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Chaakara - the fishermen's delight

Chaakara - the fishermen's delight

To the seafaring people of Kerala Chaakara is one of the sweetest words in their vocabulary. It is the richest piscean harvest of the year and the entire fish loving population of the state share the excitement of the fisher folk. A rare phenomenon unique to the shores of Kerala, Chaakara has been explained in many ways. But first, what it means to the common man.

Every Monsoon (June/July) a crescent shaped mud bank with apparently no waves, appears in certain places in the 270 km stretch of sea between Kozhikode and Kollam. To the fisherman this is his greatest catch. The Chaakara traps great quantities of shrimp and other fish in its muddy waters, which are hauled in with huge nets.

There is mention of the phenomenon as early as 1775 in Captain Kop's book, A New History of the East Indies. It is said that the calm crescent formation resembles the 'mud flats' formed due to the 'upwelling' connected to the Benguela Current on the west coast of South Africa. Scientific and geographic theories abound about this rare phenomenon. Opinions vary from 'viscosity' of the water in the region to the hydraulic pressure caused by the Monsoons, and the tectonic movement of the earth.

But to the fishermen of Kerala, it is a feast and an event to celebrate. So far, Chaakara has been recorded in the sea near Kozhikode, Beypore, Veliyankode, Kochi, Ambalappuzha and Thrikkunnappuzha.

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