Gastropod landing, utilisation and trade in India: A case study from Kollam, India

Abstract

Gastropods used both for decorative and edible purposes are a valuable resource along the east and west coast of India and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Even though the molluscan production in India was comparatively insignificant in earlier times, it increased due to the demand for edible as well as ornamental gastropods from around the globe coupled with their importance in generating additional income as a bycatch. The Shakthikulangara and Neendakara landing centres of the Kollam district of Kerala ranks among the major gastropod landing centres along the west coast of India. Based on the cost and earnings analysed from the primary data collected from Shakthikulangara and Neendakara area, various productivity ratios are analysed which indicates that the fishing for gastropods registered a shift in operations from harvesting as a by-catch resource to targeted fishing. The study reveals the scope of gastropod fishery in Kerala as well as the lack of shellcraft industry in the state. Also, the reduced availability of gastropods due to the extensive exploitation is investigated.

Diversity of Harvested Gastropods in Guang-Guang, Mati City, Davao Oriental, Philippines

“…Additionally, the presence of biological disturbances, such as invasive species, will also influence the distribution of the gastropods (Raffo et al 2014). Moreover, because of their nearshore habitat and accessibility to human settlements, several gastropod species have been used as a source of protein and livelihood through gleaning, particularly in many coastal communities (Flores-Garza et al 2012;Salim et al 2017;de Guzman 2019;Furkon and Ambo-Rappe 2019;Balisco et al 2022;Maynawang and Macusi 2023). This human access resulted in trampling, marine pollution, and threats of overcollection and gastropod population (Nieves et al 2010;Akele et al 2015;Ibarra 2018).…”