28 MADRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN VOL. XII, 



for the provision of the necessary buildings which will include a 

 model fish market, with boats, nets, and other apparatus, and 

 Rs. 6,000 as annual running charges, over a trial period of three 

 years. We have already accumulated a considerable amount of 

 information respecting methods for fishing deep water tanks from 

 experiments made during the last two years at Chembarambakkam 

 tank. From these it appears that drag-nets and seines are of most 

 value where the water is sufficiently clear of weeds for their use, and 

 the bottom free from boulders ; in the deep central portion, gill nets 

 give good results when their mesh is suitable for the size of fish 

 most abundant. This work is of great economic value in the 

 development of our inland fisheries, for the customary plan of 

 postponing the fishing of tanks till they are on the eve of drying 

 up is most wasteful, resulting on the one hand in a dearth of fish 

 for sale so long as there is plenty of water present, and on the other 

 of throwing an excessive quantity on the market during several 

 successive days in one single month in each year. We desire to 

 regulate this and to spread the catch fairly evenly through a period 

 of at least several months' duration. 



53. Mopad Scheme. — A somewhat similar scheme has been 

 evolved for the fishing of the great irrigation reservoir at Mopad, 

 Nellore district, now on the point of completion. This great sheet 

 of water, formed by clamming the river Manneru, will impound a 

 large body of permanent water. It is proposed to introduce into it 

 good varieties of food fishes, with a view in later years to stock an 

 extensive series of other tanks in the district with the fry obtained 

 from the introduced fish, and also regularly to net a proportion of 

 the larger fish for sale in neighbouring towns and villages. 

 Detailed plans and estimates have been submitted to Government 

 for sanction. 



54. Acquisition and Stocking of Tanks. — As part of the routine work 

 of the department, a large number of acquired tanks in the districts 

 of Kurnool, Bellary, Anantapur, Salem, Chingleput, Chittoor, 

 Nellore and North Arcot are stocked annually from our existing 

 fish farms, as also is the Kurnool-Cuddapah canal. As a conse- 

 quence, the rentals received have increased considerably since the 

 date the tanks were taken over, and this forms our most important 

 asset and source of profit in inland operations. As shown in 

 statement No. IV the rentals received from these artificially stocked 

 waters exceed by Rs. 7,889-14-4 the amount of compensation 



