Page 246 - PERSIAN 2 1879_1883_Neat

76 ADMINISTRATION REPORT OP THE PERSIAN OUI.F POLITICAL

Number of lonU and men employed in fi*hiny%—I have not been able
to obtain accurate statistics of the boats and men engaged systematically
in the fisheries, but the following numbers may be accepted as a fair
estimate. The numbers of boats arc in some cases exact. I have
estimated the men from four to six per boat according as small or large
boats predominate in the several places. The numbers from Has Mug.
sendim to Ras-el-IIadd have been given as a rough guess by Lieutenant-
Colonel Miles: —
Pirate C-oaat from Has Musscndim to Ahuthahi —
Boat* 810 at 6 men per boat ... 4,050
Abuthabi to Bahrain 400 at 4 »* ... 1.G00
Bahrain ... „ 250 at 5 „ t» ... 1,250
Hndlirah fiahors *100
Kntcef to Koweit (inch) Boat* 350 at 6 men per boat ... 1,750
Koweit to Busbire (inch) „ 220 at 6 „ *» ... 1,100
Bushiro to Deyyir „ 200 at 4 „ it 800
Deyyir to Lingah „ *100 at 4 „ a ... 1,600
Lingah to Bunder Abba** (i
eluding Kianra) „ 350 at 6 „ it ... 1,750
Bunder Abba** to Gwadur . „ 180 at 6 „ n ... 1,080
Men without boat*, say ... 1,000

Total in Gulf and to Gwadur Boat* 3,160 Men ... 16,330
hrom Hn* Muasendim to Raa-el- ,f
11 add ft 3,500 ... 30,000
Total Boat* 0,660 Men ... 40,330

On the Persian side these boats are taxed, the authorized tax being
krans S j>cr boat per annum, except for the Ilooras and smallest boats,
which pay nothing, but as a matter of fact, the governors at the various
jdaces charge what they like. At Lingah, for instance, the large boats
have to pay dollars 10 for the year, aud each fisherman is charged two
dollars in addition. On the Arab side there are no taxes on boats, but
the fishermen supply their several Shaiks with fish when required.
Fishing in the Gulf is a very hard, though tolerably remunerative,
occupation, aud tlie men engaged in it do not, as a rule, live long. It i*
said that it would be difficult to find a fisherman up the Gulf over fifty
years of age. The glare of the sun and exposure to the winds (which
are often laden with sand) are very injurious to the eyes, and blindness
is very common among fishermen after a certain age. I have been told,
indeed, that in certain fishing hamlets more than one out of three men
could uot be found with 6ound sight.
In Muscat a fisherman can earn Rupees 20 per month, but up tb«
Gulf I do not think they earn more than about half that sum. ^ er7
often the boats and nets are not the property of the fishermen who u«
them, in which case a certain proportion of the fish caught goes to the
owners of the boats and nets. This proportion is usually one-fifth to
the owners of the boats and one-fifth to the owuers of the nets, leaving
three-fifths for division among the fishermen.