12 



obtained the design— was completed and put in commis- 

 sion at Cannanore in February ; as it was then late in 

 the year and alterations and larger nets were required, 

 she did not do much fishing but has already proved 

 herself a useful boat, and has caught considerable hauls 

 of seer and mackerel in 8 fathoms when the inshore 

 boats caught nothing of the sort. The second boat of 

 about 25 tons, built on Arklow designs with a 15 

 horse-power " Dan " motor and called the " Turbinella " 

 — after the chanks which she will help to fish — was 

 launched during the year, but completed only in the 

 current year ; she is a very strong and fine boat, built 

 by the " Madura Co.," Tuticorin, and is much admired. 

 But the catching work at Cannanore was principally 

 effected during October- December by two Ratnagiri 

 boats engaged for the purpose : these are 6 to 8 ton 

 boats, simple drifters, fishing with their own drift nets, 

 measuring above half a mile when shot, in 8 to 1 2 

 fathoms, outside the usual limit of the Malabar canoes ; 

 they brought in large quantities of medium seer, small 

 seer (varian), pomfret, Chirocentrus dorab (valei), small 

 sharks, etc. ; 1,500 lb. for one night's work was the 

 largest catch. These boats enabled me to ascertain (i) 

 the character of the fish available in the above zone, 

 (2) the ability of existing boats to catch such fish with 

 existing appliances,- (3) the quantities, value, and profits 

 of t:he catches of such boats, (4) the possibility of keep- 

 ing fish fresh to shore. The character of the fish (seer, 

 etc.) has been mentioned, and the ability of the Bombay 

 — not Malabar or South Kanara — boats to catch them. 

 The quantities were as follows ; in 48 nights of the two 

 months — they did not fish when the moon is near the full 

 — the two boats caught and delivered about 38,000 lb. 

 offish, by far the larger part being prime ; this excludes 

 fish taken by the crews for food and fish rejected as 

 tainted : one boat moreover only fished for 38 nights. 

 Hence each boat cauoht on an averaoe at the rate of 10 

 tons for the two months : the value, as paid by a local 

 fish curer and continued by me, was about Rs. 1,600 or 

 Rs. 800 per boat with six men, plus the fish used as 

 food, etc. No hire was paid for the boats, but I agreed 

 to take and they to give their catches at the settled 

 rates which were some 20 to 25 per cent below beach 

 rates. 



