\2 madeas fisheries bulletin vol. xv 



Inshoee fishing experiments at Madras. 



16. These experiments have now been carried on continuously 

 through a period of three years. In spite of the demonstration that 

 better catches can usually be made by the employment of certain 

 forms of Malabar nets, used in conjunction with large dugout 

 canoes, no Madras capitalist or fisherman has yet been sufficiently 

 impressed to induce him to adopt these methods commercially ; all 

 negotiations proved abortive as prospective buyers always saddled 

 their offer with the condition of being permitted to fish inside th< j 

 harbour. This condition is unacceptable as it would facilitate 

 smuggling. 



] 'uring the past year of 307 working days, the total quantity 

 of fish caught amounted to 84,786 lb. compared with 114,850 lb. 

 in the previous year. This great falling off is attributed by the 

 fishermen to the abnormally high temperature experienced during 

 the fishing season, a connexion that appears obscure ; fish scarcity 

 however was certainly prevalent along the East Coast during the 

 first half of 1921 ; one consequence of this is seen in the increased 

 number of fishermen from Cocanada and other fishing centres in the 

 north, who went to Burma in search of employment. 



The fish caught by our canoes off Madras was sold for Rs. 5,809 

 as against Rs. 6,404 in the previous year. Expenditure amounted 

 to Rs. 6,295 including an item of Rs. 264 debitableto capital. The 

 loss on the year's working was therefore Rs. 222 exclusive of capital 

 expenditure. The experiment is to be carried on for another six 

 months, in the hope that the canoes and nets may be purchased by 

 local fishermen in the interval. 



An extremely useful analysis of the results obtained during the 

 first season's work by sub-assistant M.R.Ky. M. Ramaswami Mayudu, 

 b.a., was published during the year as Report No. 3 of Bulletin 

 No. XII. In it the seasonal variations m the catches of each 

 species of fish are recorded in detail, together with statistics of their 

 relative abundance and other information. For the first time we 

 now begin to have distinct knowledge of the constitution of the 

 food-fish fauna of Madras, and of the relative fishing value of the 

 various nets employed in their capture. This work will be continued. 

 In addition, at the instance of the Hon'ble the Minister for 

 Development, statistics of the fish supplies coming into the city of 

 Madras will be compiled during the coming year. No information 

 on this subject is on record and it is obvious, for many reasons, 

 that exact information should be collected ; this information will 

 be particularly useful to any persons or companies who may 

 contemplate the introduction of deep-sea fishing boats. The first 

 requirement of business men in such a case is to have fairly exact 

 knowledge of the extent of existing sources of supply. 



