FISHERIES of Eastern and Southern Asia. The numbers of fish in the seas of India are vast, but the harvest is comparatively untouched ; an enormous amount of food remains uncaptured, while famines devastate the contiguous shores. Tho fisheries of India ought to provide food for multitudes of its people, employing them in fishing, in tho ship and boat building, in netting, curing, and transporting them. The heat of the climate early leads to putre.factive changes, and salt is very costly, and consequently the smaller fishes, as ambassis, equida, the Bombay duck (IIarpodon nehereus), many of the herring family, and the immature of other fishea, are largely sun-dried, while the larger fishes are cut into slices and also dried in tho sun. Wherever, along tho southern coasts, salt can be obtained at a cheap rate, there fisheries aro largely established, and the fishermen well-to-do.
In Sind, where the duty on salt had been ls. the maund (of 82; lbs.), tho value of the dried and salted fish exported was as under in tho five years ending . £8,472 6 0 1 1867-68, . £18,725 2 0 1862-63, . 13,068 8 0 1 1872-73, . T2,944 18 0 In the Bombay Presidency the imports of fish steadily decreased with the increasing duty on salt. For curing fish, about one part of salt is needed to three of fish ; but where earth-salt is used, about 2i. parts of the earth to one of fish. Wherever salt can be cheaply procured, fisheries flourish, and salt fish is cheap, and largely exported. Species of the genera Lutianus or Mesoprion, though not of large size, come close in-shore, and are largely used, fresh, salted, or sun-dried. The same remark is applicable to Pagrus spinifer and species of Chrysophrys, of the family Sparidaz, abundant in the cold months, and held in great esteem. The Polynemidte are all good, and some species attain to 300 lbs. in weight. The mango fish ascends large rivers, as the Ganges, Mahanadi, and Irawadi, and others to the east, in June, for the purpose of spawning, and continues there till the beginning of the following year. It is known as the tapasi mutchi from the long tendrils that spring from its pecitoral fins, and which exceed the length of the body. The maigres, species of the
Scimnidaz, are abundant off the Sind coast, and throughout the Indian Ocean. Some of them exceed 5 feet in length. They are somewhat insipid as food, but are valuable for their air bladders, which are ma,de into isinglass.
The sword-fish (Xiphiidze) are numerous, and are eaten by natives; but to the people the horse mackerels (Carangidx) are, from their abundance, the most important of the sea fish. Some attain a large size. These fishes are gregarious.
Species of Chorinemus and Trachynotus afford a considerable amount of food ; they are generally salted and dried.
Pomfrets (Stromateidm) are abundantly dis tributed throughout the Indian Ocean.
The mackerel family are important, particularly the Scomber microlepidotus, of all tbe seas around India, in the cold season. It taints rapidly, and is therefore extensively salted and sun-dried. It is cotnmonly about 10 or 12 inches long. Some others of the mackerel family prey extensively on the numerous herrings and other small fish. Amongst these are the tunny and pelamys, which are terrors to the shoals of sardines.
The seer fish (Cybium, sp.) are held in great esteem by Europeans, and wben of a medium size arc the most delicate for the table. They attain to upwards of 3 feet in length, and are quite as predaceous a,s the tunnies.
The voracious and dangerous Sphyrwnw, termed sharks in some places, are the Barracuda of the West Indies. They grow to several feet in length, and all of the species are used by the natives of India as food.
The siluroid, sheat, or cat - fishes are known by the long feelers round their mouths, and the absence of scales. Numbers are salted for export, aud their air-bladders axe eolleeted for the isinglass they afford. They are common in the muddy waters around the Indian, Burmese, and Malay coasts, and are very abundant in till Archipelago. One of the scaled siluroids is the bummalo or Bombay duck (Harpodon nehereus). They are always glutinous, and are easily sun dried or salted. They are in varying abundance round the coasts.