xxxm 



BOMBAY. 



5 7 . The following are the Returns of the European and Native officials 



respecting- the 'fresh-water' fisheries of the 



Fresh-water fisheries of the Bombay Presidency, those of Sind having 



Bombay Presidency, excluding been g. iven separa tely (see ante). Thus limited, 



these fisheries may, for the sake of convenience, 

 be sub-divided into two fishery districts. First, the inland ones, the rivers 

 in which, north of the city of Bombay, have mostly a westerly direction; 

 whilst those to the south, many of which are tributaries of the Kristna, 

 take a more easterly course. Secondly, the coast ones, viz., those bordering 

 or near to the sea, which form a narrow strip from the Gulf of Cambay to 

 Bombay itself, and are continued down the Concan and Canara, and might 

 properly include those Madras districts which extend along the Malabar 

 Coast to Cape Comorin. 



58. Some Returns have been excluded from the following analysis, 



as not being direct answers to questions ; 

 Some few Returns omitted. likewise those in which the official, although 



sending in a reply, appears not to have 

 made full investigations, considering it " premature to harass the fisher- 

 men by enquiries into the size of the mesh now used in their nets/' 



59. The inland fisheries of Bombay, as above limited, do not possess 



such fine rivers as Northern and Eastern India ; 

 The rivers and inland tanks ^ {n m j th ^ h { t 



suitable for fisheries. .. - ii i \ £ . ■> ■ £ni 



evidently well adapted tor the rearing of fish, 



and partially supplying the local markets with this wholesome article of 



food. Its numerous tanks are also well suited for the same purpose. 



60. The first consideration which arises must be, what proportion of 



the people eat fish ? In this enquiry, it is not 

 ^Proportion of people who eat ^ p f oportion that now do SO, but what it 



would be could they obtain it. Unfortunately 

 some answers specify the number of individuals in the talookas that do so, 

 whilst the total of the population is omitted, and some replies are too 

 vague to be of any service. It appears, however, that the proportion of 

 fish-eaters to the remainder of the population is, in the Collectorate of 

 Satara, from 25 to 96 per cent. ; in Puna the majority ; in Nasik, from 5 

 to 66, 75, or even 94 per cent. ; whilst in one district, inhabited by Bhils 

 and Kolis, all do so, except the Brahmins ; in Ahmednugger 66 per cent. ; 

 in Khandeish 75 per cent.; in Sholapur 33 per cent.; in Kaladgi 25 per 

 cent.; in Belgaum 20 per cent. In Darwar the numbers of fish-eaters are 

 given in seven talookas at 205,000, whilst in an eighth talooka 20,000, or half 

 the total of the population, consume fish. The foregoing figures appear 

 to show conclusively that the majority of the inhabitants of the inland 

 districts of the Bombay Presidency are consumers of fish, when they can 

 procure it. 



61. Are the local markets sufficiently supplied with fresh fish to meet 



the local demands ? is the next question for 

 ciently supphed wXft fishT^" investigation . Every official who has answered 



this question, except one mamlutdar, asserts 



