Kochi clam collectors hit a fortune in Kundannur backwaters, ‘Kakkachakara’ is back

Kochi: The backwaters of Kundannur shimmer in the morning light, the surface dotted with dozens of small boats. From each boat, men lean over with long-handled nets, scooping clams from the shallows and piling them into baskets that glisten in the sun. To locals, this is nothing short of a miracle — the long-awaited return of the ‘Kakkachakara’, or clam harvest in the region. 

For the last five years, fishing here never stopped. Nets went out, boats came in, and the waters stayed busy. But the clam beds told a different story. The once-abundant harvest had all but vanished, leaving clam diggers with empty baskets. Many local fishers linked it to the Maradu flat demolition in January 2020, when four apartment complexes came crashing down in a controlled implosion. The blast cloud rose like a storm, some of the debris fell in the water, and in its aftermath, fishers say, the clams vanished. 

“After the flat debris fell in the water, there was no ‘chakara’," recalls Sunil, a clam digger from Thykattussery. “The water felt different. It was as if the backwaters had lost their life. Local fishers say it could be because of the debris and dust from demolition. The current stretch, where the harvest is happening, is just a few hundred metres away from Holyfaith, H2O and Alfa Serene apartments, which were demolished first. We don’t know what changed now, maybe the effects of the debris finally faded away," he said. 

The scale of the harvest has stunned even seasoned hands. Small canoes and motorised boats from as far away as Alappuzha and Kottayam now crowd the Kundannur stretch. From dawn until the sun climbs too high, the water is alive with the rhythmic splash of oars and the scrape of nets. By afternoon, the catch is piled high in baskets, ready for the journey to processing hubs in Vaikom, Eramallur, and Chandiroor. 

“It’s been years since we saw this kind of harvest,” says Sasi, a fisherman from Cherthala’s Pallipuram. “We go out at sunrise, rest when it gets too hot, and return again in the evening. By night, the clams are already moving to the markets,” he said. 

What has also changed is how the clams are collected. Alongside the traditional practice of diving into the water and picking clams by hand, a new method has taken hold: the kuthuvala, or kolli. It is a long-handled net, dragged across the bed to scoop up clams in one sweep from a boat. For many, the kolli has become the tool of choice, speeding up the harvest at a time when abundance demands speed. 

“Now, we don't have to dive into the water like the traditional way of harvesting. Kolli is faster and easier, and those who don't know diving can easily do clam harvesting,” explains Sasi. While this method makes harvesting easier, it is considered ‘unscientific’ by some. Traditional clam diggers, who dive into the water to collect clams, say that the ‘kolli’ also collects and destroys clam seeds, potentially harming future clam populations. 

The clams from Kundannur backwaters are particularly prized for their flavour and texture, a fact that explains the rush of outsiders to this patch of backwater. “People come here because these clams are different from the ones we get in other parts. They have more meat in the shell and weigh heavier than normal clams. The ‘chakara’ came as an Onam gift for us,” says Vineesh, a digger from Panavally, as he rinses a fresh catch at the edge of his boat.

The science behind the ‘chakara’
Scientists, too, are watching the harvest at Kundannur closely. The Central Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi, is preparing to study these waters to see if the years of absence and this sudden return are really connected to the Maradu demolition, like the fishermen claim. 

“We heard about the clam harvesting. If it is linked to the flat demolition, it can be confirmed only after testing the water quality and sediments there. We will take the samples soon. But, the clam spats (baby clams) are usually found in different places, and it is not necessarily in the same place every year,” said Dr Vidya R, senior scientist, CMFRI. 

For now, though, the questions and doubts can wait. For the clam diggers of Kundannur, what matters is today — the rare fortune of a harvest returned. And they are racing against time, hauling in every last shell before the ‘chakara’ ends.