Validation of indigenous knowledge on edibility of b aby clam, Katylesia opima from the Ratnagiri coast of Maharashtra
Indigenous knowledge can be judiciously blended with modern scientific knowledge and its benefit to the fishers can be greatly improved. Bivalve fishery is traditionally practiced along the estuarine ecosystems in coastal district of Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. Fishermen, by virtue of their intricate association with coastal environment and daily observations of natural resources possess rich indigenous knowledge (IK) In present study, an attempt was made to validate the indigenous knowledge of fishermen related to the seasonal edibility of Baby clam (Katylesia opima) with respect to season wise variation in the quantity of meat. Data on edibility of clams was collected from 50 fishermen using semi structured schedules. For validation of the indigenous knowledge, laboratory data on percentage edibility, lipid, protein, ash and glycogen were collected and analyzed. In clams, all the variables tested only the lipid content and percentage edibility (PE) returned significant results (p 0.05) The summer season displayed the median value, while monsoon the highest and winter the lowest for both the variables. Further, PE and lipid varied significantly during monsoon and winter season (p<0.05) An important aspect of IK that lowest edibility is associated with winter is validated by the study.