602
about six months in a year from around May to
around October every year. The fi shing gears
operated in Chatla Haor are not as diverse as in
Sone Beel. Their nomenclature in local language,
fabrication and modus operandi are almost the
same as, in vogue, in Sone Beel, except that the
gears are smaller in dimension as compared to
their counterparts operated in Sone Beel. The
principal types of fi shing implements in vogue in
Chatla Haor are the following:
Lar barshi, Dori, Paran, Khati bundh, Pelain,
Dheki jal, Patan jal, Maha jal, Dal jal, Ghuran jal
and Jhaki jal.
27.3.17 In the Anuas
The ‘Anuas’ are river-formed oxbow wetlands.
Many of these anuas were once reservoirs of
mainly Gudusia chapra and Salmophasia
bacaila . As such, gears, which are specifi cally
effective in catching these two types of fi shes, are
generally seen in operation in the ‘Anuas’.
Summary
1. Fish catching devices, popularly called
‘Fishing gears and crafts’, are the implements to harvest fi shes from a waterbody.
These exhibit bewildering diversity globally,
nationally, regionally and locally. Variations
also exist according to fi sh type, fi shermen
type and season type.
2. The effi cacies of the gears are generally
determined on the basis of fi sh catch (kg/person/gear/hour: CPGH). Also, Mechanisation
Index (MI), Hanging Coeffi cient (HC) and
Niche’ Width (NW) of the gears are generally studied.
3. In Sone Beel, there are 26 different types
fi shing gears under 7 classes.
4. The ‘hook and line gears’ include the ‘Lar
barshi’, the ‘Kupa barshi’ and the ‘Tanga
barshi’. They are used for catching mainly
the murrels and Wallago attu .
5. The ‘Traps’ include the ‘Dori’, the ‘Gui’,
‘Paran’ and the ‘Khati bundh’. They are
used mainly for catching trash fi shes, like
Puntius , Mystus , Glossogobius , Chanda and
Parambassis . However, the ‘Gui’ is used for
catching big fi shes. The ‘Khati bundh’ is
generally used as a barricade to block fi shes.
6. The ‘trawls’ include the ‘Chhat jal’ and the
‘Pelain’. The former is usually specifi c to
the ‘Maimal’ community of fi shermen,
and it is used mainly to catch Chanda nama .
The latter is a domestic gear used almost
throughout the year by almost all categories
of fi shermen for hauling different types of
trash fi shes.
7. The ‘scooping gears’ include the ‘Dheki jal,
the ‘Dorar jal’ and the ‘Kurchung jal’. The
‘Dheki jal’ or Chinese dip net is usually
operated from the last part of August to midJanuary in the connecting channels of Sone
Beel or in the shallow areas of the Beel
for catching different varieties of big and
small fi shes. Operation of ‘Dorar jal’ and
‘Kuchrung jal’ are restricted mainly to the
‘Patni’ community of fi shermen. While the
former is used for catching different types of
trash fi shes, the latter is used for catching
specifi cally Macrobrachium sp.
8. The ‘entangling gears’ include the gill nets,
notably the ‘Patan jal’ and the ‘Haran jal’.
The fi shes get entangled mainly at their opercula. Hence, they are called gill nets. The
‘Patan jals’ vary in mesh size in accordance
with the size of the fi sh sought to capture.
The ‘Patan jal’ is used to catch different
types of trash fi shes, notably Puntius spp.,
while the ‘Haran jal’ was found to be effective in catching mainly Sperata seenghala
and Mastacembelus armatus in addition to
different types of small fi shes.
9. The ‘encircling gears’ in Sone Beel have
been introduced mainly by the Kaibarta
community of fi shermen during the early
1950s. These gears include the ‘Maha jal’,
the ‘Chat jal’, the ‘Ghuran jal’, the ‘Dal jal’,
the ‘Jhaki jal’, the ‘Rekh jal’ and the ‘Tana
jal’. Of these, the ‘Maha jal’ is an enormous
gear operated by a large number of people
for quite a long time. They catch different
types of big and small fi shes including the
juveniles, mainly because of their very small
mesh size. The ‘Chat jal’ was used mainly
27 Fish Catching Devices in the Wetlands
about six months in a year from around May to
around October every year. The fi shing gears
operated in Chatla Haor are not as diverse as in
Sone Beel. Their nomenclature in local language,
fabrication and modus operandi are almost the
same as, in vogue, in Sone Beel, except that the
gears are smaller in dimension as compared to
their counterparts operated in Sone Beel. The
principal types of fi shing implements in vogue in
Chatla Haor are the following:
Lar barshi, Dori, Paran, Khati bundh, Pelain,
Dheki jal, Patan jal, Maha jal, Dal jal, Ghuran jal
and Jhaki jal.
27.3.17 In the Anuas
The ‘Anuas’ are river-formed oxbow wetlands.
Many of these anuas were once reservoirs of
mainly Gudusia chapra and Salmophasia
bacaila . As such, gears, which are specifi cally
effective in catching these two types of fi shes, are
generally seen in operation in the ‘Anuas’.
Summary
1. Fish catching devices, popularly called
‘Fishing gears and crafts’, are the implements to harvest fi shes from a waterbody.
These exhibit bewildering diversity globally,
nationally, regionally and locally. Variations
also exist according to fi sh type, fi shermen
type and season type.
2. The effi cacies of the gears are generally
determined on the basis of fi sh catch (kg/person/gear/hour: CPGH). Also, Mechanisation
Index (MI), Hanging Coeffi cient (HC) and
Niche’ Width (NW) of the gears are generally studied.
3. In Sone Beel, there are 26 different types
fi shing gears under 7 classes.
4. The ‘hook and line gears’ include the ‘Lar
barshi’, the ‘Kupa barshi’ and the ‘Tanga
barshi’. They are used for catching mainly
the murrels and Wallago attu .
5. The ‘Traps’ include the ‘Dori’, the ‘Gui’,
‘Paran’ and the ‘Khati bundh’. They are
used mainly for catching trash fi shes, like
Puntius , Mystus , Glossogobius , Chanda and
Parambassis . However, the ‘Gui’ is used for
catching big fi shes. The ‘Khati bundh’ is
generally used as a barricade to block fi shes.
6. The ‘trawls’ include the ‘Chhat jal’ and the
‘Pelain’. The former is usually specifi c to
the ‘Maimal’ community of fi shermen,
and it is used mainly to catch Chanda nama .
The latter is a domestic gear used almost
throughout the year by almost all categories
of fi shermen for hauling different types of
trash fi shes.
7. The ‘scooping gears’ include the ‘Dheki jal,
the ‘Dorar jal’ and the ‘Kurchung jal’. The
‘Dheki jal’ or Chinese dip net is usually
operated from the last part of August to midJanuary in the connecting channels of Sone
Beel or in the shallow areas of the Beel
for catching different varieties of big and
small fi shes. Operation of ‘Dorar jal’ and
‘Kuchrung jal’ are restricted mainly to the
‘Patni’ community of fi shermen. While the
former is used for catching different types of
trash fi shes, the latter is used for catching
specifi cally Macrobrachium sp.
8. The ‘entangling gears’ include the gill nets,
notably the ‘Patan jal’ and the ‘Haran jal’.
The fi shes get entangled mainly at their opercula. Hence, they are called gill nets. The
‘Patan jals’ vary in mesh size in accordance
with the size of the fi sh sought to capture.
The ‘Patan jal’ is used to catch different
types of trash fi shes, notably Puntius spp.,
while the ‘Haran jal’ was found to be effective in catching mainly Sperata seenghala
and Mastacembelus armatus in addition to
different types of small fi shes.
9. The ‘encircling gears’ in Sone Beel have
been introduced mainly by the Kaibarta
community of fi shermen during the early
1950s. These gears include the ‘Maha jal’,
the ‘Chat jal’, the ‘Ghuran jal’, the ‘Dal jal’,
the ‘Jhaki jal’, the ‘Rekh jal’ and the ‘Tana
jal’. Of these, the ‘Maha jal’ is an enormous
gear operated by a large number of people
for quite a long time. They catch different
types of big and small fi shes including the
juveniles, mainly because of their very small
mesh size. The ‘Chat jal’ was used mainly
27 Fish Catching Devices in the Wetlands