106 



deserted the Malabar coast for some reason. Such however was 

 not the case, for though 1908-1909 has not been an exceptionally 

 good year for mackerel on the West Coast, it has been up to the 

 average and some very heary catches are recorded, for example, 

 Malpe fish-curing yard was" full of this fish when we visited it 

 on 20th November, and we were informed that almost H,000 

 maunds or 110 tons had been taken into the yard the day 

 previously, all caught by the great shore seines or rampini nets 

 used there. Generally "the season on the Madras Coast is in 

 two sections, August and September, and again from the middle 

 of January to April. 



90. On the West Coast, mackerel are found with fully 

 developed roe in June, July and August ; the bulk of spawning 

 occurs at the end of July and beginning of August. Dr. Day 

 mentions that he has seen this species at Madras with ripe roe 

 in March. 



Present position of the Mackerel industry. 



91. At present no effort is made or is possible to fish for 

 mackerel except in shallow inshore waters. The fishermen 

 invariably wait for the shoals to come inshore before making 

 any effort to begin the fishery. In no case during our visit to 

 the West Coast did we see mackerel fishing canoes two miles 

 from land ; usually they fished within the limits of from one to 

 one and a quarter mile from shore, while at Malpe where the 

 largest catches seen by us, were made, the principal engine 

 employed is a shore seine. On the East Coast, the industry is 

 in the same undeveloped condition. 



92. On the West Coast, the nets in common use, are — 



(a) the rampini balai, in the north portion of South 

 Canara, 



(h) the odam or peru vala on the Malabar coast, 



(c) the patti balai of South Canara which is the same as 

 the aila vala, aila ehala vala, or thathu vala of Malabar, 



{d) casting nets. 



93. The first two are forms of seines, the first a true shore 

 seine, the second a very elaborate and effective bag-net seine 

 requiring the services of two large canoes, and having points of 

 resemblance with the purse seine. The aila vala or patti balai 

 is a gilling net, the meshes exactly the size of those employed 

 in Scotch herring nets (2 to 2i inches). Sometimes it is used at 

 night as a drift net but more usually as an encircling seine to 

 the accompaniment of splashing and shouting to frighten the 



