NO. 2 (1922) LACCADIVE FISHERIES 6l 



fishing banks, involves so much labour to the crew that they say 

 they are almost tired when they arrive at the banks. If our depart- 

 ment undertakes to experiment and devise a small marine motor of. 

 moderate cost for these small boats, to occupy not more than one- 

 fourth of the space of the boat, it would be of immense help to the 

 men in their fishing work, in making larger and more remunerative 

 catches. 



The appearance, size and construction of the Minikoi boats are 

 entirely different and as the men of that island are already having 

 a prosperous and progressive fishing nothing need be done at 

 present for them/" 



Besides the ordinary boats for fishing there is a peculiar substi- 

 tute for it used in large numbers by the islanders of Kavarti. It 

 goes by the name Tarappam (Tamil equivalent, Teppam) called 

 also by some Sangddam. Some 10 to 16 (generally 12) pieces 

 of the straight light Patti wood (resembling bamboo poles in their 

 straightness and lightness) are placed side by side and tied together 

 by means of cross pieces of the same wood (one above and the other 

 below). In the middle a small additional piece of wood is also tied, 

 on which the bag to contain the catches is kept. At the four corners 

 the outside poles project about a foot for facility of carrying the 

 tarappam to shore and back. Patti wood is found in plenty in 

 Kavarti Island, hence the large numbers use in there. This raft is 

 used in the lagoon both during day and night and manned by four 

 to eight men with one rudderman and a harpooner in addition. 

 Occasionally they go outside the lagoon to fish on the outer margin 

 of the reef at a depth of 3 to 5 fathoms. One of them measured 

 18 feet long by 4% feet wide, divided into six sections. 



Fishing appliances. — The various appliances used for fishing 

 in all these islands are more or less the same. They may be 

 classified under the following four heads : — 



(a) Nets — worked in the lagoons only ; 

 {b) Traps — also worked in the lagoons only ; 

 (c) Harpooning— practised both in the lagoon and in the sea, 

 with or without hook and line ; and 



* These boats are described in " The Origin and Ethnological Significance of Indian 

 Boat Designs" by J. Hornell, in Memoirs of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. VII, 

 No. 3, 1920. 



