Piel tiie CHAN RISHE RIES OF 
LN DAS AND CE EON: 
Six distinct chank fisheries are carried on at the pre- 
-sent day in India; ranked in their order of importance 
they.are:— 
(2) Tinnevelly (usually called the Tuticorin fishery), 
(6) Ramnad (with Sivaganga), 
(c) The Carnatic coast (South Arcot and Tanjore), 
(d) Travancore, 
(e) Kathiawar, 
to which is to be added a large one in the north of 
Ceylon. 
Without exception the chank fishery in each of these 
localities is considered as a royal prerogative, the mono- 
poly of Government. In practice this prerogative is 
variously exercised. In Tinnevelly, the Madras Govern- 
ment work the fishery departmentally through an officer 
of the Fisheries Department styled the Superintendent 
of Pearl and Chank Fisheries. On the Carnatic coast 
the shells are either (in Tanjore) bought at fixed rates 
from the fishermen by the Customs Department on behalf 
of the Fisheries Departmert, or else (in South Arcot) 
the exclusive right to collect is farmed out toa renter 
for a term of years. The latter. administration of the 
prerogative is also in force in Okhamandal (Kathiawar) 
where the Gaekwar of Baroda exercises sovereign rights 
in the local fishery. In Ceylon the renting system was 
in force till-r890, when it was abandoned in favour of an 
export duty, a method of securing Government revenue 
from this source which has continued ever since. In 
Travancore, the dues of Government are collected in the 
same manner as now prevails in Ceylon. 
(1) THE TINNEVELLY CHANK FISHERY. 
This fishery is the only one that is carried on sys- 
tematically and with a definite organization. As detailed 
elsewhere (p. 43), references in Tamil classics make it 
clear that this fishery was being prosecuted with vigour 
under Pandyan rule as long as 1,800 years ago ; in those 
days the head-quarters was at Korkai, an important 
city of traders, jewellers, pearl-fishers and chank-divers. 
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