xlii 



o the nets to be employed, appears to be looked upon as the most 

 effectual measure. It is said that such will be difficult to be carried out 

 in some districts, and it is suggested that a general Act applicable to the 

 whole of India would be unworkable, and it would be better to have 

 one which may be applied (with modifications) to particular rivers and 

 localities. 



87. Should any regulation be enacted defining the minimum size 



of the mesh of the nets to be hereafter used 



Opinions as to what the i n any fresh- water fishery, the following are 

 minimum size of the mesh of,, J . . P , , -r< . , 



nets should be. ^ ne opinions of the various European officials 



as to what that size should be. Eight answers 



are given : one proposes from half an inch to one inch ; a second, half an inch 

 for bag- nets, and one inch for drag-nets ; three others suggest half an inch, 

 and the remaining three 1 inch. Such propositions would of them- 

 selves be sufficient to show to how small a size the mesh of the nets in this 

 Presidency has dwindled down. One inch between knot and knot, 

 however, appears to be the most generally approved size. 



88. Along with the size of the mesh of the nets, must be considered 



the question as to whether it is advisable to 

 P^ibit the sale of the % of fishes in 

 the bazars, or those which could not be taken 

 in the legal nets, and so must have been obtained by unfair means. The 

 Assistant Collector of Swat denounces the idea as " an arbitrary inter- 

 ference with trade, such as could not be enforced save by a penal statute 

 of an obnoxious character." " No such restrictions are enforced any- 

 where in Europe that I am aware of." " No person is allowed wilfully to 

 take or destroy the young of salmon, to buy, sell, or expose for sale, or 

 have in his possession the young of salmon, to place any device for 

 obstructing their passage, to wilfully injure them, or to disturb any 

 spawning bed, or any bank or shallow on which the spawn of salmon 

 may be ; and any person acting in contravention of these provisions is 

 liable to f erfeit all the young of salmon found in his possession, as well as all 

 rods, lines, nets, devices, and instruments used in committing any of 

 such offences, and to incur a penalty not exceeding five pounds for each 

 offence." (Laws relating to Salmon Fisheries of Great Britain, J. Baker, 

 1868.)] The Collector of Puna also objects, but on the grounds, that 

 instead he would rely on regulating the size of the meshes of the nets. 

 The Collectors of Broach, Nasik, Ahmednuggur, Satara, and Belgaum, as 

 well as the Assistant Collector in the latter district, see no objections to 

 this prohibition. 



89. As regards fence-months, more especially in the hilly districts, 

 Opinions respectingtheneces- ^ the rivers of which localities the larger 



sity or the reverse of fence- s( > rts <* h> as the Mahaseers, resort tor 

 months, and poisoning of waters breeding during the first few months of the 

 for fishing purposes. monsoon. In Kaira it is observed a fence 



season would be no hardship. In Nasik and Rutnaghari that no objec- 

 tions exist against prohibiting the capture of fish for the first two months 

 of monsoons in the hilly regions where they are breeding, except the 

 difficulty of carrying out such a regulation. The Collector of Ahmed- 

 nuggur considers a close season desirable. As regards poisoning waters 

 to obtain the fish, this is universally condemned where practised, but 



