Along the coast of Uttara Kannada, rivers meet the Arabian Sea to create rich estuarine ecosystems that sustain both nature and people. The Kali, Aghanashini, Sharavathi, Gangavali and Venkatapur estuaries support fishing, shellfish collection, aquaculture, agriculture and other traditional livelihoods.
For many coastal families, the water is more than a natural resource—it is their workplace. In the Aghanashini and Kali estuaries, people collect clams and other bivalves from mudflats during low tide. Harvesters carefully read the river’s currents, water colour and riverbed to identify productive areas. Women play an important role by collecting, cleaning, sorting and preparing the shellfish for sale.
A Tradition Sustained by the Tides
Clam harvesting remains an important supplementary source of income for communities around Karwar and Kumta. Villages such as Deevgi, Mankon, Mirjan, Musuguppa and Hondadakkal depend on the Aghanashini estuary for fishing and shellfish collection. Research on the Aghanashini fishing communities has found that hundreds of people are directly involved in collecting bivalves, clams and oysters, with fishing remaining the principal livelihood for many households.
The estuaries also provide fish, prawns, crabs, oysters and mussels. Their productivity is closely connected to mangroves, tidal movements and nutrients carried downstream from the Western Ghats. Mangroves provide feeding and nursery grounds for fish and prawns while helping maintain the ecological health of the estuarine system.
Women at the Heart of the Livelihood
The contribution of women often extends beyond harvesting. After clams are brought ashore, women clean, sort and prepare them for local markets and household consumption. This makes estuarine resources an important part of the local household economy as well as the food culture of the district.
Growing Pressure on the Estuaries
This traditional livelihood is facing increasing pressure. Excessive harvesting, changes in natural river flow and activities such as sand extraction can affect clam populations and the wider estuarine ecosystem. Researchers have also stressed the importance of allowing smaller shellfish to remain in the water so that populations can regenerate.
The challenge is therefore not simply to protect the estuary, but to protect the communities whose lives and incomes are intertwined with it. Sustainable harvesting, mangrove conservation, protection of mudflats and responsible management of river flows can help maintain both biodiversity and livelihoods.
Protecting a Way of Life
The estuaries of Uttara Kannada demonstrate how closely human livelihoods can be connected to healthy ecosystems. Every tide brings an opportunity for fishing or shellfish collection, while every change in the river can affect the families waiting along its banks.
Protecting these waters means protecting more than fish and mangroves—it means safeguarding a traditional coastal economy, local food culture and a way of life passed from one generation to the next.