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Clam, cockle and oyster resources of the Indian coasts

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Relation http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/2760/
 
Title Clam, cockle and oyster resources of the Indian coasts
 
Creator Alagarswami, K
Narasimham, K A
 
Subject Edible oyster
Clam
 
Description India, faced with the problem of food shortage as it is, has, since two decades, been systematically investigating
and harvesting the resources of the seas around her with a view to augmentirg her feed prccuciicr. Eut
the emphasis laid has been mostly on fishes, and themolluscan shellfish, in general, ha^e not been given due
attention. Besides forming food, the molluscs are a useful source in mfK.i g lirre, ircrUr £r.d cement for the
house building industry and as ornaments and curios. This is a source where relatively little investment cait
bring in high returns. Among the edible molluscs, clams and oysters abound our coasts. Though the biology
of species like Crassostrea madrasensis, C. gryphoides, Meretrix meretiix, M. casta, Katelysia opima,
K. marmorata, Solen kempi, Donax cuneatus, D. faba, Gafrarium tumidum, Anadara granosa and a few
others has been studied from different areas data on the exploited and poleniial resources have not been
adequately obtained.
In the present paper the distribution of clam, cockle and oyster resources of the Indian coasts, including
the estuaries and backwaters, based on a survey conducted along the east end west coasts and the published
data has been dealt with. The present level of harvesting is given and the scope for future exploitation is
indicated. The need for starting systematic culture of these species as well as simple transplantation to bring
new areas into production is stressed. The need for educating the public on the food value of the molluscs is
also pointed out. This article cannot be said to cover all the above aspects in great detail but it attempts to
highlight the importance of the edible bivalve resources in the present situation.
 
Date 1973
 
Type Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
Identifier http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/2760/1/Article_49.pdf
Alagarswami, K and Narasimham, K A (1973) Clam, cockle and oyster resources of the Indian coasts. In: Proceedings of the symposium on living resources of the seas around India, 1968, Mandapam Camp.