xliii 



more stringent laws appear to be necessary before it can be put a 



stop to. 



90. The Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay, in forward- 



ing* the returns from which the following 

 ern°menr 0f ^ ^^ were compiled, observes that very little is 



known regarding the fresh- water fisheries of 

 this Presidency, or the practicability of increasing and developing this 

 source of food supply ; whilst it is clear that a great deal of wasteful 

 destruction takes place. 



91. The Officiating Revenue Commissioner, Northern Division (Oc- 



tober 1st, 1868) stated: — " I believe a large 

 mi?sionlrs. S 0f *" ^^ destruction, both of fish and of small game/is 



caused more or less throughout India by net- 

 ting during the spawning and breeding season, and it is a question whe- 

 ther protective laws of moderate stringency would not be very advisable. 

 * * The subject is not without importance, and I think it would be 

 advisable to prohibit netting, both fish and game, during the spawning 

 and breeding season." The Acting Revenue Commissioner, Southern Divi- 

 sion (October 9th, 1868) observed : — " I consider that it would be almost 

 impracticable to enforce laws for the preservation of fish throughout 

 India ; but that if certain localities were selected for preserves, and guard- 

 ed under a legal enactment for the purpose, considerable light might be 

 thrown upon the question, and the advisability of extending such opera- 

 tions to other places, or not doing so, would be more clearly established 

 than at present/'' 



92. The Acting Collector of Ahmedabad reported (June 10th, 1871) 



that fish exist in the Saburmuttee, the Mesh wa, 

 mthTilmedabSSectorate. and the Kharee rivers, also in the Bokh and 



in all the larger tanks. In the rivers and in 

 the Bokh they are often of a large size, but in the tanks their average 

 weight is half a pound, although large fish are also caught there. 

 There are no private rights in the fishing. The Acting Collector (Febru- 

 ary 20th, 1872) merely observed that there are no fisheries proper in his 

 district, and that he deprecates any attempt to regulate, as suggested, the 

 capture of fish, considering that it is better that some fry be destroyed 

 than that further opportunities should be afforded to the lower grades of 

 Government servants, and to bigotted Hindus, to turn the intentions of 

 Government to their own profit. 



93. The Acting Collector of Broach reported (May 26th, 1871) 



. that there are fresh-water fisheries in the 

 lX%Z£ cZltZ^""' Nerbudda, the Mhye, a n d the Dhadur, but no 



special rights are enjo}^ed by any class of 

 people or the Government, the fisheries being open to all persons wishing 

 to make use of them. The Acting Collector (March 8th, 1872) observed 

 that as the fisheries of the district are open to all persons wishing to 

 make use of them, and every sort of net is used, there is reason to believe 

 that breeding and very young fish are destroyed to a considerable extent. 

 This destruction occurs chiefly in the Nerbudda during the rains, and 

 within about five or six miles of Broach both up and down stream ; it 

 also takes place at Hansote on the same river. The smallest size of the 

 mesh of the nets used is one-sixth of an inch in diameter, but there 



