No. 6 (1922) 



FISH SUPPLY OF MADRAS 



139 



fish gives it a superiority over other animal foods. Though held 

 in different degrees of estimation by the various castes, a major 

 portion of the people eat fish whenever it can be procured. The 

 people engaged in fishing and selling fish are mostly Pattanavars 

 (seafishing) and Sembadavar (Nattar) (freshwater and river fish- 

 ing) and these number 6,714 (4,209 males and 2,505 females\ The 

 total value of fish sold during the year being Rs. 5,66,466 150, the 

 average income per head per mensem is Rs. 7 only. The poor 

 receipts, though one cannot verify the truth of the plaint of 

 lessened catches, which is unanimous in all kuppams and else- 

 where, coupled with the intemperate habits of the people keep 

 them pitiably down as one of the " depressed " classes. 



Both in quantity and value the crustaceans are of greater 

 importance than any kind of fish in Madras. The prawns top the 

 list, while the crabs come next. Shrimps, however, occupy a low 

 place. The prawns sold here are both freshwater — Palaemon 

 carcinus is the common species — and marine {Penaeus semisulcatus). 

 The monthly catches and their value are as follows: — 



Prawns occupy the sixth place in the list of fishes caught in 

 the inshore fishing experiments of the year 1918 19, while in those 

 of 1917 -18 were the second important item. Here the prawns head 

 the list, the biggest haul being during August. After August 

 there is a fall noticed till November, when later they are common 

 till March, when again their numbers decrease till the end of July. 

 The best months for Penaeus are August and the trimester March 

 to May and not January and February as during the inshore fishing 



