make all the water pass thiough an open receptacle resembling a large 

 basket, also by erecting- a bank of sand across a river or nalla and 

 obtaining the fish in the usual way. 



119. The native officials in the Kaladgi Collector ate report that 



there are about 400 persons who follow fish- 

 Opinions of native officials in • in coniuuction with otlier occupations, 



the Kaladgi Collectorate. -, , ,, ,., • ,. .. , n 1 • 



but there are likewise distinct nshing castes. 

 Fish are but rarely sold in the bazars ; about one-quarter of the people 

 are fish-eaters ; the supply of late years is considered to have remained 

 stationary. Very small ones are not taken in any quantity during the rains, 

 whilst the minimum mesh employed is about the size of a grain of wheat. 

 In the Indee Talooka fish are trapped during the rains in the irrigated fields. 



120. The native officials at Sholapur give the number of fisher- 



men in the district at 1,000, including women 



ShSf ur nS ° f nath ' e ° ffiCialS ^ aud cnildren ! The Bhoees are the fishermen 



caste ; they are also palkee-bearers. The 



markets are insufficiently supplied with fish ; one-third of the population 



eat it when obtainable ; the supply is said to have decreased of late ; 



very small ones are captured with nets and baskets, the latter of which 



are of such a fine texture that nothing can escape through the interstices. 



121. The Maml/itdars of Belgaum report through the Assistant 



Collector as follows : — Mr. Stewart states that 

 Opinions of the native officials * h{ digtrict there are onl about 250 figh 



01 the Belgaum Collectorate. . J 



men, who also engage m other occupations ; 

 they are chiefly of the Bhoee, Koli, and Takur castes, but a few Mussul- 

 men likewise carry on this pursuit in a small measure, mostly for home 

 consumption. The markets are glutted with salt-fish imported from Goa 

 and the sea-coast, there being but a slight demand for fresh fish ; 

 but if the opportunity were given to the natives to purchase fresh fish 

 cheap and good, there could be no doubt that the use of this wholesome 

 article of consumption would be more wide-spread. The relative price of 

 fish and mutton is much the same in the different talookas, but the cost 

 of the former is considerably more than that of the latter. About 20 

 per cent, of the population eat fish, the supply of which has remained 

 stationary of late years, but very young ones are not destroyed during 

 the rains to any great extent. Mr. Fleet states that in his district there 

 are about 60 fishermen of the Bhoee, Madrassi Holler, Koli, and Takur 

 castes in Belgaum and its neighbourhood, whilst there are from 25 to 30 

 in the Gokak Talooka of the Kabalge, Mussulmen, and Rajput castes ; 

 most of them are likewise palkee-bearers or Hamals. The Belgaum 

 market is insufficiently supplied with fish, but in the Gokak Talooka the 

 supply equals the demand ; the same may be said of the other two talookas. 

 The supply in the rivers has seriously diminished of late years, due to 

 increased demand and decreased rainfall. Many very small ones are 

 captured during the rainy months ; fish are very generally caught with nets, 

 or trapped in the fields that are permanently irrigated. Mr. Luxmon 

 Jagoonoth reports that there are fifteen villages in his district on the banks 

 of the rivers, and which contain about 125 fishermen, chiefly of the 

 Maratha, Mussulmen, Kidbodee, Bagaee, and Bhoee castes. A large num- 

 ber of very small fishes are captured during the rains with nets having 

 minute meshes. 



