Charru mussel invasion in Kerala

Charru mussel (Mytella strigata)-an invasive mussel native to the South and Central American coasts, is spreading quickly in the backwaters of Kerala, threatening the livelihoods of fishermen engaged in molluscan fisheries.

  • According to a paper published in the Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, the rapid spread of the Charru mussel (Mytella strigata) may have been triggered by Cyclone Ockhi (2017).
  • The presence of the Charru mussel in the Kadinamkulam, Paravur, Edava-Nadayara, Ashtamudi, Kayamkulam, Vembanad, Chettuva and Ponnani estuaries/backwaters. Ashtamudi Lake, a Ramsar site in Kollam district, remains the worst-hit.
  • Charru mussel has replaced the Asian green mussel (Perna viridis) and the edible oyster Magallana bilineata (known locally as muringa).
  • Externally, the Charru mussel resembles the green and brown mussels (kallummekkaya in Malayalam), but is much smaller in size. Its colour varies from black to brown, purple or dark green.
  • In Ashtamudi Lake, the Charru mussel had established breeding populations in 2018 and 2019, acquiring the moniker ‘varathan kakka’ (alien mollusc).

Source: The Hindu

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