because in our impression, snails are very slow-moving mollusks, how can they hunt, especially fast-moving species like fish? In fact, the secret to their hunting is not in their movement speed, instead they hunt by using their venom and developing an extremely efficient venom system. All cone snails are masters of poisons, likened to the five poisons in the animal kingdom. They have a tongue pocket in their throat, which contains many hollow toothed tongues, which resemble spearheads and are made of hard chitin. Because of their slow movement speed, cone snails often hunt by “holding a tree and waiting for rabbits”, which will lie in the sand at the bottom of the water, only revealing their long tubular mouth and tentacles in the sand. Once it detects prey such as a small fish or something passing by, it will use strong muscle contractions to shoot the tongue connected with the venom gland from its long tubular mouth at lightning speed and “close the gap”. nail” into the body, injecting poison into the prey. This venom will paralyze prey within seconds and die instantly. To prevent their prey from struggling, some species of snails have created a toxin that can reduce pain and anesthetize the prey’s nerves, making the prey feel no pain and slowly die without even realizing it. know. When the prey is fixed and no longer struggling, the conch will withdraw the “hook” (toothed tongue), pulling the paralyzed prey into the mouth. It’s worth noting that even when it’s not during mealtimes, if it feels threatened, the conch shells will shoot out without hesitation. So if you see brightly colored and beautiful cones on the beach, don’t stress. It came out by accident. Pick it up, especially the larger cone snails. This behavior can kill you because the conch’s nose can pierce the skin, gloves or wetsuit. Especially among cone snails, there is a species called Gastridium geographus, also known as geographical cone snail, killer snail, they are known as one of the most poisonous snails in the world, and one of the most dangerous snails in the world. marine animals that are extremely toxic to humans. One study estimated that this species alone caused 36 deaths. Symptoms of a snail sting include local pain, swelling, numbness, tingling, and vomiting. Symptoms may appear immediately or slowly over several days. In severe cases, muscle paralysis, vision changes and respiratory failure can lead to death. The various neurotoxins contained in cone snails are called cono toxins. In addition to being toxic to humans, in this venom mixture there are many beneficial substances, which can work accurately and quickly on the human nervous system without causing side effects. Therefore, this snail can also open up a new medical future for humans. For example, cono peptides have the potential to prevent spasticity caused by spinal cord injury and may help diagnose and treat small cell lung cancer. Conotoxins can immediately generate nerve signals that reduce heart rate or turn off pain receptors. Ziconotide isolated from it is used as an analgesic. It is said to be 1000 times more effective than morphine and not addictive. Conotoxin ACV1, isolated from Victoria cone cone in Australia, is more effective than morphine and Ziconotide, has a longer analgesic effect and is convenient to use without side effects. It has been shown to be very effective in the treatment of post-operative and neurological conditions, and even accelerates the recovery of nerve damage, and is expected to be developed as a treatment for anxiety. , Parkinson’s disease, muscle tension and hypertension.

After the salt soaking, the jellyfish are rinsed so that it no longer has a salty taste. Jellyfish are mollusks that usually appear in the sea from January to March of lunar year each year with a very cheap price, about 1 million VND / ton. Xuan Lien sea area is far from fresh water, so the jellyfish is big and old – a prerequisite for the processing of high quality products. Although over 20 years working as a profession with the secret of processing delicious instant jellyfish, the products of Mr. Nguyen Van Hoat’s family (Lam Hai Hoa village, Xuan Lien commune) have not yet been branded for “Reaching out to the great sea” Therefore, after many concerns, Mr. Hoat decided to invest more than 1 billion VND to install a factory, build 40 jellyfish salt tanks with cement, paved with ceramic tiles (size 3m long, 2m wide, 0.8m high) ; buy cutting machine, rotating machine, finished jellyfish packaging machine … Weighing and packaging jellyfish instant products. After completing the installation of equipment, in early 2021, the Huong Que production facility of Mr. Nguyen Van Hoat’s family shook hands to raise the brand. In order for the product to be of good quality, according to Mr. Hoat, the raw materials must be very fresh, not sticky with sand, because the process cannot remove sand from the product. Jellyfish after being cleaned and removed all organs are put into the cutter, cut into small pieces. Next, use the oil cleaner for 9 hours. After removing all kinds of impurities, jellyfish are put in a salt tank at the rate of 1 ton of jellyfish, 1 quintal of salt and 1 kg of alum for 10 days. Instant jellyfish is packaged in a plastic bag or plastic box, weighing 0.5kg. According to Mr. Hoat, white salt works to ripen jellyfish and preserve it for a long time, and alum makes jellyfish shiny and eye-catching. After 10 days of salt, jellyfish are removed from the tank and soaked in cold water for about 5 hours to retain the salty taste and season with spices such as garlic, chili, ginger … and finished packaging. Instant jellyfish products of Huong Que establishment are clean, have natural jellyfish taste, are crunchy, not crumpled, and ensure food hygiene and safety. It is known that during the processing of these products, the manufacturer does not give up additives to ensure natural taste. Therefore, the use time is not too long, but only within 45 days. Jellyfish after packaging are put into storage in the freezer. Instant jellyfish can be eaten with vermicelli, pho, crab cake or as a salad. Products are sold in Ha Tinh and some Northern provinces. Currently, the owner is aiming to export to China and South Korea. Every year, Huong Que factory purchases 500-700 tons of fresh jellyfish, produces 50-70 tons of instant jellyfish with the selling price ranging from 1 – 1.4 billion VND. After subtracting production costs, this establishment earned 200-300 million VND. Products are recognized by the Provincial People’s Committee to meet OCOP criteria of 3 stars by 2020. Actively produce, operate, improve product quality and build OCOP products, after 3 months (December 17, 2020), instant jellyfish products are recognized by the People’s Committee of Ha Tinh province to meet OCOP 3 standard. star. According to Mr. Le Thanh Binh – Head of Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Nghi Xuan district, due to its unique taste, instant jellyfish products from Huong Que establishment are very popular. In particular, this facility also creates jobs for 18 local children with an average income of 8 million VND / person / month.

Jellyfish season is sleepless nights of the coastal residents of Thinh Long. The time to start harvesting jellyfish of the fishermen here starts from 1am. Jellyfish are molluscs, living in seawater. The jellyfish are caught offshore from 6 to 12 nautical miles. Jellyfish harvest season lasts 3 months, from January to the end of March of lunar calendar. Depending on the weather that jellyfish are more or less. This year, up to 20 days a month, fishermen can exploit jellyfish. Every evening, ships often catch 3,000-4,000 jellyfish. Jellyfish exploitation brings high income but hard work, many people do not have the strength to do it. Those who are not healthy do other jobs, while those who are healthy do this profession with very high income. The people here are also from jellyfish to get rich and develop their economy. According to VTC16, the preliminary processing factory of Mr. Ninh Van Chinh is one of the largest jellyfish preliminary processing factories in Thinh Long. During the day when there are many jellyfish, Mr. Chinh’s workshop operates from late at night until 18:00 the next day. Jellyfish after being preliminarily processed will be put in a centrifuge to squeeze the water, leaving only the meat. The jellyfish meat is soaked in salty brine to be freshly cooked before deep processing. Soaking jellyfish is like pickling salt, soaking jellyfish in salt water reaches 24 degrees, within 1 week to 10 days to ensure the ripeness of the jellyfish, delicious, fishy, ​​and crispy. Working as a preliminary processing jellyfish in Thinh Long quite a lot of time, Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan said that each time she made jellyfish preliminary, she was paid 500,000 VND. She also said that the work is quite hard, but because she depends on her family, she chose this job. “When I work at night, I can still take care of my children during the day. As for the day, many people are too busy to go.” Previously, jellyfish were only pickled to become salty jellyfish and then sold in domestic and foreign markets. However, in recent years, in order to increase the value of jellyfish, production establishments have upgraded and processed deeply into instant jellyfish. Jellyfish is rich in nutrients, rich in protein, newspaper, calcium, iron and other vitamins, cool, easy to eat. Currently, 1 year, 31 milk processing establishments across Nam Dinh can supply to domestic and foreign markets about 500 tons of jellyfish. (According to Business and Marketing)