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The fishing industry of Minicoy Island with special reference to the tuna fishery

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Relation http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/1866/
 
Title The fishing industry of Minicoy Island
with special reference to the
tuna fishery
 
Creator Jones, S
Kumaran, M
 
Subject Tuna fisheries
 
Description The coral island of Minicoy (Fig. 1 a and b) in the Indian Ocean (Latitude
8° 7' N., Longitude 73° 18' E.) is the most important tuna fishing centre in
the Indian Union (Fig. 1). Situated between the two main groups of islands
of the Laccadive and the Maldive Archipelagoes, it is about 10 km. long
and 820 m. broad in the centre and has an area of about 455
hectares and population of about 4,000 who speak the same Mahl dialect as
the Maldivians to whom they are related ethnically. The main port of
trade in India for the islanders is Cannanore about 420 km. away on the
Malabar coast and specially built sailing vessels known as odams are used
for carrying men and cargo to the mainland and back. Tuna fishery is the
most important industry of the island and the chief product of export is
the mas min or the cured and dried meat of tuna the value of which has
recently risen to the record figure of over half a million rupees a year. Export
of cured tuna meat contributes about two-thirds of the total income of the
islanders while next in order of importance comes the money remitted by
those serving as lascars in merchant vessels. The only other source of
income is from the sale of produce like copra, jaggery, coir and vinegar
from coconuts. There is practically no other source of revenue and the
inhabitants have to depend entirely on the mainland for all essential items
and necessities of daily life such as rice and other commodities. In view
of this, a barter system of trade prevails there and the necessary goods are
supplied by certain merchants at Cannanore directly or through their
agents stationed in the island.
 
Publisher CMFRI/ICAR
 
Date 1959
 
Type Article
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
Identifier http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/1866/1/Article_04.pdf
Jones, S and Kumaran, M (1959) The fishing industry of Minicoy Island with special reference to the tuna fishery. Indian Journal of Fisheries, 6 (1). pp. 30-57.