( 109 ) 



oven the (listiirLing of S2)awnin!:]f fisli, or llio possossion of 

 imaeasonnhlo ones. To carry (his oiil, Distiicl. IJoards of 

 Conservators ai-e a])2iointcd, who levy a license tax on every 

 one who fishes for salmon, whether with a rod and line, net, 

 weir, or any other appliance whatever. 



CXX. Having now cnnmerated the varions opinions 



Ucspccting any icinocUcs tlwt of tllOSC AvllO liold that tllC prCSCnt 



inny imvc boon trici\. modc of Working tlic frcsh-wator 



iisheries of India is causing their deterioration, and of others 

 who deny such, it appears desirahle, prior to summing up 

 the lessons which these reports seem to convey, to ask these 

 questions: — Have ony remedies been atiemi^ted by those loho 

 advocate them ? If so, what has been the result of such 

 attempts ? Even did no wasteful destruction now take ])lace, 

 could it he clearly demonsti-atcd that a great augmentatiou 

 of animal food must be cnsm'ed by moderately and Avell- 

 considered restrictive measures, tlie strongest advocates for 

 the prescriptive riglit of the ])cople to ruin fislicries, and 

 thus diminish tlieir neighbours' food, and the philantlu'ojnsts 

 Avho denounce fishery laws as engines of oppression and 

 instruments of cruelty, surely must pause, and accord this 

 enquiry that attentive consideration it so well deserves, but 

 unfortunately does not always appear to obtain. It is not a 

 suljject in which assertions sliould convince, or statements 

 unbacked by facts be allowed much weight. It is not merely 

 in one quarter of the globe that the ruinous mode in which 

 fresh-water fisheries have been worked, has esca})ed the 

 observations of legislatures and even of their owners : in 

 short, it is only of late years that mankind has commenced 

 being aware that his mode of treating these fisheries may 

 be, and probably is, based upon error. The license accorded 

 by " man" is not invariably in accordance with the laws 

 ordained by " nature ;" and we have now to enquire Avhether 

 any conservative measures have been attempted, and, if so, 

 with what result. 



CXXI. Tiie measures for the protection of the fresh- 

 itestrictivo ,og„intion, i.nvo ^^'^1^61- fislicrics of tlic Indian Empire 

 iiad n bcucricini result locniiy mav bc divided iuto two. First, those 

 '" """■ which are natural ones, as dcscril)ed 



in Sind (pp. xxix — xxxii), and, consequently, do not call for 

 i'urther remarks. Secondly, those carried out by luimau 

 agency. Eortunatcly, we are able to examine Ihe reports 

 from oflicials who have attemjitcd such in two Avidely 

 separated localities, — the one in South Canara in Madras, 

 the other in the Uoon in the North-Westeru I'roviucos, 



