XV111 



district, people are not given to fishing as a rule, and no destruction to 



breeding fish takes place ; neither are the fry destroyed. The smallest size 



of the mesh of the nets being | of an inch between knot and knot, 



no difficulties exist against regulating it, but he does not consider 



interference advisable. Fry are not sold in the bazars. The Officiating 



Deputy Commissioner of Sarsa reports, that breeding fish aud very 



young ones, are not destroyed to any great extent; T 3 <j of an inch 



between knot and knot of the meshes is the smallest size employed ; and 



he considers, as to what difficulties there are against regulating its size, 



that it is as well that all the fish in pools which dry up should be caught, 



but that one inch between knot and knot is advisable for nets used in waters 



that do not dry up. The objection against prohibiting the sale of fry 



is, that they are chiefly taken in pools which dry up, and would die if 



left uncaught. No reasons exist against a close season of two months 



in the hilly districts. The Extra Assistant Commissioner of Karnal 



states, that breeding fish and very young ones are destroyed, but 



not to any great extent, the latter are taken in larger quantities than 



the former. In the Jumna, in tanks and jhils, very young ones are 



captured in the rainy season and floods, and large ones in all seasons 



when procurable. The smallest meshes employed in nets are from \ to 



^ an inch in circumference, and are used for taking prawns. The only 



difficulty against regulating the size of the mesh of nets is, that it would 



interfere with the fishermen, and, probably, many would give up their 



occupation if not permitted their own discretionary powers in keeping 



nets to their own liking. The size proposed is I5- inches between knot 



and knot of the meshes, leaving nets for taking prawns as they are. 



The fry of fish are said not to be generally used, as their sale would not 



be profitable. As to whether there are any objections against prohibiting 



the capture of fish in hilly districts for the first two months of the 



monsoon season when they are breeding, it is stated : " Capturing of 



breeding fish in hilly districts in the spawning time will, in a certain 



extent, decrease their generation." 



33. The Revd. W. Carleton, of the American Mission, who has been 



™ „ , ttt r, 1 x . u ten or eleven years amongst the people of the 

 The Revd. W. Carleton's ob- TT . , J , ., to . , \ , L , , ,. 



servations on fishing in the hilly Himalayas, and paid considerable attention 



districts, and how fry are de- to natural history, was good enough to 

 stroyed in mill streams. favour me with his independent views re- 



specting the fisheries of the hill streams at the Kangra valley and 

 elsewhere. He observes that the laws or regulations that c< have been 

 introduced to preserve the Himalayan fish, do not meet the real difficulty 

 in the way of making the products of the Himalayan rivers an abundant 

 source of food." " I do not/'' he continued, " write in the interests of 

 Government, so much as I do in behalf of the common people, who, fond 

 of meat, get at present a scanty supply from the rivers ; while, if a 

 proper conservancy of the fish could be introduced, there would be a very 

 good supply of food for the poor or common people. There are two or 

 three species of fish of remarkable fecundity in the Himalayas, which, if 

 they were properly cared for when young, would yield yearly a great 

 supply of food. But there is one custom in many parts of the hills, 

 which, more than any others, is ' ruinous* to the natural growth of these 

 fish, and which the present laws about fishing do not in the slightest 

 degree affect. The grain in the Himalayas is all ground in little mills 



