agreement among the fishermen and dealers that this foul water affected oysters 

 equally with fish and they state that the oyster beds in the tbree creeks 

 named were entirely destroyed. The deadly influence of the poisonous water 

 appears not to have affected the waterways southward of Khudi, hence the 

 oyster beds of the further creeks, Khai, Pitiani, and Dubba, were subject to 

 a ruthless exploitation from 1890 till their virtual exhaustion some four years 

 later. From about 1880 to 1893 was the period of greatest productiveness ; 

 the beds although limited in area were so rich that till 1892 or 189 5 no difficulty 

 was experienced in meeting the Urge and increasing demand The Customs 

 authorities have estimated the annual yield of the beds during the fat years of 

 the early nineties at about 100,000 dozen made up thus : 



Dozen. 



(a) About 30 boats per annum, each carrying on an average 600 dozen 



large and 3,000 dozen small oysters ... ... ... 90,000 



(b) By camels and donkeys from the Karanji creek and the Mauri pur beds 



in Karachi backwater ... ... ... ... 10,000 



Annual total ... 100,000 



19. In the early days of the industry the wholesale price was exceedingly 

 low 6 pies per dozen according to Utnar Saffur. The rate rose gradually till it 

 treached one anna per dozen in 1890. By 1S95 it had doubled and to-day it has 

 risen to 3 and even 4 annas per dozea wholesale, when procurable, but the bulk 

 of orders received by the Karachi dealers have now to be refused for lack of 

 supply. 



20. The attention of the authorities to the rapidly increasing scarcity of 

 oysters in the creeks appears first to have been drawn by Mr. Gr. W. Judd, the 

 present Head Preventive Officer in the Karachi Customs' service. In a letter to 

 the Collector of Customs, dated 29th June 1894, he intimated that he had 

 ascertained that the oyster beds in the Sind creeks which had supplied all the 

 requirements of Karachi for years previously, were being exhausted and that a 

 great deal of trouble, delay and additional expense had now to be incurred in 

 the collection of oysters. His attention had been idirected to the matter by 

 learning that the Karachi oyster traders were negotiating with the authorities 

 of the neighbouring native state of Las Beyla in Baluchistan to obtain supplies 

 at Sonmiani during the ensuing cold season owing to the ever-increasing 

 difficulty in obtaining a sufficient supply from the home creeks. Enquiries had 

 been made at Sonmiani three years previously, but on the Jam's officials 

 demanding a fee of Rs. 10 per boat-load, the traders declined to treat further for 

 the time being. Mr. Judd also reported having examined the oyster beds in 

 Kuranji and Piti creeks some short time previously ; he found that " all that 

 remained were empty shells to mark the spot where at one time boat-loads used 

 to b" removed." The letter concluded by expressing the writer's belief that 

 within a short time the whole of the oyster beds in the vicinity of Karachi 

 would be entirely exhausted, unless measures of protection were initiated. The 

 Mukhtyarkar of Karachi. confirmed the foregoing statements. He remarked 

 that the exhaustion of the beds was due to the very large exportation of oysters 

 to up-country stations during the cold season. He suggested that restrictive 

 regulations might be enforced under the provisions of section 37 of the Bombay 

 Land- Revenue Code (Bombay Act V of 1879; which vests in the State the 

 ownership " of the bed of the sea and of the harbour and creeks below high 

 water mark." 



21. In February of the following year (1895), the Commissioner ordered an 

 enquiry in order to ascertain particularly the general condition of the beds, the 

 localities where they exist, the annual production, and the measures, if any, to 

 be taken to regulate the fishery and to prevent its extinction. 



22. Oystermen, fishermen, dealers and exporters were examined and ample 

 testimony of the depleted condition of the beds was adduced. 



23 It was shown that since 1890 the source of supply was limited almost 

 entirely to the Pitiani, Khai and Dubba creeks and their branches. Fisher nen 

 from these localities agreed that few or no oysters were taken from these three 

 creeks prior to the end of 1890, the year when the entry of foul water completed 

 the destruction of the beds in the more northern creeks. For the first two 

 seasons (Ib9()-9l and 1891-92), the oystermen Umar Saffur and Sumar Ebrahitn 

 collected the oysters without the assistance of the villagers, so abundant was 

 the supply. At the beginning of the 1892-93 season the oysters had become 

 B 6952 



