NO. 51.— 1900.] PEAEL FISHERIES. 



185 



for a couple of years, there would undoubtedly be more Pearl 

 Fisheries. If, for instance, fishermen could be induced to 

 take, say, 200 canoes to one of these beds of young oysters, 

 and fish on it daily for two or three months, it would have 

 a very good effect, and might possibly cause the dispersion 

 of the fish, which readily take bait, and the numbers likely 

 to be caught would well reward the fishermen. 



Currents must also be classified amongst the enemies of 

 the pearl oyster, for although they bring the spat on to the 

 oyster beds, they also occasionally sweep mature oysters away 

 from the beds. 



The most noteworthy current on record is that which in 

 December, 1887, swept away a very valuable bed of oysters, 

 estimated at 155 millions, from the Cheval Paar. Ten 

 millions of them were found during the fishery in the follow- 

 ing March, from two to three miles in a south-easterly direc- 

 tion from their original position. Attributing this to a 

 current, I inquired of the man in charge of the steam tug 

 " Active " doing duty on the Cheval Paar at the time, and he 

 reported that in the middle of December there was a strong 

 current lasting a week, running in a southerly direction, and 

 was so strong, about 4 knots, that he had to drop a second 

 anchor to prevent the vessel being dragged away by it. 

 The fishermen on Karaitivu island subsequently confirmed 

 the existence of a strong southerly current running in 

 December. 



The loss of that bed of oysters was a loss to Government 

 of at least 20 lakhs of rupees. 



On this occasion I was able to make an interesting experi- 

 ment as to the ability of pearl oysters to resist a current. 

 The divers had brought up a large Pinna shell with several 

 oysters attached to it by their byssus. The " Active " was got 

 under way and the Pinna shell towed in the sea alongside. 

 The oysters held on for an hour, while the " Active " was 

 going at a speed of 4 knots, but when the speed was increased 

 to 5 knots they shortly began to drop off one by one 

 Although the oysters resisted a 4-knot current for one hour, 



