93 



sailing speed even of catamarans is poor ; almost half the 

 time is spent in going- to and fro when the distance 

 exceeds 3 or 4 miles. Moreover, a boat of 40 to 50 tons 

 does not require a crew of more than 10 or 12, whereas 

 two large and two small catamarans or two medium 

 canoes will require the larger of these numbers ; a crew 

 of 3 or 4 men, aided by simple mechanical contrivances 

 (capstans, etc.), will manage a boat and nets far more 

 powerful and productive than several canoes or large 

 catamarans on which manual labour is cramped by the 

 character of the boats and no mechanical appliances are 

 even possible. 



14. But larger boats can work better nets — trawls 

 included — bodi as being more powerful and as admitting 

 the freer use of labour and the application of mechanical 

 appliances ; the largest fleet of drift nets I have seen is 

 that of the Masulipatam boats, but in this case length is 

 only obtained at the sacrifice of depth. A fleet or set of 

 herring or mackerel drift nets in England or Scotland 

 will be between i and 2 miles long and to yards deep 

 and is worked by a single siiler ; a Masulipatam boat 

 takes nets one-third of a mile long when shot and 4 to 5 

 yards deep. Moreover, canoes and catamarans are too 

 small to take more than one set of nets, and on the 

 West Coast it frequently happens that on going out with 

 one class of net the fishing is found to require a different 

 sort, and the whole voyage to and fro must again be 

 made to fetch them. The only drag net known in these 

 waters is the Madras Coast "thuri," a trawl-shaped bag 

 net towed by two catamarans just like a similar but 

 larger net in the Mediterranean ; this however is not a 

 ground net but mid-water and has little catching power ; 

 only a large boat can use a real trawl. So also in the 

 case of long lines, though size is here less essential so 

 far as mere catching is concerned ; these long lines are 

 occasionally found on the West Coast and have as many 

 as 400 hooks, but these are small and light and used in 

 shallow water compared with the heavy 7,000 hook lines 

 seven miles long of the British boats (sail or steam) 

 which will fish up to 360 fathoms for cod, halibut, etc. 

 Hence large sailing boats are imperative — 

 {a) to take crews safely and comfortably into the 

 further waters of the fishing grounds and to allow them 

 to stay there following and catching the shoals ; 



