Short Neck Clam

About Short neck clam:

• It is a valuable bivalve mollusk.
• It is a fast-growing species with a peak spawning season of December to February and has a maximum lifespan of around 3 years.
• It attains sexual maturity in its first year at a shell length of 30 mm.
• It is the major fishery resource of the brackishwater Ashtamudi Lake in Kerala, India
• It is India’s first Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fisheries. 
• Short neck clam is a treasured resource in Ashtamudi Lake with significant economic and ecological importance.
  • The shells provide an extra income: as a mineral source, they’re 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 also holds commercial importance being 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 field and fish farms for neutralizing acid soil and as slaked lime.
• In recent years, the fishery of this clam has witnessed a drastic decline, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen who rely on this resource.
• Reasons for its decline: Environmental pollution, invasion of non-native species like the Charru mussel, and the impacts of climate change, including altered salinity and water temperature, have significantly reduced the clam population.

Q1: What are mollusks?

These are any soft-bodied invertebrate of the phylum Mollusca, usually wholly or partly enclosed in a calcium carbonate shell secreted by a soft mantle covering the body. 

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