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and organization ; these details will obviously require the continuous 

 attention of the fisheries Bureau. It may be suggested, however, 

 that the action of the Irish P'ishery Board in the Congested Districts, 

 which will be extended to the whole of Ireland by the Agricultural 

 Department newly (icSgg) constituted, will form a convenient example 

 for study by the Madras Department, which will seek to stimulate and 

 assist private effort, whether by individual capitalists or by associa- 

 tions, under proper regulations for the quality and wholesomeness of 

 the resulting food-supply, and the safety of the Salt revenue. 

 Trobably it will be found advisable to develop this branch in direct 

 connection with the bonded fish-curing yards as centres, or conversely 

 to establish such yards at any centre where the fishing industry is 

 likely under such stimulus to develop. 



The Congested Districts Board has provided technical instruction, 

 e.g., by bringing Scotch fishermen, coopers, boats, etc., to the Irish 

 coasts to teach new fishing, boating and curing methods, has started 

 curing stations, advanced loans for boats, nets and other apparatus, 

 has induced the starting of fisheries wholly new as to time and place — 

 e.g., a spring mackerel fishery at Arran, etc., — encouraged the cooper- 

 age, net-making and other industries connected with fishing, and has 

 also done much to open out markets for the fish thus brought to 

 market- the results, though they have occasionally caused slight loss 

 to the Board, as sometimes happens in first efforts, have been highly 

 successful fcr the fishermen and for the industry, though efforts are of 

 recent date. Trade schools have been started in which boys and girls 

 learn net- making and mending, and in other ways the industry is being 

 encouraged. A scientific survey of the fishing banks and deep-sea 

 fishing grounds round the coasts is now beginning, in which it is 

 expected to obtain a proper knowledge of the habits, time and places 

 of spawning, migration, food-supply, etc., of the fish, as has been 

 thoroughly done long ago by the Scottish Fisheries Board. It is 

 believed that the Madras Government has now initiated some enquiry 

 in this direction, but a survey to be of use must be thorough, and 

 carried out by competent men with time and means at their disposal 

 and without a dozen other matters on their hands. The harvest of 

 the sea is well worth the expenditure of a few thousands of rupees 

 and is a necessity of this time. 



Estuary and River Fisheries. — On this complicated question I 

 need only refer to the existing files on the subject : this branch is 

 extremely important since these fisheries already supply large 

 quantities of fi=h, and are free from many of the difficulties attending 

 deep-sea fishing, But the present supply is trifling compared with 

 that which a proper system of mere conservatiGU would develop, 

 altogether apart from the productiveness of these waters, under a 

 system of culture and special protection as in the rest of the civilized 

 world, where there are close times, and hatcheries which annually 

 put out hundreds of millions of fry and are yet only at the beginning 

 of their work. But the subject is complicated owing to the habits of 

 the fish and customs of the country, the nature of the rivers and the 

 irrigational use made of them ; the provision of fish passes in the 

 anikats — as in the Cauvery, Kistna, etc. — is only one of the diffi- 

 culties. Mr. Thomas has, however, dealt with the several difficulties 



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