In the early part of the 20th century, the kapis shell provided the material for thriving export industry that produced lampshades, window panes, door chimes, chests, jewelry items, and other curio items. Most of these items were exported to the United States, Japan, West Germany, and other European countries where kapis had become a novelty. In an effort to increase the diminishing population of kapis shells, the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC AQD) collaborated with local governments in the coastal towns where there was an abundance of the bivalve mollusks.

Reviving the kapis shell industry. (2000, August 18).