460 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



REPORT FROM DR. G. OULIA. 



Mr. S. Cachia Zatninit states that by permitting the use of the trawl- 

 net called " gangamo" and the casting net called " terrieha" in certain 

 localities, and by extending the area of the seines ("tartanoni"), he 

 has reason to believe that several fishermen would not be satisfied. He 

 may be right, for fishermen are seldom satisfied with what is granted 

 them, especially when they are induced to believe that all restrictions 

 in fishing are vexatious and useless, and that all the machinery of cap- 

 ture should be allowed without any limitation of time and space. 



Since the publication of the fishing regulations, some ten years ago, 

 the use of the " parit," then an unlawful net, was granted them out- 

 side and inside the harbors, even on prohibited areas, with very slight 

 restrictions. The use of the net called " mendila " was also conceded 

 on this area to procure shrimps for bait. Shrimping is now carried on 

 in Marsaseala and in Marsascirocco chiefly by women. The surface 

 nets called "ghazel tal lacei," and some kind of rush nets ("drajen"), 

 were also granted. Fishermen here now asked for the " gangamo," 

 and with the view of furnishing them with more shrimps 1 have recom- 

 mended, not without some degree of hesitation, that its use may be 

 granted in certain localities, for the number of anglers having lately 

 increased, the supply of shrimps, which constitute the chief bait for the 

 anglers, became insufficient. This fact induced me to advise the gov- 

 ernment to grant licenses for the use of the " gangamo " or beam-trawl 

 net, which has always been an uulawful net, even, I believe, in the time 

 of the Grand Masters. 



Speaking on the various implements of fishing, Mr. Holdsworth, sec- 

 retary to the royal sea-fisheries, in a very interesting work on fishing 

 (London, 1874), writes: "It is well known that the beam-trawl net 

 (gaugamo) is a ponderous instrument which hashes the fish that it cap- 

 tures and destroys a large number that it does not capture." All this 

 is well known to our fishermen. I could not, therefore, recommend to 

 the governor the use of such an instrument without restriction. Not- 

 withstanding that the fishing regulations are now reduced to very slight 

 restrictions, I would not be surprised if after the new licenses other 

 petitions should be presented to the governor for further concessions, 

 namely, the use of "tartanoni," "terrieha," and "gangamo" in all local- 

 ities. But by allowing the use of these nets there would surely follow 

 a decline, perhaps a complete destruction of most of the non-migratory 

 fishes. 



Some supply of fresh or brackish water which empties into the sea 

 seems to be of importance to the health and growth of some sorts of 

 marine creatures. Such bottoms, which are always muddy, are covered 

 by a jjrapwrack called Phucagrortis major ("harira"), and is more or 

 less supplied with eels, gray mullets, prawns, shrimps and other crus- 

 taceans, and mollusks, besides other marine productions suitable for 



