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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