Page 403 - PERSIAN GULF ADMINISTRATION REPORTS V1

and muscat political agency for tub year 1877-78. 35

have seen some samples of small and yellow, but very brilliant, pearls
which were gathered at the island of Karrack close to Bushire.
The banks which arc mostly fished are those that lie between the
21th and '27th degrees of North Latitude and the 50th and 55th degrees
of East Longitude in the shoal waters of the Arab Coast.
It is almost unnecessary to specify any particular localities, as
the whole of the shallows are more or less fertile, and the fishing ground
seem to be liable to continual change, but the banks of Dchee, Shiltaye,
Guuireh and Arfaj are famous.
27. With regard to this characteristic of a constant shifting of
the fish, instance may be made of the harvest of 1876, when nearly every
boat in the Gulf was riding in the vicinity of the Shah* Alum shoal,
which is situated almost in the middle of the Gulf, boasts a very small
circumference, and is surrounded by deeps of 30 and *10 fathom where no
diver could ply his trade.
Here the haul was very large, it was in fact a “bumper" year, but
when the boats came down on it next year in full anticipation of another
rich harvest, there was comparatively nothing forthcoming.
28. Broadly however it is safef to say that the boats collect prin-
c-naky between Sir-beni Yas island and Shiltnye, where lie the best
known and most fished banks, and where a smaller or greater yield is
a certainty.
This enormous extent of oecau is almost all of it shallow enough
to be at the mercy of the Arab diver.
The banks vary in distance from the shore from one to ninety miles,
hut the deep sea banks are not so much fished till the “ Shemal" or Nor-
westers of June have spent their force.
29. These gales, very sudden, severe, aud of certain yearly recur­
rence, are much dreaded by the Arab sailors, whose boats indeed seem
scarcely fitted to weather a hurricane peculiarly buoyant as they are,
the slightest gust at an unexpected moment will send the gunwale
down a Jleur del*can* Fair weather is the more an essential to their
system of navigation, as they use no charts, compasses, See.; they are
guided by bearings from the land, by the sun, aud the colour of the
water by day, the stars and the moon by night, but their local know­
ledge of the sea bed is said to be very thorough.

Fertilitt.
30. With regard to the fertility of the banks the weight of
evidence would seem to be in favour of the supposition that the yield
has decreased of late years.J0

• Longitado 52* 80^.-
Latitude 26° 2rS.
f Longitude 63’ ZT to G0* 13*.
Latitude 25* iO' to 26° 8T.