With the annual ban on harvesting in force and anxious over the upcoming season due to the decline in stock, the clam collectors of Ashtamudi are staring at a shaky future.
While many of them will be struggling for survival till the ban ends, they seem more distraught over the possibility of a dry season. According to fishers, the normal estuarine ecosystem has been steadily changing over the years, posing a serious threat to their livelihood.
“Be it fish or clam, there has been a considerable dip in catch. During the breeding season female clams lay lakhs of eggs, but there are some factors, including salinity, temperature and pollution, that affect the breeding,” says Murguan from Dalavapuram.
In early 2020, clam collectors had spotted an invasive bivalve species that easily colonised the creeks of Ashtamudi. “This mussel leaves no space for native species to settle and we feel that this can make breeding very difficult. We feel very apprehensive about what awaits us after the ban,” he says.
B. Yesudas, president, Clam Collector's Union, says boats using illegal and unscientific methods are responsible for the dip in stock, while traditional clam collectors are left to face the music. “It is not possible for manual collectors to exhaust the stock and individuals diving into the water can hardly damage the clam bed. The practice of 'kuthi vali' is the reason as they use large boats and pulleys to harvest the clams,” he says.
In the process, collectors usually plough through the clam bed sweeping everything, including juvenile clams. “Though illegal, the practice is rampant in many parts and is responsible for the decline in spawner population,” he says.
In a bid to replenish the clam stock and promote sustainable development of resources, the Fisheries Department had set up sanctuaries in Ashtamudi. The protected sites had helped the clams to multiply and according to fishers, provided livelihood for many during the pandemic. The initiative was launched as part of a comprehensive project to revive inland fisheries sector and the sites were decided after checking various parameters.
“Locating the sites suitable for clam relaying requires time. The project will be continued after rechecking a number of factors in the habitat,” says an official.