PART I.— THE CHANK FISHERIES OF 

 INDIA AND CEYLON. 



Six distinct chank fisheries are carried on at the pre- 

 sent day in India ; ranked in their order of importance 

 they are : — 



(a) Tinnevelly (usually called the Tuticorin fishery), 

 (d) Ramnad (with Sivaganga), 



(c) The Carnatic coast (South Arcot and Tanjore), 



(d) Travancore, 



(e) Kathiawar, 



to which is to be added a large one in the north of 

 Ceylon. 



Without exception the chank fishery in each of these 

 localities is considered as a royal prerogative, the mono- 

 poly of Government. In practice this prerogative is 

 variously exercised. In Tinnevelly, the Madras Govern- 

 ment work the fishery departmentally through an officer 

 of the Fisheries Department styled the Superintendent 

 of Pearl and Chank Fisheries. On the Carnatic coast 

 the shells are either (in Tanjore) bought at fixed rates 

 from the fishermen by the Customs Department on behalf 

 of the Fisheries Department, or else (in South Arcot) 

 the exclusive right to collect is farmed out to a renter 

 for a term of years. The latter administration of the 

 prerogative is also in force in Okhamandal (Kathiawar) 

 where the Gaekwar of Baroda exercises sovereio^n rights 

 in the local fishery. In Ceylon the renting system was 

 in force till 1890, wnen it was abandoned in favour of an 

 export duty, a method of securing Government revenue 

 from this source which has continued ever since. In 

 Travancore, the dues of Government are collected in the 

 same manner as now prevails in Ceylon. 



(i) THE TINNEVELLY CHANK FISHERY. 



This fishery is the only one that is carried on sys- 

 tematically and with a definite organization. As detailed 

 elsewhere (p. 43), references in Tamil classics make it 

 clear that this fishery was being prosecuted with vigour 

 under Pandyan rule as long as 1,800 years ago ; in those 

 days the head-quarters was at Korkai, an important 

 city of traders, jewellers, pearl-fishers and chank-divers. 



I -A 



