cxv 



CENTRAL PROVINCES. 



245. It appears from the following- reports, that in the 19 tehsils 

 The majority of the people in from which answers have been received, in 



the Central Provinces may eat four 50 per cent, of the people eat fish, in 

 • eight from 50 to 75 per cent., in three from 



80 to 90 per cent., and in four upwards of 90 per cent. 



246. Whether the markets are sufficiently supplied? is thus answered 

 ,, , . , ,. , by 20 tehsildars, as sufficiently so in 8, in- 



Markets how supplied. m ■ n • m 



rr sufficiently in 12. 



217. Respecting whether the amotcnt of fish in the waters has in- 

 creased, decreased, or remained stationary ? 

 .* r "t: r ei ntase?„rd°ec r e» h ,! »™n consider it to be stationary, in two 

 ed. it appears doubtful, whilst nine report a 



decrease. 



248. Respecting the number of fishermen? they are given at 80,928, 



but the women and children belonging to 

 Fishermen, as a rule, have ,r • t 'v „ * i j j r, ' n ,, 



other occupations. their families are included by some of the 



tehsildars ; one evidently adds in those who 



used to be fishermen, as he remarks that " many have ceased to 



follow their original occupation, owing to the demand for well-paid labor 



developed by the railway." Out of these persons, all are said to follow 



other occupations, with the exception of 200 persons in the Upper Godave- 



ri district. 



249. The opinion appears to be unanimous, that breeding fish are 



„ „ „ , , , , destroyed to a large extent by fixed nets, by 



Breeding fish how destroyed. • • i i • ,• . A 



J weirs spanning whole rivers, arresting them 



whilst they are ascending to breed, especially at a little prior to the 



commencement of the monsoon, and likewise stopping their downward 



progress as they return to the larger rivers ; by traps in irrigated fields, 



capturing them as they try to reach good spawning grounds; by netting 



in every possible way the pools in the rivers in the dry season, and by 



poisoning the waters. Various forms of traps, nets, &c, are also employed. 



250. Fry appear to be destroyed to a great extent when just 



_ , , , , moving about, and in every possible way. 



Fry destroyed wholesale. r\ l i •■ l ± j.i j j.- • 



J J One tehsildar computes the destruction in 



his district alone at 25,000 maunds (2 millions of pounds), and the 



tehsildar of Nursingpur says, that " it is to this wholesale destruction 



of the small fish that the fish have decreased." Traps of fine split 



bamboos appear to be placed at every outlet in irrigated fields, and 



netting is carried on universally, as well as the use of dams, weirs, and 



poison. 



