J. PISCICULTURE AND THE FISHERIES. 465 



THE FKESH-WATER FISHERIES OF INDIA. 



A very interesting and suggestive report has lately been 

 made by Francis Day on the fresh-water fishes of India and 

 Burmah, containing the results of his investigations, made as 

 Inspector of the Fisheries of India, since 1866-67, as to the 

 question whether there is a continual destruction of the fresh- 

 Avater fishes in that region. The questions circulated were 

 as follows: ^^ For Collectors: (1) Are breeding fish and very 

 young ones destroyed in your district to any great extent? 

 (2) If they are destroyed, how, in what places, and at what 

 seasons ? (3) What is the smallest size of the mesh of nets 

 allowed or employed in your district ? (4) What difficulties 

 are there against regulating the size of the mesh of the nets ? 

 (5) What size between knot and knot of the meshes of nets 

 do you consider advisable ? (6) What objections exist against 

 prohibiting the sale of the fry of fish in the bazars ? (7) Are 

 there any objections against prohibiting the capture of fish 

 in hilly districts, as the Himalayas or the Nilgiris, during the 

 first two months of the monsoon season, when thev are breed- 

 ing r 



Those for native officials were : "(1) What number of fish- 

 ermen are there in your range, and are they only such, or do 

 they pursue other occupations likewise? (2) What are the 

 names of the fishermen castes in your district ? (3) Are the 

 local markets fully supplied with fish, or could more be sold ? 

 (4) What is the price of large and small fish in the bazar, and 

 also that of first and second sort of bazar mutton ? (5) What 

 proportion of people eat fish ? (6) Have the fish increased, 

 decreased, or remained stationary of late years? (7) Are 

 very small fish taken in any quantity during the rains? if so, 

 how ? (8) What is the smallest size of the mesh of the nets 

 employed ? (9) Are fish trapped in the irrigated field dur- 

 ing the rains ? (10) Enumerate the various sorts of fishing, 

 and give the native names of every form of net, trap, or snare 

 used in taking fish in your range." 



The responses received were very numerous, and some 

 completely exhaustive, so that the Inspector was able to 

 come to very definite conclusions as the general result of his 

 inquiries. These, as summed up, are as follows: "(1) That 

 all the people of Sind, Assam, and Burmah, and the major- 



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