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tetter — from Sir F. A. Nicholson, k.c.i.e., I.C.S., Honorary 



Director, Madras Fisheries. 

 Dated — the 19th July 1911. 



I have the honour to submit herewith copies of Mr. 

 James Hornell's note on " Marine Fish-farming for 

 India," being a report written by him on his inspection 

 of the fish-farming at Arcacbon and Comacchio in 1909, 

 together with general suggestions for work in Madras. 



2. The report is the outcome of the department's 

 frequently expressed desire to see the numerous Madras 

 backwaters properly utilised ; I had specially intended 

 in 1909 (see my letter Dis. No. 68, dated nth February 

 1909, read in G.O. Mis. No. 525, dated 24th February 

 1909), to visit the above places, but my inalDility to do so 

 was fortunate since it threw the whole duty on Mr. 

 Hornell, who, possessing both practical and scientific 

 knowledge, has been able to concentrate attention on the 

 necessary details and consequently to write a very useful 

 report on which we may begin fish-farming work with 

 the minimum chance of mistakes. 



3. The word " fish-farming " has been used to distin- 

 guish the method from the marine pisciculture or, rather, 

 hatchery work of which we generally hear. In America 

 and elsewhere marine pisciculture is mainly confined to 

 the artificial hatching of thousands of millions of the eggs 

 of food fishes and the release of the fry into the waters 

 of the sea to shift for themselves. But the fish-farming 

 here reported on is simply the retention of fish in enclosed 

 ponds or lagoon enclosures into which the young fry, 

 hatched in the open waters of the sea, are enticed, or in 

 which they are born as the progeny of mature fish 

 already within the enclosures ; in these enclosed areas 

 they live and are brought to maturity on the food 

 naturally contained in the water which is constantly 

 changed by aid of tidal ebb and flow and by the drainage 

 waters from the surrounding country, and thence are 

 removed for market. 



4. As Mr. Hornell points out, the process is very 

 inexpensive and simple ; primitive in fact in all except 

 the ingenuity, born of long experience, with which the 

 waters are dealt with, in view to maintain normal whole- 

 someness, temperature, salinity, and a supply of natural 

 food, and by which the fish are enticed into the enclosures, 

 maintained against extremes of cold, and eventually 



