102 



78. The following day we went trawling northwards from 

 Mangalore. At 11-5 a.m. we shot the trawl in 5 fathoms one 

 mile west of the north boundary pillar of the port and hauled 

 at 1 -40 p.m. after having gone 2| miles northward, gradually 

 shoaling our water, bottom dark grey mud. At the end of the 

 haul we were in of fathoms half a mile from land. All the 

 way during this haul great quantities of the oil-sardine (C. 

 longiceps) were passed floating dead on the surface (figs. 5 and 

 6). Flocks of thousands of gulls whitened the sea all around, 

 gorging at leisure. During most of the time and where the dead 

 sardines were most numerous, the water was a dirty ochreous 

 yellow, dark and thick with suspended matter. Wherever the 

 sardines were most abundant they appeared to have died quite 

 recently ; the great majority were still in rigor the body bent 

 in a marked lateral curve. Besides those already dead, many 

 were seen in all stages of sickening, for this patch of dirty 

 yellow-brown sea was full of live sardines not in shoals but in 

 small groups of three and four individuals wandering aimlessly 

 about and in evident distress; every now and again one would 

 rise to the surface gasping, and often had to exert a special 

 effort to descend, others would turn sideways on the surface and 

 for a few moments appear unable to right themselves. Scarcely 

 any other fish were seen except a iew small garfish (Hemirai»- 

 pJius). Shore wards and southwards of the affected area shoals 

 of sardines were seen in quantity, apparently in normal 

 condition, with many fishing canoes among them, the men using 

 casting nets. 



79. The ochreous water, which appeared to have such 

 deadly effect on the sardines, was very low in density, brackish 

 to the taste and registering a specific gravity of 1-021 at a 

 temperature of 83° F. ; an oily calm prevailed at the time and 

 no apparent current was noticeable. 



80. On hauling the trawl we found it to be full of sardines, 

 size from 5 to 7 inches long ; the cod end was full and on 

 weighing the catch we found it to be just over 8| cwt. A 

 single Psettodes irumei (flat-fish) and a few odd fish were also 

 present. The flat-fish and the small miscellaneous fish were 

 alive, but all the sardines were dead. In the appearance of 

 the latter there was nothing apparently abnormal but lifting the 

 opercula, the gills were seen to be pale grey or else dirty brown 

 in colour. The stomachs and intestines showed nothing 

 abnormal to the naked eye and death was recent as uo smell of 

 decomposition was apparent and many were in rigor. The fact 

 that the other fish caught were healthy may be accounted for 



