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Short Neck Clam

18-12-2024

07:30 AM

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1 min read
Short Neck Clam Blog Image

Overview:

Recently, three million seeds of short neck clam (Paphia malabarica), produced at the Vizhinjam Regional Centre of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) were released into Ashtamudi Lake.

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. 

News:Three million Paphia malabarica seeds released into Ashtamudi