‘Kalle khube’, once a regular table delicacy, makes rare appearance at Banastarim market

Panaji: A rare sight of ‘kalle khube’

— once a culinary delight among shellfish delicacies—grabbed some eyeballs at Banastarim’s Friday market. Sourced from the nearby Mandovi river’s fish biodiversity hotspot, their gradual disappearance from markets and roadside rankles old timers.The old woman sitting with a ‘vantto’ (parcel) of the muddy bivalves away from the fish market inside the building looked out of place among veggie and fruit vendors at the bazaar.

The parcel of six bivalves was quoted at Rs 100.A similar scenario prevailed in the Mandovi region. “Barges plying like vehicular traffic, diesel, engine smoke and erection of more than a dozen jetties caused much damage,” said Gaonkar.The intense iron ore mining activity in Bicholim and nearby areas carried slurry from the hills during monsoons. “Thick layers of silt sadly buried the rich habitats. In recent years, sand mining scraped them clean,” said Gaonkar.The mud clams are endemic to Goa’s mangrove habitats. “More efforts and their sustainable utilisation to ensure ecological processes are needed to conserve this important resource,” the study stated.