Govt mulling Billava convention in coastal districts: Sorake

November 23, 2015

Katpady, Nov 23: The government is contemplating to organise a Billava convention in undivided Dakshina Kannada, keeping in mind the interests of the Billava community. Inviting the chief minister, a memorandum to fulfill the demands of the community could be placed before him, said Minister for urban development Vinay Kumar Sorake.

Speaking at the inauguration of the new Shankaramruta Pushkarani and Ashwatha Katte in Katpady Shree Vishwanatha Kshetra in Udupi on Sunday, he said that stress would be given not only to the welfare of Billava community, but other communities also.

Former minister and MP Kota Srinivas Poojary also spoke on the occasion.

Minister Sorake inaugurated the new Shankaramruta Pushkarani, while honorary president of the Kshetra administrative committee Jaya C Suvarna inaugurated the Ashwatha Katte. The solar lamp donated to the Kshetra by Rotary Club, was inaugurated by Rotary district vice governor Satyendra Pai and president Appu Poojary.

Kshetra administrative committee president Ashok M Suvarna presided over the programme.

Udupi zilla panchayat member K Shankar Poojary, Kshetra administrative committee vice president Ratnakar Anchan, general secretary Harishchandra Amin, H Raghu Kotian, and others were present.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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