AN INVESTIGATION OF THE SPECIALSANFISHERY METHOD,PRACTISED ON LAKE LIANG-TZE

The special fishery method ofSan,practised on Lake Liang-Tze,is a very ef- ficient one and is highly productive in winter. In mid-autumn loppings of trees,mainly pear-trees,are taken down to the lake in huge quantities,where they are cast in tangled groups onto selected areas,where they float almost entirely immersed.Towards mid-winter,large numbers of pelagic fishes con- gregate between and just below the branches,which offer considerable protection against inclement weather.TheSanareas are then enclosed by fences,confining the attracted fishes into conveniently worked plots,which are harvested by various devices and local gear.The fences,of closely tied split-bamboo palings,project at least a metre above the water,and they enclose areas of 200 to 300 square metres.