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scanty. With increased catches of fish and the creation of an 

 export trade in the cured product, the well-being of the 

 islanders would improve materially and the stress of increasing 

 population would be met more easily. 



137. (b) The lines upon which fishery investigation and 

 experiment are called for and appear most promising are as 

 under : — 



(1) The thorough trial of such new fishing methods as 

 seem likely to be of special service under the local conditions 

 prevailing in the Laccadives, for example, drift nets for the 

 capture of sharks, rays, seer, bonito, etc., floating long lines or 

 trots for the same purpose, while for flying- fish the Negapatam 

 screw-pine lure should be tried. The creation of a bonito 

 fishery on similar lines to that so successfully carried on in 

 the neighbouring Maldives should receive special attention, 

 especially as the main reason why there is none at present 

 in the Laccadives is stated to be a scarcity of the bait necessary 

 rather than of the fish to be caught. The removal of this 

 impediment to the conduct of what in the Maldives is the 

 principal industry of the islanders is a subject meriting special 

 and prolonged investigation; if successful, and if we judge by 

 what holds good in the Maldives, the life of the islanders would 

 be revolutionized and their resources more than doubled. 



(2) Improvement in the methods of fish-curing requires 

 attention the moment we contemplate an extension of the 

 catching power of the islanders. In the smoking of seer and 

 flying- iish as practised at Androth, we have fortunately a good 

 foundation to work upon ; in details the method may be consider- 

 ably improved at the cost of little trouble to the curers. 

 Tins cure has the great advantage that no market has to be 

 created for the product ; Ceylon and the Dutch Indies will 

 consume all that may become available, to say nothing of India 

 where a taste for Maldive fish (mas-min) is certainly spreading. 

 "Dried flying-fish should also become an export of considerable 

 value if this fishery be developed. When a coastalport like 

 Negapatam is able" to develop a deep-sea fishery, much more 

 should the Laccadives where the " black-water " actually washes 

 their shores. 



Again, sound methods of salting aboard ship mnst be 

 taught the islanders, and provision made to supply the salt 

 requisite for the purpose, if the fishery resources of the great 

 " Jfars " are to be exploited properly, in view of the fact that 

 all fish caught there must be cured aboard the boats as no dry 

 land for a fishery camp is usually available on these fishing 

 grounds. 



