xlv 



is one quarter of an inch. The First Assistant Collector reported that all 

 fish are taken indiscriminately in nets, but owing* to the proximity to the 

 sea, fresh-water fish are not much sought after ; those captured in the 

 rivers and tanks are mostly taken during the monsoon and autumn 

 months. The minimum size of the mesh of the nets is one-fourth of an 

 inch in diameter; it would be difficult to regulate such, owing to the close 

 supervision of the fishing classes which would be entailed, but one inch 

 between knot and knot of the meshes is considered to be a fair size. Pro- 

 hibiting the sale of the fry of fish in the bazars " would be an arbitrary 

 interference with trade, such as could not be enforced save by a penal 

 statute of an obnoxious character ; no such restrictions are enforced any- 

 where in Europe that I am aware of" (see para. 88) . The Assistant 

 Collector observed that in these districts there seems to be a very small 

 trade in fish except at Mandvi ; the fishermen generally using all they 

 catch for home consumption. The chief places for fishing in Bardoli are 

 upon the Mindhola, which runs past Kamalchool and Bardoli Kasba. In 

 Walod fish are caught at Buhari, Walod, and Banjipura or Kamalchool; 

 in Mandvi only in the Tapti. In Bardoli the fry appear in July, but are 

 let alone until the end of September or beginning of October, and are 

 then taken. In Walod there are more fishermen than in Bardoli, and the 

 destruction of young fry is very great. The nets used are extremely fine- 

 meshed, some containing four meshes within the space of three quarters 

 of an inch. The people chiefly eat all they capture, but send any large 

 ones to Gundevi. However, they say they cannot catch mature ones, so 

 they get the fry. In Mandvi and Bodhon they catch fish down to the 

 smallest fry, and therefore use the very finest meshes. There must be 

 large fish in the Tapti, but the people say they cannot get hold of them, 

 and therefore destroy the fry. The latter come up in May and Septem- 

 ber, and are caught indiscriminately. These people live entirely by fish- 

 ing, and could not be willingly induced to allow the fish a chance of 

 stocking the waters before they are killed. 



96. The Collector of Khandeish reported (April 22nd, 1871) that 



there are no fresh-water fisheries in the dis- 



Opinions of European officials ^^ but that figh exigt fn aU the rf 



in the Khandeish Lollectorate. - ' , , ., „. ., , , 



and are caught by the Bhils and low castes, 



forming an important article in their food, but that they are not of suffi- 

 cient importance to be called fisheries, and Government has never exercised 

 any control over them. On April 22nd, 1872, he reported that breeding- 

 and very young fish are destroyed wherever they can be obtained, in the 

 few rivers and streams that yield fish, by means of nets, baskets, weirs, 

 traps, cloths, poison, and in fact anyhow. As regards what is the mini- 

 mum size of the mesh of nets, this question may perhaps best be answer- 

 ed by stating that when small-meshed nets are not available, the Bhils 

 use their sheets, saris, and dhotars for the purpose of taking fish. This 

 may be said to be no mesh at all. Respecting what difficulty exists 

 against regulating the size of the meshes of nets, the Collector forwards 

 the following opinion of Major Probyn, in which he fully concurs : — " The 

 objection to interference at present is, that the fish caught by the Bhils, 

 in all but the large rivers, forms a great portion of their food, especially 

 in a bad season when grain is scarce and dear, and it is the more neces- 

 sary to avoid curtailing their privileges in this matter, because our forest 



