Report on the Improvement of Fisheries in the Bombay Presidency

Fish enter it both with the incoming and the outgoing tide—and at the turn (.f the tide the net is hauled to the surface and the contents are collected. [...] This too is similar in size and shape to the net of the same name used at the northern ports but in this section it is used only in the creeks while in the north it is used both in the creeks and in the open sea. [...] In the beginning of the fishing season when the weather is cloudy and the humidity of the atmosphere is excessive and when the fish often reach the Curing Yards after decomposition has set in maggots generally appear on the second day of curing and in some cases fish simply seethe with them and then much more salt is required but by means of repeated reselling the maggots disappear in 4 or 5 da [...] In the dry process the heads are cut off and the fish are then gutted and ripped right along the back to the tail ; two or more deep incisions are made in the thickest part of the flesh and the back bone is often removed. [...] The proportion of salt used in the dry process is one maund of salt to 5 maunds of fish in the case of large fish and one maund of salt to 3 maunds of fish in the case of mackerels sardines and other small fish.