CONTRIBUTION TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE NATURAL 
HISTORY OF THE MARINE FISH-PONDS OF BATAVIA 
by 
Der 32 E23]. (SUNIER: 
CHAPTER I. 
Introduction. 
§ 1. The marine fish-ponds of Java. 
Up to the present very little was known about the natural history or 
biology of the sea-fish-ponds in Java, which are usually referred to by 
the Javanese name of tambak '), and near Batavia by the Malay name 
of empang !), and in which bandeng (Chanos chanos (FORSK.)) is reared. 
If for the moment we leave out of account the very scant biological data 
to be met with here and there in the non-biological literature on the Javanese 
marine fish-ponds — to which literature I shall be obliged to revert later 
on—then it may be said that practically the only place where a few data 
corcerning the biology of the empangs are recorded, is the Annual issued 
by the Department of Agriculture in the Netherlands East Indies, for the 
year 1907 (2), where Dr. P. N. VAN KAMPEN briefly deals with the 
marine fish-ponds in the neighbourhood of Batavia (pp. 56—59). 
As stated in the Annuals for 1914 and 1916 of the Netherlands East 
Indian Department of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce (**), the Fisheries 
Station (Visscherij-Station) 2) at Batavia had made a start in 1914 with the 
collection of some facts and data relating to the natural history of the 
empangs, which work I deputed in 1916 to my then assistant; owing to 
various circumstances, however, little or no progress had been made with 
the work until early in 1918. 
I was induced to take this investigation more energetically in hand as a 
consequence of the meeting of the Town Council (Gemeenteraad) of Batavia 
on February 25th 1918, and ofa lecture delivered by Mr. M. L. VAN BREEMEN, 
at the time Chief Health Officer (Chef van den Gezondheidsdienst) at Batavia, 
to the Hygienical Circle (Hygienische Kring) at Weltevreden on the 
7th March following. 
1) The Javanese “tambak” or “tambaq”, andthe Malay “e mpan g” originally 
mean a dam or dyke, 
(5) This number and all further figures within parentheses, refer to the list of literature 
consulted, ; 
2) Now called “Laboratory for Marine Investigations” (“Laboratorium voor het 
Onderzoek der Zee”). 
