VASCO: Over 30 bio-crusaders from Chicalim village collected a huge cache of oyster shell remains and placed them back delicately into the Sancoale bay waters at low tide, on Monday.
They covered these “haddes” with fishing net as protection from external harm. The Sancoale BMC will be monitoring the impact on these transplanted “haddes” periodically to observe any positive or negative impact on the shells.
It was a unique event planned by Chicalim villagers in association with Sancoale Biodiversity Management Committee, local panch Succorine Vales and environment lovers from the nearby areas.
Cyril Fenandes, chairperson, Chicalim Biodiversity Heritage Committee under the Chicalim BMC, stated that it is a first of its kind event in Goa, wherein oyster shell remains, locally known as “haddes”, were placed back into the Zuari waters at Zorinto Ward of Sancoale village.
He said, “These ‘Haddes’ are large stones around which seed oysters cling and grow to form large oyster shells. Traditionally, the local fishermen would venture out into the river at low tide and extract the oysters from these shells leaving the shell remains back at the site into the same waters for regeneration of oysters.”
On the occasion, Dr Baban Ingole, former National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) senior scientist, who was the special invitee, warned that the activity of taking away these mother-shells would cause disastrous and permanent damage to the water body and kill the breeding of oysters in Zorinto and other surrounding places.
He also gave information on the features of the oyster “Haddes” and explained their various benefits to the ecology of the local waters of Zuari Bay.
Dr Ingole disclosed that “Haddes” are “mother-shells” of oysters around which the baby seeds cling, survive and grow in large numbers.
He congratulated the Sancoale BMC members, the Chicalim bio-crusaders and the other environment lovers who attended this unique and unprecedented event. He claimed that this will act as an impetus to the other villagers of Goa to follow suit to preserve and conserve their ecological bio-diversities.
In recent times, especially at the low tide, in the month of May, with the increase in breeding of oysters in the Sancoale Bay, the people from Mormugao Taluka and far off places namely Loutolim, Ponda, Quepem and Sanvordem come in hordes to extract these oysters at Zorinto Bay. People are seen carrying bag-loads of oyster shells in tempos, cars and on scooters.
The event was co-ordinated by Cyril Fernandes from Chicalim and Johnson Stephen from Sancoale.
