Short Neck Clam

Short Neck Clam Latest News

An initiative of the ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute’s (CMFRI) to enhance stock of short-neck clam (Paphia malabarica) programme in Ashtamudi Lake is showing early signs of recovery. 

About Short Neck Clam

• It is a valuable bivalve mollusk.
• It is India’s first Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fisheries. 
• It is the major fishery resource of the brackish water Ashtamudi Lake in Kerala, India.
• Reasons for its decline: Environmental pollution, invasion of non-native species like the Charru mussel, climate change, including altered salinity and water temperature, have significantly reduced the clam population.

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Features of Short Neck Clam

• Growth: It is a fast-growing species with a peak spawning season of December to February and has a maximum lifespan of around 3 years.
• Maturity: It attains sexual maturity in its first year at a shell length of 30 mm.

Economic Significance of Short Neck Clam

• It is used in cement production and to make carbide for use in welding.
• The clams are bought by a local factory, heat-treated, frozen and sold on to retailers and restaurants, with around 80% being exported to Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand.
• The clam shell is used as the raw material for the manufacture of cement, calcium carbide and sand lime bricks.
• They are also used for lime burning for construction, in paddy fields and fish farms for neutralizing acid soil and as slaked lime.

Source: TH