Karwar: The residents of Hosakatti in Kumta taluk submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner in Karwar on Friday, urging the district administration to ban collecting of shells from Aghanashivi River permanently.

They stated that depletion of shells would affect the population of fish in the river putting the poor fishermen at financial risk.

Because of continued collection of shells, and subsequent decrease in fish, several families of fishermen were facing threat of losing their only source of livelihood, the memorandum stated.

Livelihood of locals

“The shell collection is going on unabated. As the livelihood of the locals is under threat, the Fisheries Department should stop giving permission for collection of shells. If the department fails to do so, we should be left with no option but to launch an agitation till our demand is met,” the residents of Hosakatti warned.

Leaders Peeru, Suiuvanand Shakuntala, Prema, Janaki Mahadev, and several other were present.