The mud bank prawn fishery of Kerala - Declining trend

The mud bank fishery, locally known as chaakara fishery is a unique phenomenon along the Kerala coast during the south-west monsoon period. The duration and the location of the fishery show slight variations from year to year. During the rainy season concentrations of mud occur in different areas very close to the shore, providing much calmer seas for operations of fishing boats in comparison to the stormy surf of the monsoon seas of the surrounding localities.In the years in which the fishery fails the condition of the entire population of fishermen who depend on and look forward to this fishery is deplorable.In view of the habits of these prawns of utilising the adjoining estuaries and backwaters of the area as their nursery grounds to a large extent, the increasing amount of exploitation of their young ones in the fishery in the inside waters may probably be one of the reason for the failure of the prawn fishery in the inshore and mud bank areas.