No. 3 (1917) 



TUTICORIN FISHING INDUSTRY 



81 



The reason for the vastly better catches (hiring the north-east 

 monsoon is that then the sea is clear and the wind just strong 

 enough to give the boats sufficient speed through the water and yet 

 carry full sail. In the south-west monsoon poor fishing results 

 partly from the frequent turbidity of the water and partly (more) 

 from the fact that wind and sea are then usually too high to permit 

 the local boats to carry full sail ; it is at these times that the out- 

 rigger canoes of Ceylon and Palk Bay come to the front by reason 

 of their greater power to stand up to heavy weather. 



Madi Valai. — This fishery ranks fourth at Tuticorin in order of 

 importance, both in value and in weight of fish landed on the 

 beach. It is carried on entirely by catamaran fishermen belonging 

 to neighbouring fishing villages, chiefly Pinnacoil, Sippikulam and 

 Vaipar. These men, when weather conditions are favourable, 

 resort to Tuticorin as being a much better market for fresh fish than 



Fig. 6. — Suuai (Clupea timbriata). x 3. 



their own villages. In the height of the season, October to March, 

 as many as 20 catamarans make Tuticorin their fishing head- 

 quarters. These catamarans are of special type, and differ entirely 

 from those used on the Coromandel coast. Instead of being con- 

 structed in raft shape of five comparatively slender logs as the latter 

 usually are, these Tinnevelly catamarans consist of three massive 

 logs, kept permanently tied together ; the centre one is fitted at a 

 lower level than the two side ones, and in this way a distinct 

 trough-shaped hollow is formed, imparting to the catamaran the 

 suggestion of a primitive boat. Each is manned usually by two 

 men. Catamarans are worked in pairs in madi valai fishing, the 

 net employed being a primitive trawl worked much as an otter 

 trawl is, with the substitution of catamarans in place of otter 

 boards. Each end of the net is aboard one catamaran ; in working 

 it, the two catamarans sail on a parallel course at an appropriate 



