XXXV 111 



72. Before passing on to the second set of fisheries of Bombay, 



I think the following- must be admitted : 



fr; > ^ at P? , majority the inhabitants 



fisheries. tne inland distncts would eat fish could they 



obtain it; (2) that the markets are not 



sufficiently supplied to meet the local demands ; (3) that the fish in the 

 rivers and tanks have generally decreased of late years ; (4) that the 

 fisheries are Government property ; (5) that every one fishes how he likes 

 and where he pleases ; (6) that breeding fish are extensively trapped ; 

 (7) that fry are killed whenever they can be obtained ; (8) that nets with 

 very minute meshes, and even cloths are used, wherewith to capture the 

 immature fish ; (9) that traps are also employed, made of wicker work 

 of such fine texture that the most minute fish are killed ; (10) that 

 streams and tanks are dammed and every fish destroyed; (11) that 

 poisoning whole pieces of water in order to obtain the fish is practised in 

 many of these inland Collectorates. Whether it is or is not worth while 

 to do anything to mitigate this evil, is a question I propose considering 

 further on. 



73. The coast fisheries, viz., those bordering on or near to the sea, 



must not be considered as consisting entirely 



Coast fresh-water fisheries of O f sea -coast and marine or estuary fishes, 

 ! e and C o ne S s! qUenCe m " as some ? f these Collectorates extend some 



distance inland ; and it is in such localities 



that distinct fresh-water fisheries exist. But, as a rule, the value of such 

 is not of much consequence, when there is a well-stocked and regularly 

 fished sea-board within easy distance. These fresh- water fisheries on 

 the coast may be briefly examined in the same manner as the inland 

 ones have been. 



74. As to the proportion of persons who consume fish to the general \ 



population ? It is set down in Broach at 

 Majonty of people eat flsh. ^^ one . thir( j to one .f ourth . in Kaira at 



one -sixth ; whilst in four talookas in Colaba it is given thus, in one at 

 seven-eighths, in two at three -fourths, and in one at one-half. As a 

 rule, in the other Collectorates the questions were not circulated to the 

 native officials, or at least the answers have not been received; consequently 

 some details are not so full as they might have been. The Acting Collector 

 of Kaira, for instance, observes, " the majority of the population being 

 vegetarians/" &c., but does not furnish the mamlutdars' answers. 

 However, it would seem from the reports that fish are not consumed so | 

 largely by the population on the sea-coast as they are along the inland 

 districts of this Presidency. Some of the local markets appear to be fully 

 supplied with salted and dried sea-fish, in others the supply is less than the 

 demand, whilst from the majority of the talookas the returns are a blank. 



75. Whether the fresh- water fish have increased, decreased, or re- 



mained stationary, there are only eight an- 



State of the fisheries. swers, which report a stationary state in six, 



and a decrease in two. 



76. All these fisheries, with but very few exceptions, appear to be 



Government property, but no right has been 

 Government exercised over them for a long period, owing 

 to their being of little or no pecuniary value. 



