The green mussel, Perna viridis, bed was not present in Vellar Estuary prior to the year 2000. Their large scale
settlement in the estuary after this period is attributed to the temporary high saline regime that set in due to
successive failure of northeast monsoon up to 2004. Details collected on their distribution, abundance and
size in Vellar Estuary, the quantity exploited and marketed are reported. However, the killer tsunami led to
sedimentation which smothered the mussel beds leading to mass mortality. The heavy floods during the
northeast monsoon in 2005 was also a factor which wiped out the remaining few individuals and now there
are no mussel beds in this estuary.