Ixxxvii 



tion, more are congregated than was formerly the case], which, when 

 young, are destroyed to a great extent, the smallest mesh used being one- 

 fourth of an inch in circumference. There would be a difficulty in regulat- 

 ing the size of the meshes of nets to be used, as a preventive service 

 would be necessary ; but were they regulated, a six months' notice 

 should be given. One inch in diameter is quite large enough, 6" 

 circumference=l*91 [one inch in diameter or between knot and knot 

 multiplied by the four sides=4 inches in circumference.] Considers it 

 would be a great hardship to prohibit fishing near irrigation weirs, &c. 

 On February 4th, 1871, he observed, " that the Collectors, out of con- 

 sideration for the poorer classes, have refrained from renting out tanks and 

 streams, except in such places where the right of fishing has always 

 been leased out. * * I would add that I do not think Dr. Day has suc- 

 ceeded in showing that there has been any sensible diminution of the fish- 

 supply in fresh waters/ 7 [See para. 128, ante'.] The Collector (July 9th, 

 1872) replied, fish of all sizes of and ages are caught and eaten when and 

 wherever they can be ; the smallest mesh used is one-eighth of an inch. 

 Mr. Grant, a former Collector, about 1864, intimated to the Government 

 the necessity of protecting the fish in the waters of this Collectorate 

 from the indiscriminate destruction to which he considered they were 

 subjected. The Collector (May 7th, 1869), observed, " the means of 

 destruction consist of nets, casting and seine, and poisoning. Small fry 

 are caught in wicker-work baskets, very much like an eel trap cut in two ; 

 and are also destroyed by the erection of dams across shallow water." 



167. The Acting Collector of Malabar (February 12th, 1869) 

 stated, " many of the nets used are so small 



in tear. ^ in the mesh to s P are n0ne > hwever smalL 



Baskets are placed in small streams in such a 



way as to secure every fish in them. In these ways, no doubt, myriads 

 of fish are uselessly destroyed, that is, destroyed in the form of ova, and 

 before they have attained to anything like maturity/'' The rivers are 

 occasionally poisoned, and on these occasions, no doubt, large numbers of 

 fish and possibly vast quantities of ova are destroyed. " I conclude the 

 poisoning of rivers may be dealt with under the Penal Code, but I do 

 not see how we can interfere with baskets and small meshes without 

 special legislation/' The Officiating Collector (November 5th, 1869), 

 observed, " before it is decided to lease the fisheries, the expediency of the 

 step must be shown. In districts where the practice has obtained from 

 time immemorial, there can be no possible objection to its continuance. 

 In this district the right has never been exercised since our acquisition of 

 the country, we have derived no revenue from fisheries, and I have not 

 been able to find from 'the records any precedent for the introduction of 

 the system. A moturpha tax was formerly levied from fishermen, both 

 by our Government and by that of the native rulers of the country, but 

 this tax is far different in its nature to the measure now proposed" of 

 renting the fisheries. [*' f Renting them (fisheries) out will certainly 

 result in the re-imposition on the fishing classes of the abolished motur- 

 pha, though in another shape/' Collector cf the Godaveri Districts, para. 

 151. " Fisheries have always formed one of the items of moturpha reve- 

 nue." Deputy Collector of NundialJ] Under a moturpha, every fisher- 



