'( 163 ) 



CEYLON. 



(See Plan, p. 140.) 



THE FISHING INDUSTRY OF CEYLON. 



THE seas which surround the island contain an enormous quantity and variety of fish ; hardly 

 any place in the world has been so richly endowed in this respect Tsy nature as Ceylon. 



A list of the commoner kinds of fish taken will be found in Tennent's Ceylon,' fifth 

 edition, vol. L, pp. 205-232, and subsequent information on the subject will be found in Day's 

 ' Fishes of India ' (London, 1878), Blecker on ' Certain Varieties of Fish in Ceylon ' (Leyden 

 1862). 



Formerly all the fisheries were a Government monopoly, and in 1840, when the monopoly 

 ceased, the value of the fish caught was 48,210. Since that date no statistics have been 

 obtained, but it is probable that the present annual value of fish caught is at least 150,000, 

 and it is rapidly increasing. 



A few shark fins are exported to India, and some beche-de-mer (Holothuria) to China, 

 35 tons worth (1200) being sent last year. Except these the only fishery products sent from 

 Ceylon to foreign markets arise from the two remaining Government monopolies, viz., the 

 pearl fishery in the Gulf of Maunar, and the Chank (TurUnellapyrum) fishery off the north- 

 western coast. 



The former, which occurs at irregular intervals, yielded to Government 50,000 from 

 eighteen millions of oysters in 1881, and the latter gives a steady revenue of about 400 a 

 year from a million shells worth, about 1000 ; nearly all are exported to India. Both these 

 fisheries are performed by divers, and a description of them will be found in Tennent's 

 ' Ceylon,' vol. ii. In the same locality is found the dugong (Halicor dugong) a remarkable 

 cetacean whose semi-human appearance gave rise to the myth of the mermaid. 



The Maldive Islands, under the protection of Ceylon, maintain a large fishing industry 

 and yield considerable exports. Last year they exported to Ceylon 1600 tons of dried and 

 salted fish, worth 27,000, and a considerable quantity of tortoiseshell and cowries. 

 India also sent to Ceylon 2800 tons salt fish, worth 47,000. 



This salt fish is used all over Ceylon as a relish with curries by the natives, and the 

 tortoiseshell from the Maldives and Singapore is worked by native artists into tasteful jewel- 

 lery which finds a ready local sale. The cowries are exported to India, where they are used 

 instead of small coinage. 



No ships of any size are used in the fisheries ; the boats in use are 

 Bedlams, which are large logs burned or hollowed out. 



Canoes, which are logs hollowed or burned out, having an artificial superstructure 

 attached, and an outrigger. 



Katamarans or rafts of logs tied together. 



All these are fitted with sails, but they seldom Carry more than five men. 

 Pada boats are of larger size and consist of two hollowed-out logs united by a plank 

 flooring, with a plank superstructure attached. These boats will carry large nets and as many 

 as fifteen men. 



The number of boats used in the fisheries is not less than 6400 j their manufacture is 

 peculiar, as they contain no nails, all the joints being strongly sewn together with fibre and 

 well caulked. This fact long ago attracted the notice of the Arabian navigators, and forma 

 the basis of one of the episodes in the story of " Sinbad the Sailor." The nets are often 

 very large and costly, some being worth 150. 



The whole of the coast round Ceylon swarms with fish. Perhaps the most productive 

 portion is the southern coast the south-western coast is the most assiduously fished, as the 

 greatest population is found there. The thinly-populated coast on the north-east is fished 

 annually by a fleet of boats which starts from Negombo, twenty-four miles north of Colombo, 

 every year about April ; the fish caught are salted on the Wrest foreslvore, and the fleet 

 brings them back in October. 



