XXXI 



(Imiiifj (lie iiiiimlatidii season; for like rcnson the fiy cscnjies. Mimite 

 moslied nets arc not employed, so far as I coidd ascertain, hy the inhal)it- 

 ants of Ifpjier and Central Sind, as it is fonnd more profitahle to permit 

 the young- fish to attain a fair size before eajitnring' them. As the waters 

 in the tanks subside and food Itenjins to decrease, then nettino; is carried 

 on. Owing- to the peculiar character of the fisheries of this province and 

 the smallness of the population, remedial mcasincs do not ajipear at present 

 called for (see Report on fisheries of Sind, March 18th, 1872). 



52. The Oommissioner of Sind (September 9th, 18G8) reported, " tlie 



pulla [Ctiqien. falasa/i , Cuv. & Val.] is the 

 ^^Roport by the Commissioucr p,^,^, description of fish caught in the river. 



Their aiipcaraiice is restricted to a particular 

 season, from March until September ; they are not local, but come up 

 from the sea to spawn, and are secm-ed in nets capable of catching not- 

 more than one, two, or three at a time. Owing to the dangerous charac- 

 ter of the river at all times, but especially during the inundations, 

 when there are strong contending currents, fishing of any other descrip- 

 tion is never resorted to. In the 'dhands' and hollows, considerable 

 quantities of fish are caught in drag-nets ; these are consumed by the 

 inhabitants in adjacent towns and villages, and the residue is sailed and 

 sold in remote localities ; but during the inundations these recejttaclcs be- 

 come very deep and extensive, when the use of nets is aljandoned, and 

 the su]i])ly of fish becomes renewed. Some loss of small fish is no doubt 

 occasioned when the hollows dry up after the iinindaf ion has subsided ; 

 tbis, however, is unavoidable in consequence of the isolation of many 

 places from their main feeder (the Indus), and cannot therefore be con- 

 sidered as a wanton destruction of fish." 



53. The Acting Collector of Shifcarpur reported (1871), that the 



fisheries in the Collectorate are of two kinds, 



Shiknrpur Collcctor«to ; its ^j^^g^ „^ ^|,g j„j„g j,„j ^i,^,^^ 5,^ ^,,p r,|,,^4,„, > 

 iislicricS' 



or depressions which are suj)])lied with water 



every year from the overflow of the Indus or the larger canals. All 

 fisheries, with the exception of a few included in some jaghirs, and those in 

 the territory of His Highness Meer Ali Morad, Chief of Khypur, are the 

 property of Government, and the farm of Government fisheries is sold 

 yearly to the highest bidder. The revcniie from this souice varies but 

 little from year to year ; in 1809 it was Rs. 32,023-7-G for tlie whole 

 Collectorate. In the Indus the fishing is restricted to that for the pulla, 

 which annually ascends from the sea to breed, appearing about the end 

 of February; it returns to the sea in September. The fishermen or 

 Mahanas now resort to the dhands to ply their occupation. ]\Iany of 

 these dhands dry up before the annual rise of the river rcidcnislics the 

 su|)]ily of water in them, others again are sufficiently deep to retain water 

 all the year round. With the yearly inundations are brought a number 

 of fish which are suflicient for the year's supply, so no system of pre- 

 serving these fisheries seems necessary. 



5i. The Collector of Kurachi observed (March 15th, 1872), that 



the rights of private parties in the fisheries 



^^KuracbiCollcctornto; its fish- i,n,vc ucvcr been accurately defined, but that 



surh rights exist by innncmoiial custom is 

 well known. The Government right is to levj- one-third of (he fish 



