18 
XI 
Fisheries, 
The exports from the Outlying Islands amounted to :— 
Produce 
Quantity- 
Declared val 
Tortoise shell 
kilos 1,163 
Es 
35,025 
Salt fish 
„ 20,749 
6,949 
Calipee 
„ 16,762 
23,547 
Trejiang 
„ 2,828 
817 
Turtle hones 
„ 7,141 
142 
Salted turtle 
. . . 
Shark oil 
„ 119 
50 
Turtle oil 
„ 273 
273 
Green-turtle shell... 
„ 2,300 
876 
Shark fins 
„ 1,087 
615 
Mother o’pearl 
cases 3 
122 
Whale oil 
gallons 32,625 
48,000 
Es 116,416 
The other resources of the Outlying Islands are mangrove 
hark, exported to the amount of Es 8593 and guano worth 
Es 466,414. These figures go to show that already one-third 
of the total value cf exports is derived from these islands and 
submerged coral hanks of the Archipelago, which extend over 
seven or eight thousand square miles. 
A much greater return could he obtained from these na¬ 
tural resoimces, and it is to he hoped that part of the money 
invested in the exportation of guano will be devoted to the 
development of new industries, when all the merchantable 
guano, i.e., guano containing 0-6 o/o of nitrogen and over 55o/o 
of phosphate of lime and less than 3 o/o of oxides of iron and 
alumina, has been exported. Guanos of lower grades cannot be 
exported as such, and it would not pay to export them as phos¬ 
phates. These guanos will always serve as a reserve for agri¬ 
cultural purposes, and there is no reason why they should not 
he largely employed to render fertile the granitic soils of the 
larger islands, which are precisely deficient in phosphates and 
lime. 
An attempt was made in 1911 to start fishing with a steam 
launch and a few modern appliances, hut after two months 
successful experiments the firm engaged in it, from causes not 
connected with their fishing operations, went bankrupt and the 
experiment has not been repeated since then. The firm invested 
only Es 12,500 in the fishing operations and supplied the 
market with fresh fish. About the same amount was reserved 
for the preparation of salt fish during the calm season. At this 
time migratory fish come over to the Seychelles in large schools, 
and there is no doubt that Mackerel [Lethrinus moensii) and Ca- 
rangue Balo [Garanx gymnostithoides) not to speak of Bonite 
{Thynnus thunnina) would supply a factory of salt fish working 
for some part of each year. There is also no reason why the 
fishing of sharks should not he contemplated, as these predatory 
animals not only prevent to some extent fishing on the shallow 
reef flats, surrounding the islands, but they also destroy count¬ 
less numbers of mackerel, sardines, &c., which only reach the 
inshore waters after having been their prey, as shown by the 
way in which schools of mackerel are disturbed and scattered 
about. That the destruction of sharks would he beneficial to 
the other fishing operations cannot he doubted, and being given 
a market for shark fins and shark oil, and the local demand for 
dried shark flesh, it would he advantageous to reduce the 
number of these voracious animals. Fishing Avith nets as in 
South India should he preferred to other methods of fishing. 
South Indian fishermen under an experienced headman should, 
I think, he recruited to give demonstrations of their methods, 
which, no doubt, would he at once adopted by the Seychellois. 
