Gastropod and bivalve fishery of Kakinada Bay, Andhra Pradesh, India: Management and conservation issues

• Main Author: Laxmilatha, P
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: Bivalves; Gastropods; Hope Island; Hope island
• Online Access: http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/11503/; http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/11503/1/Gastropod%20and%20bivalve%20fishery%20of%20Kakinada%20Bay_Aquaculture%20Asia_2015_20-4_Laxmilatha.pdf

Several species of shellfi sh, both bivalves and gastropods, are regularly fi shed from the Kakinada Bay in Andhra Pradesh, India. An organised ornamental shell trade and lime industry fl ourishes in the villages along the Kakinada Bay. The bay opens into the Bay of Bengal on its northern side and is bordered by mainland on the western side, by mangrove forests on southern side and by a narrow sand bar called Hope Island on its eastern side. The bay is shallow and large mud fl ats are exposed during low tides, on the southern and western sides. The total area fi shed for molluscs in the bay is about 100 km2 mostly confi ned to the southern and eastern sides where depth is 2-4 m and there is no fi shing in the northern section where the depth is more than 9 m. The bottom of the major part of the Bay is of soft fi ne clay with good amount of silt while the eastern side of the bay is sandy and western side is rocky (Narasimham, 2004).