ccsxxv 



have the meshes so small that nothing- whatever can escape them, and, 

 as fishing- goes on all the year round, immense numbers of small fish are 

 destroyed long before they can come to maturity/' The fishing cates 

 are Kewuts, Ghoonas, Matas, Bagtees, and Harees : the supply of fish 

 is very limited, except in the immediate vicinity of large rivers and a 

 few reservoirs, but it is not at all adequate to meet the wants of the 

 people : in some parts of the district the use of fish is almost unknown, 

 and there are no waters to propagate them. " In other parts, if fishing 

 were prohibited during the breeding season, and the use of net with 

 meshes below a certain size forbidden, there is no doubt the supply of 

 fish would increase, and much good be done by adding to the quantity 

 of this very valuable description of food, which would thus be made 

 available to the people at large.-''' " Fish is not largely consumed by the 

 people of this district, simply from the fact of its not being obtainable 

 in sufficient quantities, and none, either salted or dried, is ever imported, 

 whilst exportation is, of course, quite out of the question. The stocking 

 of tanks and reservoirs with young fish is common, and is rendered 

 necessary by the majority of the tanks and reservoirs running dry, 

 or so nearly dry, in the hot season, that all the fish are caught and 

 consumed, when a fresh batch has to be introduced in order to ensure a 

 further supply, but, beyond this, nothing is done for the purpose of 

 conserving it." 



409. The Officiating Commissioner of the Chittagong Division 



(October 5th, 1872) forwards a single 

 Opinions of European Officials of ft from the CoUector f tfoaMally, 



who remarks that " breeding-fish and 

 very young ones are destroyed, but not to a great extent, in this district. 

 The young ones are destroyed by the villagers in khlas, rivers, tanks, 

 ditches, and paddy-fields during the rainy season." The smallest size 

 mesh of the net used is one quarter of an inch ; discontent would be 

 caused by regulating such. Fry of fish are not sold in the bazar, but 

 there would be difficulties preventing people catching it for their own 

 use. A close season would cause great inconvenience, and perhaps sick- 

 ness, whilst it would be almost impossible to enforce. There are 6,310 

 fishermen in the district, more than two-thirds of whom earn their 

 livelihood entirely by fishing. Nearly all villagers fish for their own 

 use; the Hindu fishing castes are Jaliah, Das, and Jhalo : the 

 Mahomedans, Myforash. The local markets are not fully supplied 

 with fish ; more might be sold ; it is consumed to a large extent by 

 about fifteen-sixteenths of the population, in fact by all classes, even 

 by Hindu widows. Small fish are taken in large quantities during 

 the rains; they are caught with nets, hooks, Jioolias, open baskets, 

 and chais, cages. Fish are trapped during the rains in inundated 

 fields. Spearing is one form of fishing which is employed. There 

 is no reason to suppose that the supply of fish is falling off: it is 

 neither salted nor dried, but some is imported from Sylhet and 

 Chittagong; none is exported; tanks are stocked with fish. "In 

 the dry season fish die largely, owing to the water becoming 

 hot and very shallow : the only measure adopted by the people for the 

 protection of fish is to put a shade over a part of the tank. It would 

 be well if some measures were adopted to deepen the tanks to a certain 



