Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India

The lime-shell fisheries of the Vembanad Lake, Kerala

Volume 18 Issue 2

E. J. Razalam and M. J. Sebastian

Abstract

The paper reviews the available information on the lime-shell fishery resources of the Vembanad Lake, Kerala. The commercial uses of the lime-shell in major and minor industries and in agriculture are described and the prospects of a better and fuller utilisation of the clam meat, which at present is largely discarded, are examined. The methods of fishing for the subfossil shells as well as for the clams or the live shells are described. The intensity of fishing in the different clam beds, the species composition, the catch statistics for the years 1965 to 1968, the per capita income, the licencing system and the role of Fishermen Co-operative Societies are discussed. The problem of overfishing and the possible repercussions of salt-water-exclusion projects on the clam fisheries are discussed. The possibility of conservation of this renewable resource by methods such as the establishment of a clam sanctuary is also discussed.

Date : 30-06-1976