China's ocean pollution worsens

Chinese officials say that sea pollution around their country's coasts has worsened over the last year.

A report by China's State Oceanic Administration, the SOA, says that heavily polluted ocean areas have increased by more than 4,000 square kilometres - mainly in waters close to major cities and industrialised areas, in particular parts of the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea.

The report says that almost 175,000 square kilometres of seas around China are no longer suitable for marine life.

However, an SOA official said the recorded increase in pollution was partly accounted for by improved monitoring.

A BBC Science correspondent says the major pollutants are nitrogen and phosphates which may come from chemical fertilizers.

Some experts also point to the busy sea lanes around Chinese coasts - it is estimated that more than half of the world's supertanker traffic passes through the South China Sea.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service