cu 



tlicy also engage in oilier oceuputions ; wliilsl in Cuorg all tlie lyoia 

 are said to li^ll more or less, but none are strielly lishernien. 



195. licspeciing ivlielker mature breeding Jhh or immature J'rij are 



„ ,. , , duatroued to any great extent ? If one looks 



. Breeding hsli ami fry are ex- i ii i. i> ii i i r ii tv ■ i 



tensivcly destroyeil. ^^ ''''® I'^ports ot the whole ot the oihcial.s, 



one cannot help observing that fish are taken 

 in every possible mode without regard to breeding season or the size of 

 the immature fish, even down to the fry when they are just moving 

 about. Nets with very small meslies appear to be universally emjdoyed. 

 In the Nundidrug and Astragam divisions the size between knot and 

 knot of the meshes is given at one-sixteenth of an inch ; in Nagar that ils 

 minimum size will not permit the smallest fish to escape ; in Coorg that 

 the meshes are so small as to allow only the water to pass through ; 

 whilst weirs, spanning streams and rivers, as well as jioisoning waters, is 

 freely resorted to. (See Report of Collector of South Canara, para. IG'J.) 

 19G. The modes of fibbing employed may be summed u)) as 



reported liy the amildars of the Nagar divi- 

 Evory iioncliiiiK mode of fish- • i , , i i 1,1 111 1 



ill" iiuisuLil sion, by nets, traps, hooks, cloths, and by hand ; 



by baskets of dilferent shapes, by dam- 

 ming and draining ofT the water, by shooting-, by striking with clubs, 

 with swords or witli choppers, by weirs and fixed engines ; in short, by 

 poaching practices of every kind, as well as by fishing with rods and 

 lines, and by poisoining the pools of water. 



l'J7. Considering that at least half the populatioii of this district 



„,.,,, , cat fish when they can obtain it, that the 



Conclusions from the reports. , , . •^,,. • , 1 11 1,1 



markets are insulneiently supplied, anil the 



fish are decreasing; taking also into consideration that the ilshcrmeu 



only pursue this avocation, as a rule, in addition to their ordinary occujia- 



tions, that in Coorg the whole of the ryots are said to be fishermen, and 



in Nundidrug that nearly evci y ryot keeps a net to be used as occasion 



or ojjport unity arises, whils' breeding fish and fry are indiscriminately 



slaughtered by nets or traps with the smallest meshes or interstices, the 



next consideration is whether it is worth while to do anything. 



198. There appear to be two classes of localities where fishing is 



carried on : Jlrstli/, those tanks which dry up 



cnn'iTd'ou!' '''"™ ''''""° '' "'' '•"■t''''" S'-'''^0"s of the year, and in which 



the fish would only die if not captured; 

 secondly, rivers, running streams, and such of the large tanks as retain 

 a supply of water throughout the year. 



199. Firstly, i^wV's that dry up. It seems to be assumed that, under 



the above circumstances, no regulations should 

 J^ ^f ' w!:':?:" "" '""" ^>^ ^nn^Hcablc to the small tanks that yearly dry 



up, as the fish in them must die, or be eaten 

 by lower animals, if not captured by man. A little didicully apjicnrs 

 to have escaped notice, that if nets, with the most minute meshes, 

 are permitted in these jilaces, the excuse for their possession would always 

 be that they were only kept for tank-fishing; in fact, such could 

 hardly be interdicted. So long also as these tanks possess water 

 communications with rivers, streams, or large tanks, the small (ish can 

 obtain an exit to where they could grow. Practically speaking, it is of 

 course but little use prohibiting fishing in a u}- way [)cople choose in tanks 



