ex 



Ivi 



321. Are breeiUng-jish and fry de- 



Bree.ling-fish und fry Je- ^troyed .^— They are evidently, ami i'li every 



' '"^'^ ' division, taken in any way they can be 



procuved. 

 322. The modes of fishing are very diversified ; at para. 315, I liave 

 .. , „ „ , . , , enumerated some of those which are pursu- 



" ed ; — weirs across streams whicli are, or ouyht 



to he, the highways for breeding-fish and their fry, both in the hills and 

 in the plains; screens, fixed nets, and traps capturing breeding-fisli and 

 their fry attempting to find an exit to rivers as tlie yearly floods subside; 

 the damming of whole rivers iu the hills diverting their courses, and 

 taking out the large fish, leaving the fry to perish. The placing of 

 fitringa armed with hooks across the usual run of fish so as to capture 

 some, but injure many; the use of lines thus armed for the purpose 

 of snagging breeding-fish by which some are taken, but far more, barba- 

 rously wounded, wander away to die ; by knocking breeding-fish on the 

 bead with sticks, or capturing them by any poaching practice as they go 

 up small streams in order to deposit their eggs. In short, by the taking 

 of fish from breeding to the most minute iu every possible way, — a plan 

 which is said not to be waste, because they are eaten. 



823. The foregoing appear to show— (1) that more than half the 

 peoi)le of the North-West Provinces might 

 eat fish could they obtain it ; (2) that the 

 markets are not sufficiently sup])lied ; (3) that the fish in the waters, 

 especially of the hills and in the Jumna, are decreasing; (4) that there 

 are no restrictions against the most destructive and barbarous modes of 

 poaching; (5) that breeding-fish are trapped everywhere; (6) that fry 

 are killed, often wantonly, wherever obtainable; (7) that fixed and 

 unfixed nets with most minute meshes are used to destroy immature 

 fish ; (8) . that weirs and wicker traps with verj' fine interstices are 

 employed wherever they can be fixed, without any close time; (9) 

 that waters are dammed to obtain the fish, and (10) that they are 

 sometimes poisoned. 



324. We now arrive at the reasons that have been advanced 



for permitting matters to continue as they 

 ^_ Reasons for mnsteily inact.- ^^.^^ ^^^^j ^^j^;^,^ ^^^^^,.j ^.^^x^^^^-^y eou,^ y^^igj. 



one of the following heads : — (1) that fish 

 are not employed to any extent as food, consequently are not worth 

 legislative interference. This proposition is disposed of iu paragraph 

 317, which would show that above half the population, whicli iu 18(i5 

 comprised nearly 28 millions of people, might eat fish could they obtain 

 it. (2) Tiiat no wasteful destruction of fish occurs, so remedial measures 

 are uncalled for. This likewise cannot be maintained, as even were the 

 destruction of fry not waste, tliey are shown to l)e kilkd, ])iit left to rot in 

 places, as in damming streams in hills, in weirs as in (ioruckpur, and by 

 keeping- up standing- weirs, as in the Koana River, preventing the tish es- 

 caping from poisoned waters, and which, when so captured, could only be 

 \ised as manure. However, some officials admit waste, but (3) consider sucli 

 as a prescriptive rigiit attained by long usage. To this, omitting the legal 

 question which comes under the next head, I will only answer bj' quoting 

 the opinion of one of the local officers : — "Prcscrijitive right to do wrong 



