Bivalve fishery of Bhimili Estuary, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

The Bhimili Estuary situated in Visakhapatnam District of Andhra Pradesh is a fairly large but shallow estuary and supports the livelihood of over 5000 fishers. Nearly 3000 clam/oyster pickers exploit the bivalve resources of this estuary. Finfishes like Mugil cephalus and Caranx sp., shrimps such as Metapenaeus monoceros, Fenneropenaeus indicus, Penaeus monodon and the crab Scylla serrata are the major species contributing to the fishery of this estuary. The Gostani River joins the sea at Bhimilipatnam carrying freshwater from Anantagiri hills, Padmanabhan, Boni, Pandrangi, Taditorru, Gudivada, Chittivalasa,Jutmill,Mulakuddu and Nagamayyapalem. Clams and oysters are distributed up to a stretch of 5-6 km from Bhimili municipality office point. The clam/oyster fishing grounds are Moolakuddu, Magamayyapalem, Thotepalem, Chinnanagarama, Asipalem and Gudivada