In a first of its kind move, the Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB) has mooted control over clam farming and harvesting. As per reports, the Board has issued the new guidelines in wake of the recent large-scale exploitation of shellfish resources in Chicalim bay and some other habitats. Under this, the GSBB has announced a ban on the harvesting of clams in their breeding period, from July to October and recommended locals to only use traditional hand-picking methods for farming.
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Other guidelines permit only locals with a 5-km radius of harvesting hotspots to extract clams. Others will have to take permission from local bodies. Besides this, the average size of clams to be harvested, to avoid juvenile harvesting and quota system has been recommended to prevent overexploitation and plunder.
