226 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 



the necessary spice to their poaching expeditions. If these villagers 

 could be induced to believe that they stand to gain most by allowing 

 the oyster to remain on the beds until they are in full bearing, a 

 areat improvement in the state of affairs would immediately result. 

 I am in full agreement with Dr. Willey in regarding the revenue 

 which accrues from the Tamblegam fisheries as of purely secondary 

 importance. The Tamblegam window-pane oyster fishery should 

 be looked upon primarily as a local industry worthy of encourage- 

 ment. If, as the result of the investigations now being carried on at 

 Tamblegam, the fishery can be brought back to its former prosperous 

 condition, Government will be justified in incurring the small 

 expenditure which the work annually entails. The present oyster 

 bed comprises about three square miles. If only one oyster per 

 square yard is present, the bed contains about ten million oysters. 

 The actual number present must be nearty fifty millions. If half 

 this number survive the two-fold dangers of weather and predatory 

 fish, the fishery should produce a sum of Rs. 150,000, computing the 

 oysters at the very low rate of Rs. 6 per thousand. Half this amount 

 goes to the divers and boatmen. It may be readily seen then, that 

 when the oysters have successfully withstood the stress of weather 

 and have survived the inroads of predatory fish, it is of the utmost 

 importance that some real protection against poaching should be 

 afforded. It may be said that no fishery at Tamblegam has ever 

 produced so large a return as Rs. 150,000. This is undoubtedly due 

 to the continual thefts. The writer had an interview with Mr. Hodson, 

 the Assistant Government Agent at Trtncomalee, who has shown 

 much practical sympathy with the investigations at Tamblegam. 

 He was obliged to confess the impracticability of providing adequate 

 protection for the oyster beds. If that be so, the scientific work can 

 only have a partial success, and the consequence will be that instead 

 of the fishery in 2 or 3 years' time being valued at Rs. 150,000, 

 it will not be worth a quarter of that amount. Since the Kinniyai 

 divers get half share of the proceeds, one would think they would not 

 be so foolish and shortsighted as to dive for immature oysters, as 

 they have been in the custom of doing, when by allowing the oysters 

 to remain until rich in pearls a valuable harvest could be reaped. 

 Added to this, there is a certain amount of resentment against the 

 claim by Government of exclusive rights of oyster-fishing in Tamble- 

 gam. The difficulties of the position are admittedly great, and 

 to protect Lake Tamblegam from the raids of poachers would 

 require a staff of watchers five times as efficient as the two men 

 employed at present. There are several hundreds of men living in 

 the shores of Tamblegam who are experienced divers, and it may be 

 taken for granted that two watchers, however zealous they may be, 

 are insufficient for the purposes of supervision. 



There has not been a successful fishery since 1890, but it is hard 

 to believe that this is altogether due to an absence of sufficient 



