Fishery

FISHERY

A fishery may be an enterprise that raises or harvests fish and other acquatic lives. Usually, the site where such an enterprise was held was called a fishing ground. About 500 million people worldwide depend economically on fisheries.

1. Types of Fisheries

There are two types of fisheries based on the sources of water resources.

1. Marine fisheries or Brackish water fisheries

2. Inland fisheries or Fresh water fisheries.

1. Marine fisheries or Brackish Water Fisheries

7500 km includes the coastline and the deep sea beyond. Popular marine fish species include Prawns, Maceral tune, Saratinus and Mombe duck. Marine fish are caught using fishing boats with the help of various types of nets.

2. Inland Fisheries or Fresh Water Fisheries

Acquariums in fresh water resources include canals, ponds and reservoirs. In fresh water minnows and prawns are produced. In this way, more collective fish farming can be done. In this system, a mixture of species is used in a fish pond.

2. Types of Fishing

The native occupation of the ancient people was hunting and fishing. As the people who lived along the coast were engaged in fishing, it is possible to know that their main food was fish.

The Nartinai verse says that 'Barathavas', a section of the people of Neythal used to go into the sea and engage in fishing. When the wind does not change the directions, they went into the sea for fishing. They used boats like 'Thimil', "Thoni' and 'Ambi'. They engaged two types of fishing.

1. Daytime fishing

2. Night fishing

1. Daytime fishing

Going to the sea by boat during the day and fishing and returning to the shore in the evening is called day fishing.

2. Night fishing

As the movement of the sea at night is less, They went at night for fishing. While doing so, they had fish oil into a conch and used it as a lamp. This is mentioned in Nartinai. By this, it is understood that the best time for fishing is night duration.

Usually, during day time, fish do not come to the surface because the surface of the ocean is warmed by sunlight. But, night fishing was considered best as fish would come to the surface in the moonlight at night.

Nartinai verse explains that while going into the night and coming back, they set up sand heaps on the beach and lit lamps to make it similar to lighthouse.

Proof: Nartinai: 219

3. Fish Species

Fish species live on algae in the ocean. So fish food is more nutritious than other foods. All sides of medicines recommend eating fish food. The Sangam literature mentions fish food and food culture.

Sangam poets say that there were various types of fish as follows.

1. Shark (Agananooru 150:6, 7)

2. Bryde's Whale (Madurai Kanchi 375)

3. Prawn (Agananooru 60.1)

4. Njendu (Sirupanartupadai 194-195)

5. Conch (Agananooru 350)

6. Thali (Ingurunooru 106 - 1-3)

7. Ippi (Nartinai 87: 6-7)

8. Ayirai (Nartinai 272 : 4-6).

9. Ayilai (Agananooru 60: 5-6)

10. Arai (Kurunthogai, 114: 6-5)

11. Kediru (Ingurunooru 160: 3-5)

12. Yamai (Agananooru 160: 3-5)

So far, more than 32,000 species of fish have been identified.

4. Ours is a Suitable Country for Fisheries

As our country is near the equator, there is a regular variation in climate. This is an ideal environment for fish to breed more. Short-lived fish species such as Salai, Ayilai, Nethili - lay thousands of eggs. Most fish have a life span of 1 year. The annual average catch is 2.7 million metric tons. But, scientists say there are 3.9 million metric tons of fish in our oceans.

5. Fishing Appliances

The Barathavas who went into the sea to catch fish carried different kinds of tools.

1. Fishing Nets

They generally caught small fish using nets.

2. Eriyuli

The Agananooru verse mentions that larger fish were hit and killed using Eriyuli.

Proof: [Agananooru 210:1-6]

The Eriyuli has a sharp tip and a strong twisted rope is tied to its arm. When the Eriyuli is thrown at a big fish (shark), the Eriyuli will stick on the shark. Then the fish is brought to the boat by pulling the rope.

3. Bait Pin

A bait thorn is tied to the end of a long bamboo branch with a piece of rope and raw meat is attached to the end of thorn. This is mentioned in the following Sangam verse.

Proof: [Perumpaanartuppadai - 284]

6. Fish Drying

Sangam people not only cooked and ate the food they got but also dried and processed the leftovers.

The Tamil word 'Unangal' means to dry up. In Sangam songs the word 'Unangal' means sun drying. Selling the fish caught in the sea, eating and processing and drying the leftover fish for food has been the occupation of the people of Neithal land.

The following lines from Agananooru illustrate that the women make the fish brought from the sea fit by drying in sunlight.

Proof: Agananooru 20: 1-3

7. Fishermen

Valaigner

Today we call those who go to sea and do fishing as 'Fishermen'. They have been referred to as 'Valaigner' during the Sangam period. 'Valaigner' means one who fishes with a net. There are references of fishing from water bodies like Madu, Kulam, Kazhani, etc., in Sangam literature.

Thimilon

An Agananooru verse says that the fisherman who went into the sea was called 'Thimilon'. "Thimil' means 'fishing boat'.

Proofs

1. Agananooru 320: 1-50

Thimilon goes to the sea in his fishing boat, spreads his nets and catches the fish. His beautiful sister, wearing leafy dress sells the fish in the streets where festivals take place. This is mentioned in the Agananooru song.

2. Agananooru 60: 1–7

The song is about the rich Porayan Thondi. The daughter feeds her father who goes fishing in a big boat. Father has a net in hand to catch the red prawns in the sea so that the red prawns tremble. The daughter gives him a meal made of white rice made rice bought by selling salt along with a delicious sour cream and Kodumeen soup.