ig2i.] S. L. HoRA : Fish of Manipur. 209 



From the fisheries in other areas, the state realises a good in- 

 come. The total is estimated to be between Rs. 60,000 and i ,00,000 

 annually. The main rivers of the valley are divided into stretches, 

 each about a couple of miles in length. The fishery rights in each 

 of these areas are publicly auctioned every year and each fishery 

 fetches from Rs. 400 to 500. The money is paid to the state in 

 instalments; but usually, as I gathered from a talk with ilr. 

 A. C. Eleazar, the full amount is never realised. The Waithu-pat, 

 a lake some ten miles from Imphal and lying on either side of the 

 Burma Road, is the most important centre, not only because it 

 brings an income of Rs. 8,000 to 10,000 a year, but because the 

 entire supply for the Imphal market of the big edible fish (Wallago 

 attu) comes from this place. 



Fishing Boats. 



The only type of boat used in the Loktak Lake is a dug-out. 

 It generally consists of a single piece of wood with a flat bottom, 

 hollowed out to form a boat. The anterior end is broad and 

 somewhat squarish. The boat is rowed with a single paddle 

 having a long blade. A small boat costs from Rs. 15 to 18. Near 

 Thanga Island some big boats are also used for fishing and as 

 a means of transportation. In the Imphal River, the tradesmen 

 also use big boats which are not dug-out but real flat-bottomed 

 boats of similar shape. 



Manipuris are very fond of boat-racing. During the rainy 

 season, a racing competition is held every year in the Imphal 

 River. On this occasion two big boats are used with dragons 

 carved on their sides. 



Fish-traps. 



A series of characteristic traps are used in running water for 

 capturing large quantities of fish. A trap consists of three parts, 

 each performing a definite function. The first part consists of a 

 superficial dam, built of bamboo poles and dry grass and extends 

 almost across the stream, leaving only a passage for boats. The 

 function of this dam is to prevent floating weeds and other debris 

 from choking the traps which are laid further on. About twenty 

 yards below this dam, another stronger dam is built of the same 

 material, but here the grass is held together by sticky mud. It 

 does not come quite up to the surface, and the water either flows 

 over it or through the boat passage. To the upper edge of the 

 poles, just at the level of the water, numerous traps are fixed close 

 together. Each trap consists of two parts. The chora-nih or the 

 upper part has the form of a conical tube and is attached by its 

 wider end to one of the poles. The second portion or lusak is also 

 conical but is closed at the narrow end. It telescopes a little over 

 the end of the first part and is attached to it by means of a string. 

 The lusak thus acts as a sort of a purse for all the fish that enter the 

 trap and is detached from time to time and emptied of its contents. 



