The shorelines of Vembanad Lake these days witness something far more fishy under the cover of darkness than mere littering. When the lights are off, many rummage its muddy bottom for hours on end, heaving baskets of little black clams onto country boats.
Taking a serious note of the practice, which has put the black clam stocks in the waterbody in jeopardy, the Fisheries department has intensified its watch over the black clam sector with emergency raids. Since April this year, the authorities have foiled at least seven instances of illegal black clam harvesting and issued fines to the parties involved.
“A fine of ₹10,000 has been imposed on six to seven parties under the Kerala Inland Fisheries and Aqua Culture Act, 2010, while notices have been issued to three more parties. The problem is particularly rampant in the northern side of the Thannermukkam bund where the salinity content is relatively higher,” explained Benny Williams, Deputy Director of Fisheries, Kottayam.
