I/O MADRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN VOL. XIII, 



where several exist, such as Baikal, the whole beach for miles 

 may be noisome with the odour of masses of sardine spread out, 

 without salt or any preparation, to dry in the sun as a crude ferti- 

 lizer (see below). 



The boats seldom go far from shore, three or four miles 

 being perhaps the ordinary limit, though they may be considerably 

 further along shore from their landing place. This is partly due 

 to the nature of the canoes with weak or no sails, partly to the 

 fact that the fish so rapidly taint after capture: hence the boats 

 keep near shore so as to sell the fish fresh. It is probably not for 

 want of fish further out at sea, since numerous shoals are met with 

 a few miles from shore ; it is in general the inability under exist- 

 ing methods and material, to deal with more distant shoals. With 

 powerboats or even large sailing boats operating purse nets, many 

 more fish could be taken and the catches would be not only greater 

 but more regular. At present this improvement seems impossible ; 

 and the factories depend on inshore catches by numerous but weak 

 powered boats and nets. 



49. In the northern parts of South Kanara a very fine seine net 

 called the "rampani " is being gradually introduced for the cap- 

 ture of sardine shoals, especially in sheltered bays to which fish 

 resort in vast numbers. This net corresponds in great degree 

 with the seine net formerly much in use by the American farmers 

 as mentioned above ; like that net, it can only be operated from 

 the shore and consequently the arrival of shoals within half a mile 

 or so from the beach has to be awaited. These nets have now 

 greatly increased in size, from nets costing Rs. 1,009 and taking 

 fish worth Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 4,000, in the season, to nets costing 

 Rs. 5,000 and catching fish worth in some cases Rs. 20,000 in the 

 year. These nets are usually worked on the half share system, half 

 the proceeds going to the workers — perhaps 50 men for the large 

 nets: — and half to the owner of the net; but in some cases the 

 workers themselves own the nets. 



50. No statistics are available for the general catches, which 

 indeed vary enormously in different years and localities, as also in 

 the quality of the fish as regards size and oil contents. But since 

 it takes five tons of fish to make one ton of guano, it follows that 

 20,000 tons of guano estimated as a minimum for last year, mean 

 100,000 tons of raw fish. If to this are added the vast quantities 

 dried on the beach for fertilizer and other huge quantities 



