CXX1X 



Further extracts are not required to demonstrate how breeding fish and 

 their fry are ruthlessly destroyed in Oudh ; and it may be questionable, 

 whether wantonly poisoning- fish, and destroying 1 them in a manner that 

 renders them uneatable, or else dangerous to health if employed as food, 

 or whether indiscriminate destruction, as damming- waters in order to 

 kill all the fish in them, are not proceedings that should be prohibited, 

 when it is shown that the fish supply is not sufficient for the wants of 

 the people. The same also applies to weirs and trapping breeding fish 

 in irrigated fields. 



275. In answer to the enquiry about, prohibiting the sale of the fry 



of fish in the bazar, the objections are that 

 the Police would interfere, and ma ke such a 

 means ot extortion, especially as they could 

 not discriminate between mature small fish, and the immature of the 

 larger sorts. This may be obviated by prohibiting the sale of fish that 

 will not easily pass through the meshes of the net of a regulated size, 

 leaving it to local committees to pass bye-laws for the preservation of 

 the more valuable kinds. 



276. The Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Faizabad 



consider that any interference should be con- 

 fc*d to the control of perennial lakes and 

 second class rivers and streams, as it would 

 not be of any use to legislate for jhils and pools which dry up, or such 

 large rivers as the Ganges and Ghogra, as they may take care of 

 themselves. 



277. The Officiating Secretary to the Officiating Chief Commis- 



sioner" in Oudh (May 14th, 1872) observes, 



Opinions of the Officiating , < th genera l tendency Of the answers, how- 

 Chief Commissioner and Finan- , ,, J , . c ,. , . ' ., . 

 cial Commissioner, &c. ever > g to snow that lf tne fisn m 1S 



province have not increased, neither have 



they decreased ; and as far, therefore, as Oudh is concerned, the Officiating 

 Chief Commissioner would deprecate any legislative interference with 



I the capture and sale of fish. Such interference, it seems to Sir C. Cowper, 

 can only be justifiable when it can be demonstrated that, unless the 



i the Legislature step in, the existence of that important article of diet 



! will cease altogether." As regards whether objections exist to prohibiting 

 the sale of immature and small fish in the bazars? it is observed 

 " that such a measure would be obnoxious to sellers and consumers, and 

 at present seems quite uncalled for." " There are no difficulties to the 



! introduction of the measure" of regulating the size of the mesh of nets 

 " if it be thought desirable."" " Nothing can be more easy than to 



j increase the size of the meshes, and to prohibit the sale of fish below a 

 certain specific size in the bazar, though it would not be so easy to 

 distinguish between full-grown little fish and the fry of larger fish." 

 The Financial Commissioner (September 18th, 1868), in answer 

 to the enquiry whether any wanton destruction of fish takes 

 place in Oudh, and if any protective measures are necessary ? replied by 

 giving the opinions of several of the civil officers that such does take 

 place, and concludes thus : " my own opinion is, that such measures, 

 though not positively necessary, are at least very desirable." The 

 Secretary to the Chief Commissioner (September 22nd, 1868) was directed 



