103 



by the probability that they were caught either before or after 

 v/e entered the area of foul water. 



81. So far as we could judge the area affected was two 

 miles in length from north to south by about a mile in width, 

 its inner margin being about f mile from shore ; outside of this 

 area the character of the water improved rapidly and the quan- 

 tity of floating sardines decreased, bat the decrease was marked 

 by a change in the condition of the fish. The further we 

 receded from the foul brownish yellow patch the condition of 

 the fish became worse till at last they consisted largely of 

 headless trunks far gone in putrefaction and giving off a most 

 evil odour. Trawling in this locality disclosed no dead sardines 

 on the bottom. 



The mortality must have been enormous and certainly had 

 been proceeding for several days past judging from the advanced 

 stage of decomposition of those on the margin of the area of 

 destruction. Considering that with one small trawl of 1 5 feet 

 beam we took 8-| cwt. at one haul, part of the time probably 

 not in the fouled area, hundreds of tons of fish must have been 

 destroyed. 



82. A haul of plankton was made over the contaminated 

 area at the place where dead sardines were most plentiful. 

 Almost entirely it was found to consist of obscure organic and 

 unrecognizable debris, so fine that the meshes of the tow net 

 became clogged almost immediately, rendering it difficult to 

 collect a satisfactory sample. It had all the appearance of river 

 filth or sewage and contained scarcely any living organisms 

 except a few Eup ha una- like Schizopods and some fish eggs. 



83. The following day, 20th November, we had to leave 

 for Malpe. We left Mangalore anchorage at 7-25 a.m.; at 8 

 a.m. when 1 J mile northwards of the river mouth and 1 J mile 

 from land we ran into a long stretch of water contaminated with 

 the putrefying remains of sardines. The water was thick in 

 appearance but of an ordinary olive-green turbidity quite dif- 

 ferent from the ochreous tint of the previous day's experience ; 

 apparently healthy fish were abundant, indeed shoals of healthy 

 sardines were about and casting- net fishermen were busy 

 inshore, while some distance northwards of the port boundary 

 pillar, a school of porpoises were pursuing sardines about f mile 

 from shore. The stench from off the sea was extremely 

 unpleasant. Specific gravity of the water normal 1026*5 at 

 82° F. 



84. Proceeding north and keeping about the same distance 

 1J mile, as before from land, we ran at 9-15 a.m. into an area 



