Cll 



they also engage in other occupations ; whilst in Coorg all the ryots 

 are said to fish more or less, but none are strictly fishermen. 



195. Respecting whether mature breeding fish or immature fry are 



destroyed to any great extent ? If one looks 



tensively n cfestroVed! * ^ **' at the reports of the whole of the officials, 



one cannot help observing that fish are taken 

 in every possible mode without regard to breeding season or the size of 

 the immature fish, even down to the fry when they are just moving 

 about. Nets with very small meshes appear to be universally employed. 

 In the Nundidrug and Astragam divisions the size between knot and 

 knot of the meshes is given at one-sixteenth of an inch ; in Nagar that its 

 minimum size will not permit the smallest fish to escape ; in Coorg that 

 the meshes are so small as to allow only the water to pass through ; 

 whilst weirs, spanning streams and rivers, as well as poisoning waters, is 

 freely resorted to. (See Report of Collector of South Canara, para. 169.) 



196. The modes of fishing employed may be summed up as 



reported by the amildars of the Nagar divi- 



ing E pursu P ed! Cl,ing m ° de ^ ^ si ° D > h Y nets ' tra P s > ll0 ° ks > cl ° tllS ' and ^ hand ' 



by baskets of different shapes, by dam- 

 ming and draining off the water, by shooting, by striking with clubs, 

 with swords or with choppers, by weirs and fixed engines ; in short, by 

 poaching practices of every kind, as well as by fishing with rods and 

 lines, and by poisoining the pools of water. 



197. Considering that at least half the population of this district 



„ , . r ,, eat fish when they can obtain it, that the 



Conclusions from the reports. , . . J rf , . . , , . ' , , , , 



markets are insufficiently supplied, and the 



fish are decreasing ; taking also into consideration that the fishermen 

 only pursue this avocation, as a rule, in addition to their ordinary occupa- 

 tions, that in Coorg the whole of the ryots are said to be fishermen, and 

 in Nundidrug that nearly every ryot keeps a net to be used as occasion 

 or opportunity arises, whilst breeding fish and fry are indiscriminately 

 slaughtered by nets or traps with the smallest meshes or interstices, the 

 next consideration is whether it is worth while to do anything. 



198. There appear to be two classes of localities where fishing is 



carried on : firstly, those tanks which dry up 



enrried^on 08 Wher ° ^^ ** at certa[n seasons of the year, and in which 



the fish would only die if not captured; 

 secondly, rivers, running streams, and such of the large tanks as retain 

 a supply of water throughout the year. 



199. Firstly, tanks that dry up. It seems to be assumed that, under 



the above circumstances, no regulations should 



Fisheries which have no peren- b applicable to the sma H ta nks that yearly dry 



mal supply of water. rf . J J J 



up, as the fish in them must die, or be eaten 



by lower animals, if not captured by man. A little difficulty appears 



to have escaped notice, that if nets, with the most minute meshes, 



are permitted in these places, the excuse for their possession would always 



be that they were only kept for tank-fishing; in fact, such could 



hardly be interdicted. So long also as these tanks possess water 



communications with rivers, streams, or large tanks, the small fish can 



obtain an exit to where they could grow. Practically speaking, it is of 



course but little use prohibiting fishing in any way people choose in tanks 



