The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) says it will restore bloody cockles in Ogoni creeks to alleviate the plight of the people of the area.

Nenibarini Zabbey, the HYPREP project coordinator, announced this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

The development is a follow-up to Mr Zabbey’s visit to the Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research, Buguma, Asari Toru Local Government Area, where the project is funding research to carry out the culturing of the bloody cockles.

Bloody cockles (Senilla senilis) are bivalve molluscs commonly found in muddy areas in the intertidal zone and are vital for sustaining the economy and livelihood of people living around coastal communities.

“Bloody cockle has a high nutritional value as it is a complete source of protein and contains high levels of essential amino acids of about (85 per cent to 95 per cent).

“Due to the spills in Ogoni and other human factors, cockles have become critically endangered and have been completely wiped out in most of its shoreline areas,” he stated.

According to him, HYPREP aims to restore bloody cockles by artificially propagating them in the lab and reintroducing them to the Ogoni shoreline.

“Understanding the species’ reproductive biology is essential to determining the renewal capacity of natural stocks,’’ he said.

Mr Zabbey said the initiative was in line with HYPREP’s mandate to restore the environment, including keystone species like the bloody cockle, oyster and other seafood in Ogoni creeks.

He said the seafood species had supported the people’s livelihood for centuries, particularly women and children.

The projector coordinator said the adoption of culturing the bloody cockle at the moment was more sustainable given certain environmental conditions that could affect natural reproduction in large numbers as envisaged.

He expressed optimism that the effort would benefit Ogoni and other Niger Delta coastal communities and beyond.

Mr Zabbey expressed satisfaction over the early successes recorded in the research and said the visit was to encourage the team to sustain the efforts to restock the bloody cockle.

He donated microscopes and other items to enhance research at the centre and commended the Institute for the initial laboratory cultures, which were successful.

(NAN)