Studies on some aspects of biology and population dynamics of short neck clam Paphia malabarica chemnitz in Dharmadom Estuary North Kerala Southwest coast of India

Fisheries sector plays a vital role in the Indian economy. It addresses various issues like food and nutritional security, employment, livelihood support and socio economic status of fishing communities. The sector provides employment and income to over 5 million fishers and fish farmers, majority of whom live in over 3600 coastal villages, besides fishers hamlets along the major river basins and reservoirs in the country. The fish production in India registered an excellent growth during the past half century and reached 6 million t in the year 2002 from a meager 0.75 million t in 1950. The fishers primarily depend on fisheries in these waters for their livelihoods. The fisheries sector in India contribute to nearly Rs. 220 billion which is 1.4 % of the total national gross domestic products (GDP) and 4.6 % of agriculture GDP (Pillai, 2004), and hence it occupies a very important place in the socio-economic development of the country. The sector has been recognized as a powerful instrument to generate income and employment as it stimulates growth of a number of subsidiary industries and is a cheap and nutritious food besides being a foreign exchange earner. At the same time it is a means of livelihood for a large section of economically backward coastal population of the country. Indian fish production increased from 3.7 million tonnes in 1990 to 5.3 million tonnes in 1999 and ranks fourth in the fish production in the world. (Fishing Chimes, April 2006)