HORNELL MARINE RESOURCES 19 



named the lease of the whole fishery, mainland as well as insular, has been put 

 up to tender, and is now fished by men either employed directly by the renter 

 or under sub-licence, from him. The renter is the only person in the district entitled 

 to vend chanks, and the places where sale may take place are limited to three 

 Beyt, Aramra and Gopi. 



The annual revenue to Government for the eight years following their assumption 

 of fishery control was respectively as follows, viz. : 



Samvat 1918 and 191!) Rs. 191 10 8 



1920 55 



1921 20 



1922 500 



1923 65 



1924 90 



1925 110 



Total for 8 years Rs. 536 10 8 



an average of say Rs. 67 per annum. 



Comparing this with recent results, we find that the rentals at which the fishery 

 as a whole was leased out during the ten years ending 1906 were as follows : 



1896-1897 Rs. 96 



1897-1898 160 



1898-1899 160 



1899-1900 '. 97 



1900-1901 81 4 



1901-19021 



to ifive years ... ... 755 



1905-1906 



A total for 10 years of ... Rs. 1349 4 



which gives an average of Rs. 134-14-10 per annum, a sum comparing very 

 favourably with that obtained at the beginning of Government administration. 



It would be interesting and useful to learn if this rise in the value of the fishery 

 is due to increase in the numbers caught, or whether to a rise in price. There appear 

 to be no data on the subject, as the lessee, who alone could furnish them, can hardly be 

 expected to supply such a return. I am inclined to the opinion that the cause is more 

 likely to be due to increase in the selling price, seeing that the customers for this 

 strange article of commerce are confined to Hindu pilgrims visiting the holy places 

 of Beyt and Dwarka, who have largely increased of recent years since regular steam 

 communication was established between Dwarka and the ports of Sind, Kutch, 



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