ccxv 



(if fish. Is not satisfied tl\at a cliniiiuitioii of fish has been jirovcd, or 

 (hat if it exists, sucli can have been caused hy destroyins' tlie bi'ccdin<» 

 (incs and their fry ; tlierofore sees no necessity for legislation, bnt if 

 decided (hat sotnefhing' is to be done, a short close season would be tho 

 least ()bjec(ionnl)le and nn])n|)uhir form it would take. Tiio Head 

 Aasiatant Collector \c\t\\cfi that it ha.s been shown that " fish of all ages 

 and sizes, clean or otherwise, are taken at all seasons," whilst as to 

 regulating' tlie niinimiun size of the mesh of nets he sees "no difilcnlty. 

 'llic fishermen are all known ; and their nets can be insjiceted when 

 being used or being dried.'' He ventures, "however, to express au 

 oj>inion (hat a case for the logislatnro interfering with the cajituro 

 and sale of fish has not been made out. Salmon decreased in Uritish rivers 

 IVom two main causes — (I) the ]Hilhition by manufactories, (2) from 

 the increased demaiul. f This oiiiuiou is correct, yet incorrect, except 

 that (1) tho )iollution of livers was one of the causes of decrease 

 of fish, but (2) the increased demand can hardly be given as the 

 only other, unless that such led, due to the baneful absence of 

 proper regula( ions, to every jioaching )iractice being resorted to j each 

 owner of a fishery " sought to do what he liked with his own part of 

 the river, and often selfishly resorted to weirs, dams and fixed engines, 

 with the view of driving eveiy living inhabitant of tho waters into 

 his own net, regardless of (ho impoverisliment of his neighbour." 

 " The decay of the fisheries having then becom'e consjiicuous, it wag 

 necessary for the legislature to intervene on the ground of iniblic ]iolicy, 

 and with an eye to the benefit of all parties, to restrain the suicidal 

 policy of the riparian owners, making it no longer possible for each 

 to do what seemed good in his own eyes." Fixed engines were 

 considered the chief cause of this injury iu many places.] The Acting 

 SuL-Gollector (2'lth Ajiril 1872) reported that breeding-fish and very 

 young ones arc destroyed (o a great extent. The fishermen catch tlicm 

 at all times and in any way they can, bnt most of all in the hot 

 season, when the Kistna is fordable in many places. "In ii<liiig 

 through fishing villages on the coast, I have often seen numerous 

 large heaps of fish of the vciy smallest size. I have no doubt l>ut 

 that the villagers mainly live on them in some seasons, and sell their 

 larger fish. If small fish are caught in such (piantity on the coast, I 

 see no reason to doubt but that the same thing goes on in tho 

 fresh waters." In Guntur the salesmen considered the markets fully 

 pu]iplied. £Tlie Tehsildar, p. xcv, reported the markets as very 

 insulhcicntly sn])|)licd, and re-slates it now : also that the amount in 

 the waters bad decreased.] No wasteful destruction of fish occurs, 

 except the use of the young as food. "It is not used at all as manure, 

 or onlj' to a very small extent." 



397. The Collector of South Canara (September 9th, 1872) rc- 

 I?op1y from tl,c Collector of pli-^'l that the first six questions have been 

 South Cnuarn, nud his ilrnft answered (scc paragraphs 167 niul I OS.) J'or- 

 Fishcry Act. Innately the use of nets is praelicnlly ]irevcnted 



during tho first two months of the monsoon, owing to tlie violence of tho 

 fioods. The process of spawning is also spread over many monllis out 

 of the twelve, and angling is im|)raeticabie at some of tho periods iu 

 (juestion, as niahascer, at any rate, will not take a bait when the water 



