ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY New York STATE COLLEGES OF AGRICULTURE AND HoME EcoNomMICcs AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY Cornell University Library SH 315.W5M72 1883 iii 00 mann | PAPERS or ruz CONFERENCES | Held in connection with The OneuT A\CERNATIONAL _LISHERIES FAHIBITION WEST AFRICAN FISHERIES WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE GOLD COAST COLONY BY Caprain C. A. MOLONEY, C.M.G. LONDON ; WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, Limrrep (i) 13 CHARING CROSS, S.W. PRICE SIXPENCE OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS. The following Handbooks upon subjects cognate to the International Fisheries Exhibition are already published, or in active preparation :— MEM. — o's NOW READY. FS : : Demy 8vo., in Ilustrated Wrapper 1s. each 5 or bound in cloth 2s. each, : THE FISHERY LAWS. By Frepericx Pottock, Barrister-at- | Law, M.A. (Oxon.), Hon. .LL.D. -Edin, ; Corpus Christi Professor of Juris- prudence in the University of Oxford: = ~~ ‘ ZOOLOGY AND FOOD FISHES. By Gerorce B. Howes, ~ "Demonstrator of Biology, Normal School of Science, and Royal School of Mines, South Kensington. : © Se nal BRITISH MARINE AND . FRESHWATER FISHES. (iustrated.) By W. Savituz Kent, F,LS., F.Z.S., Author of Official Guide- books to the Brighton, Manchester, and- Westminster Aquaria. APPARATUS FOR FISHING. By E. W. H. Hotpswortn, F.L.S., F.Z.S., Special Commissioner for Juries,. International Fisheries Exhibition ; Author of ‘‘Deep Sea. Fisheries and Fishing Boats,” ‘‘ British Industries—Sea Fisheries,” &c, THE BRITISH FISH TRADE. By His Excellency Spencer WALpPote, Lieut.-Governor of the Isle of Man. THE UNAPPRECIATED FISHER FOLK. By James G. BERTRAM, Author of ‘‘ The Harvest of the Sea.” . THE SALMON FISHERIES. (J//ustrated.) By C. E. Fryer. Assistant Inspector of Salmon Fisheries, Home Office. - : SEA MONSTERS UNMASKED. (/ilustrated.) By Henry Ler, F.L.S. Fr ; i THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION SO- CIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. ByJ. P. WHEELDON, late Angling Editor of ‘‘ Bell’s Life.” INDIAN FISH AND FISHING. (lUustrated.) By FRANCIS Day, F.L.S., Commissioner for India to International Fisheries Exhibition. A POPULAR HISTORY OF FISHERIES AND FISHER- MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES, By W. M. Avpams, B.A., formerly Fellow of New College, Oxford; Author of ‘Zenobia: a Tragedy,’ and inventor of the Coelometer. : FISH CULTURE. (lilustrated.) By Francis Day, F.LS., Com- missioner for India to International Fisheries Exhibition. * SEA FABLES EXPLAINED. By Henry Lez, F.L.S. (Wustrated.) ANGLING IN GREAT BRITAIN. By Witt1aM Senior (“ Red Spinner”), 3 é FISHES OF FANCY: their Place in Myth, Fable, Fairy- Tale and Folk-Lore, etc. By PHL RosINnson, LITERATURE OF SEA AND RIVER FISHING. By J. J. MANLEY, M.A, IN THE PRESS, THE PLACE OF FISH IN A HARD-WORKING DIET. .. By STEPHEN MITCHELL, M.A. (Cantab,) : v LONDON : WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LimirTep, 13, CHARING CROSS, ‘ Lnternational Fisheries. Eichibition LONDON "19830 280 e239 a go aS St Si WEST AFRICAN FISHERIES WITH PARTICULAR 4 REFERENCE TO THE GOLD COAST COLONY .t' on BY t Captain C. Av MOLONEY, CM. “ Bait the hook well; this fish will bite.” “ Tt is lawful for you to fish in the sea, and to eat what ye shall catch, as a provision for you and for those who travel.” LONDON WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED 13 CHARING CROSS, S.W. 1883 International Fisheries E-xhibition, LONDON, 1883. CONFERENCE ON 24TH OCTOBER, 1883. ON WEST AFRICAN FISHERIES, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE GOLD COAST COLONY. In explanation of my acceptance of the invitation of the Executive Committee of the International Fisheries Exhi- bition to write a Paper on “ West African Fisheries, with particular reference to the Gold Coast Colony,” I must ask to be allowed to preface what follows by an acknow- ledgment of the fact that whatever knowledge of the subject I may possess is confined mostly to the breakfast and dinner table; and I am doubtful whether in my shallowness or taste J am an exception. When I ventured to undertake this Paper, it naturally first occurred to look about for information, and to thus endeavour to reap a harvest on the brains of others ; but to my inquiry of unscientific and worldly friends as to what they knew of the fish fauna, the invariable answer I received was— At present, my dear fellow, cod is in season,” or some like communication. “As regards that awful place West Africa, comparatively nothing has been written, for the general belief is that even fish won’t live there.” Now, on the contrary, much has been written. The fauna literature applicable to West Africa is extensive, although scattered, and I am, in consequence of limited [33] B2 4 time, and of appreciation for the patience of my kind listeners, unable to carry out an original intention to refer in detail to it; yet I may hurriedly allude, as convenient references for any future enthusiastic disciples, to— The ‘ Geographical Distribution of the Zoological Record.’ Giinther’s ‘ Catalogue of Fishes.’ Giinther’s ‘ Study of Fishes.’ Dr. Savage’s ‘Study of the Ichthyological Fauna of the Ogooué’ (in Gaboon), 1880. Dr. Rochebrune’s ‘Fish Fauna of the Senegambia,’ 1883. To our shame, zoological work and its record are making headway in other Possessions than our own. Look to the admirable works just quoted of Doctors Savage and Rochebrune. They have but recently come into my hands, so that time, even if space did so, will not admit. of my taking advantage of them. Of the zoological division of the earth’s surface as pro- posed by Mr. Sclater, the Ethiopian region stands forth as including Africa south of Sahara, Madagascar, and the Mascerene Islands, also southern Arabia. Then again as to the fauna of fresh-water fishes, Dr. Giinther has proposed the division into zones, among which stands the equatorial zone, noted by the development of Siluridz, and characterised as far as the African region is concerned by the presence also of Dipuoz and Polypterida, Chromides and Characinide, being numerous, with Mor- myride present and Coditide absent. This authority has further divided the equatorial zone into four regions, one being described as African, with which we have now more to do than with any other, but which cannot according to him well be treated as to its fish fauna as absolutely distinct; for there “exists, for instance, a great affinity between the Indian and African 5 regions ; seventeen out of the twenty-six families or groups found in the former are represented by one or more species in Africa, and many of the African species are not even generically different from the Indian,” and as the majority of these groups have many more representatives in India ‘than in Africa, it has been assumed “that the African species have been derived from the Indian” stock, but even to such an assumption there are exceptions. The African fresh-water region comprises, according to Dr. Giinther’s arrangement, the whole of the African con- tinent south of the Atlas and the Sahara, but for the purpose of this Paper, in which I treat of the marine fauna as well, I would dwell generally on the western coast line of that Continent lying between 30° N. lat. and 35° S. lat, . for within such latitudes lie not only the coast line and adjacent waters, but also the Canaries, Cape Verde Islands, Fernando Po, Princes Island, St. Thomas and Annobon, to which I would like to make a brief reference. I am, apart from interest, the more induced to so act as “the difference between the tropical and southern parts of Africa consists simply in the gradual disappearance of specifically tropical forms, whilst Sz/urotds, Cyprinoids, and even Labyrinthict,” which are peculiar to the warmer lati- tudes “penetrate to its southern coast”; thus “no new form entering to impart to South Africa a character dis- tinct from the central portion of its Continent.” Whilst deciding not to encompass in this Paper widely spread comparisons even as far as the African region goes, extending in the north-east as to its fauna by the Isthmus of Suez into Syria, “the system of the Jordan presenting so many African types that it has to be included in a description of the African region, as well as of the Europo- Asiatic,” I may say that two hundred and fifty-five species 6 of known fresh-water forms inhabit it, contracted into thirty- nine families or groups, of which fifteen are represented in the African, as against twelve in the Indian region. Further, the African species, as compared with the Indian, are represented in the proportion of two to five, due, it is advanced, to the greater uniformity of the physical con- dition of the African continent, and to the almost perfect continuity of the great river systems, which take their origin from the lakes in the centre. “This,” says Dr. Giinther, “is best shown by a comparison of the fauna of the Upper Nile with that of the West African rivers. The number of species known from the Upper Nile amounts to fifty-six, and of these not less than twenty-five are absolutely identical with West African species. ‘There is an uninterrupted continuity of the fish fauna from west to the north-east, and the species known to be common to both extremities may be reason- ably assumed to inhabit also the great reservoirs of water in the centre of the continent. A greater dissimilarity is noticeable between the west and north-east fauna on the one hand and that of the Zambezi on the other ; the affinity between them is merely generic ; and all the fishes hitherto collected in Lake Nyassa have proved to be distinct from those of the Nile, and even from those of other parts of the system of the Zambezi.” “ Africa, unlike India, does not possess either alpine ranges or outlying archipelagoes, the fresh waters of which would swell the number of its indigenous species; but at a future time, when its fauna is better known than at present, it is possible that the great difference in the number of species between this and the Indian regions may be somewhat lessened.” To give a more extended but brief comparison of the fresh-water fauna of the African, as against the other regions, I would quote that: “The regions with which Africa (like India) has least similarity are, again, the North American and Antarctic. Its affinity with the Europo-Asiatic region consists only in having received, like 7 this latter, a branch of the Cyprinoids, the African Carps and Barbels resembling, on the whole, more Indian than Europo- Asiatic forms. Its similarity to Australia is limited to the two regions possessing. Dipmoous and Osteoglossoid types. But its relations to the two other regions of the equatorial zone are near and of great interest.” And in the affinity of the fresh-water fishes, as regards Africa and South America, I must trespass on your patience by asking to be allowed to read as follows: “The existence of so many similar forms on both sides of the Atlantic affords much support to the supposition that at a former period the distance between the present Atlantic continents was much less, and that the fishes which have diverged towards the East and West are descendants of a common stock, which had its home in a region now submerged under some intervening part of that ocean. Be this as it may, it is evident that the physical conditions of Africa and South America have remained unchanged. for a considerable period, and are still sufficiently alike to preserve the identity of a number of peculiar fresh-water forms on both sides of the Atlantic. Africa and South America are, moreover, the only continents which have produced in fresh-water fishes, though in very different families, one of the most extraordinary modifica- tions of an organ—the conversion, that is, of muscle into an apparatus creating electric force.” The lagoons, or inland waterways, that run parallel to the sea, especially on the Guinea coast, presenting, as regards their formation, such an interesting geological study, afford a grand and rich field for the study of the brackish-water fauna, among which are mentioned, so far as I may specially give, in connection with the equatorial zone, the Razide, S cienide, Polynemida, Caranx, Chatoessus, Megalops, and Syngathide. Of lagoons I may give here the opinion of the authors of ‘To the Gold Coast for Gold,’ which is expressed as follows : 8 “The formation of these characteristic African features, which either run parallel with, or are disposed at various angles to the coast, is remarkably simple. There is no reason to assume with Lieutenant R. C. Hart that they result from secular upheaval (page 186, Gold Coast Blue Book, London, 1881). The ‘ powerful artillery with which the ocean assails the bulwarks of the land, here heaps up a narrow strip of high sand bank, and the toils of the smaller streams are powerless to break through it, except when swollen by the rains. They maintain their level by receiving fresh water at the head, and by percolation through the beach, while most of them are connected with the sea.” . Next as to marine fishes. Of the shore-fish—term applied to the fish inhabitants of the immediate neighbourhood of land either actually raised above, or at least but little sub- merged below the surface of the water—of the equatorial zone, Dr. Giinther states that as regards the tropical Atlantic and Indo-Pacific’ fauna, the differences are far less numer- ous and important than between the fresh-water or terres- trial fauna of continental regions. The majority of the principal types are found in both, many of the species being even identical ; but the species are far more abundant in the Indo-Pacific than in the Atlantic, which is attributed to the greater extent of archipelagoes in the former. He continues— “But for the broken and varied character of the coasts of the West Indies, the shores of the tropical Atlantic would, by their general uniformity, afford but a limited variety of conditions to the development of specific and generic forms, whilst the deep inlets of the Indian Ocean, with the varying configuration of their coasts, and the different nature of their bottoms, its long penin- sulas and its archipelagoes, and the scattered islands of the tropical Pacific, render these parts of the globe the most perfect for the development of fish life.” “The boundaries of the tropical Atlantic extend zoologically a few degrees beyond the northern and southern tropics; but as 9 the mixture with the types of the temperate zone is very gradual, no distinct boundary line can be drawn between the tropical and temperate faunee. “ Types almost exclusively limited to the tropical Atlantic, and not found in the Indo-Pacific, are few in number, as Centropristis, Rhypticus, Hamulon, Malthe. A few others preponderate with regard to the number of species, as Plectropoma, Sargus, Trachy- notus, Batrachide, and Gobtesocide. The Scienoids are equally represented in both oceans. All the remainder are found in both, but in the minority in the Atlantic, where they are some- times represented by one or two species only (for instance, Lethrinus).” It would seem that— “ As with fresh-water fishes, the main divisions of the shore- fish fauna are determined by their distance froni the equator, the equatorial zone of the fresh-water series corresponding entirely to that of the shore-fish series.” Although as regards the latter, the fauna is more extended north and south in its distribution from the equator. Dr. Giinther’s ‘ Study of Fishes’ affords, from page 275,a list which, although only containing the principal genera or groups of coast-fishes, in the Equatorial zone, yet admits of the formation of an opinion on the affinity of the Tropical Atlantic and Indo-Pacific, and to it, for more detailed in- formation generally in what I have ventured to extract, I would beg leave to refer my hearers. There are included in the list ninety-six families or groups of shore-fishes in connection with the Tropical Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific, in the proportion of 59 to 87, and although these are not specimens of each genus com- mon, yet the proportion of the species stands as 532 to 1917. Pelagic fishes, viz., fishes inhabiting the surface of mid- ocean, like shore-fishes, are most ‘numerous in the tropical zone, and with few exceptions—Lchinorhinus, Psenes, 10 Sternoptychide, Astronesthes—the same genera occupy the Tropical Atlantic as well as the Indo-Pacific. “The pelagic fauna of the tropics gradually passes into that of the temperate zones, only a few genera, like Cybium, Psenes and Antennarius, being almost entirely confined to the tropics.” Among the fish off and within this coast line, I may explain ordinarily, are met sharks, cat-fish, albacore, bonito, rays, blennies, barracouta, grey mullet, ctenopoma allied to the climbing perch, the “ fighting fish,” flat-fish, carp, flying fish, electric fish, herring, anchovy, mud-fish, eels, “ shine-noze,” “rock cod,” sun fish, “ globe fish,” perch, mackerel, sword- fish, dolphin, pilchard, &c. Most of the works one takes up on this part of Africa point to the importance of the fresh-water fish industry as a means of support for the natives, and many allude to the grand sea-fish field represented by the tropical Eastern Atlantic. Bosman, in his ‘Coast of Guinea, written nearly two hundred years ago, affords particulars of the value of sea and fresh-water fish to the natives. ‘Tucker, in his ‘Narrative on Expedition to the River Zaire, dwells upon the “swarms” of albacore, . bonito, and other fish met with in the Gulf of Guinea, on the voyage in 1816 of the “Congo,” as also of the importance and richness of the fish field of the river of same name (the then Zaire, now Congo). Bowdich and Dupuis testify to the quantity of fish to be met with in the rivers of the Ashantee kingdom and of the other surrounding countries, and of its necessity as an article of food. Bowen, in his interesting ‘Central Africa, alludes to frequently seeing fish exposed for sale in different interior "41 markets of the Yoruba kingdom, and to the richness of its streams in this commodity. The importance of the fisheries in that part of the world and their growth did not escape the notice of the Select Committee of the House of Commons on the West Coast of Africa (1842), when Mr. Swanzy, of the firm bearing his name, conveyed that there was a great deal of fishing there, and that it “forms, as well as salt, a great article of commerce between the waterside and interior people.” Of the country behind the Portuguese Possessions in South-West Africa, Messrs. Capello and Ivens in their “from Benguela to Yacca,” state of the river Luando, “it is extremely abundant in fish; its banks are visited by numerous tribes, who devote their attention to fishing, using for this purpose the ‘mu-ghande,’ snares of various kinds.” “So abundantly is this river supplied that, as we were assured, it furnishes, jointly with the lakes of Qui- honde and Catete, more to the north, and the Njombo, one of its affluents, sufficient fish for the large requirements of the Songo country.” Schweinfurth, in his ‘ Heart of Africa, alludes frequently to the plentifulness of fish in the rivers in tropical Atrica which lay in his path, and also records the abundance of crocodiles and hippopotami. Writing of the modes of capture adopted by the natives, he states:—‘ They pro- ceed very much in the European way of damming up the stream by weirs, and laying down wicker pots of consider- able size. The fishing, for the most part, is done twice a year, first at the commencement of the rainy season, and again when the waters begin to subside.” The importance that attaches to certain of the Ganoids (of which so many specimens are extinct, and are of great geological interest), such as Protopterus annectens, Polyp- 12 terus Senegalus, Calamoichthys, induces me to briefly men- tion them here. The first abounds in many places, and forms an important article of food. It is to be frequently seen at the native markets in a smoked condition, almost black, and secured in numbers in circular form on bamboo skewers. As to deep-sea fishes, viz., those which inhabit such depths of the ocean as to be but little or not influenced by light or the surface temperature, I do not feel, in view of object and scope of this Paper, called upon to dwell. Philanthropic and scientific expeditions undertaken at various times in the past, point to the fertility of the Eastern Atlantic as a fish-bed, but it is evident that suff- cient advantage, compared with the fruit to have been reaped, has not been taken of nature’s bounty; and as regards West Africa, a comparatively new and scientifically unknown region, other mercantile and more popular attrac- tions and manias have caused the fish industry to be now what it was a hundred years ago, aye, more, ab initio, the primitive calling and promotion of the aborigines in whose hands it has been and is, but towards whom more interest of a practical nature should have been, and, it is to be hoped, will be directed in the matter, at least, of the improvement of the system of catch and healthy supply. West African Settlements. The West African Settlements, commonly. understood as Sierra Leone and the Gambia, were reconstituted under Letters Patent of the 17th December, 1874, into one Government, comprising Her Majesty’s Settlement of Sierra ‘ Leone, embracing all places, settlements, and territories which may at any time belong to Her Majesty in West Africa between the 6th and 12th degrees of N. latitude 13 and lying to the westward of the 1oth degree of W. longitude, and Her Majesty’s Settlement on the Gambia, comprising all places, settlements, and territories which may at any time belong to Her Majesty in West Africa, between the 12th and 15th degrees of N. latitude, and lying to the westward of the 1oth degree of W. longitude. The population of the British Settlements on the Gambia was given, in 1881, as 14,150, of whom I05 were Euro- peans, including crews of ships in harbour. Of the total, 296 were returned as fishermen and native seamen, whose pursuits are mainly, if not altogether, confined to the river Gambia. On the Gambia fisheries, the Blue Books say that “there are none except for the daily table supply, which is varied and abundant. Canoes are employed in fishing.” The values of imports for 1880 and 1881 are returned as 4191,580 and £142,589. These figures include £735 and 41,205 as value of imported salt. Information is not particularised of the introduction of any foreign fish. The population of Sierra Leone and its dependencies was given, in 1881, as 60,546, of whom 271 were whites, inclusive of 108 crews of vessels in harbour. Of this total there were 1,964 fishermen and native seamen, on whom the Colonial Secretary reported as follows :— “Of the fishermen and native seamen, who number nearly 2,000, more than half. may be said to be fishermen, who, beyond providing themselves and their families with the means of subsistence, contribute but little to the com- forts of the inhabitants, and practically nothing to the State. The native seamen, taken all round, are an ill-paid and ill-conditioned class, who endure many hardships, and who appear to have at present but a slight chance of ameliorating their condition.” 14 The value of imports for 1880 and 1881 are returned as £491,993 and £374,375. These figures include £781 and £336 value of imported fish, as also £4,145 and £2,930 for introduced salt. Boats and canoes, licensed in 1880 and 1881, were 689 and 572. It would be unnecessary and unimportant to give here the local names of fish. You will be amused, but not enlightened, to hear that some are “Blue Billies,” others “Black Billies,” information which would defy, for the purpose of classification, the ingenuity of any fish Authority. french West African Settlements. As to the French Possessions, generally referred to as Senegambia, Gaboon, and Assinee, with a returned popula- tion (1878) of 324,038, I know of no systematic fish in- dustry beyond, perhaps, the requirements for a hand-to- mouth existence and precarious inland trade. Gold Coast Colony. It is very difficult to form an estimate as to the numbers of any native population of a somewhat migratory cha- racter and of a Protectorate, for we must remember that Her Majesty’s Settlements on the Gold Coast are repre- sented by “Colony” and “ Protected Territories,’ the statements alone of natives as to numbers being uncertain, and, I may say, quite unreliable. Then, again, natives are peculiarly suspicious, and would be disposed to be at once on their guard against supplying information which they would view as intended to be directed against themselves in the shape of taxation, per- haps conscription, as was fancied at places in the Ashantee War, 1873-4. a No approximate value of the fisheries can be given. 15 Data are not forthcoming. The population of the Gold Coast cannot, it would seem, be got within the range of “practical statistics.” It will be ideal to state that most of the people, estimated in round numbers say at 400,000, live chiefly on fish, so that some conception can be formed of the considerable catch there must be annually to supply such a mass, as also the great unlimited interior markets beyond our jurisdiction. The Gold Coast Colony—prior to the following date made up of the Settlements on the Gold Coast and the Settlement of Lagos—comprises, according to Letters Patent of 22nd January, 1883, all places, settlements, and terri- tories belonging to Her Majesty the Queen in West Africa, between the 5th degree of W. longitude and the 5th degree of E. longitude. It must not be understood that the colony is one and undivided, for a-strip of coast and country com- monly known as the Dahomean sea-board and territory intervenes. The population of the Gold Coast has, as already stated, never yet got beyond an estimate. Lagos was, however, more favoured, for in 1881 the census effort there applied and gave its population as 75,270, inclusive of 117 whites and 68 mulattos, of whom 5,695 were returned as fishermen. In view of what I have explained, it will be very evident that it would simply be farcical to endeavour to foist on to you any estimate of catch or of cure; indeed, such par- ticulars are not arrived at evenin England. But against whatever may be the consumption of locally-caught and preserved fish, it may be interesting to have, by way of comparison, the value of what has been imported of this article—which IJ give for four years :— 16 Value of fish Value of fish Value of total Value of total Year. imported. imported. imports. imports. Gold Coast. Lagos. Gold Coast. Lagos. & a. 4 os. a 4: 4 1878 370 0 5 176 3 2 394,152 483,623 1879 1741510 | 435 9 I 323039 527,871 1880 No statistics. | 576 9 0 337,248 376,215 1881 248 1 II 27315 8 398,123 336,659 There has been no exportation of fish—naturally. Im- ported fish, which is brought mainly from the United Kingdom, Germany, and America, is chiefly represented by tinned and smoked salmon, lobster, sardines, salt cod and ling, red herrings, and mackerel, and is supplied to meet the taste of Europeans and Europeanized natives. The aborigines, as a rule, prefer their own fish, as will be explained later. For my own part, I would not be prepared to view these statistics as giving the fishing population, for natives often combine the work of farming with fishing. There are, of course, some who are merely fishermen and nothing more, or rather, when they are anything more, they are idlers ; although I am glad to acknowledge I have seen many an exception to this, in men who have turned, and do turn — during leisure time, their hands to some other remunerative work than fishing; while there are others—and a large number—who do not confine themselves to fishing as a sole means of livelihood, but as a subsidiary occupation. Idle- ness, notwithstanding, prevails much, but this may be excusable in view of absence of competition as regards production, as also of conditions of climate, and the, for- tunately for them, small demand made on them towards food provision, Nature having been, and being, so bountiful. 17 The fishing craft is represented altogether by the canoe, “the dug-out,” of varying sizes, regulated by the number of persons carried, viz., from five to one. They are generally hollowed out, by the adze and burning of the trunk, of the silk cotton (Bombax), or of a species of fig. Canoes most frequently used are those for three persons ; they are propelled by paddles, the shapes of which vary tribally, the occupant (or occupants) resting on his knees, on his haunches, or standing erect, or perched on seats— cross sticks, secured by tie-tie on gunwale of canoe. They are sometimes built up at the sides when required for commercial transport purposes, for ferry-boats or as war- canoes. The ordinary sized fishing canoe is propelled by three men, one of whom, occupying the stern, propels and steers, his main duty being the latter ; and in their manage- ment of the craft they are surprisingly clever. Transport is mainly effected by means of rivers and lagoons, viz., inland waterways, so far as water can be made use of, and on the heads of natives by land, as was experienced in the Ashantee war, 1873-4. For water transport, canoes abound. The carrying power of canoes is judged by the number of persons or casks of oil each will carry. Their sizes accordingly vary from what can contain from two to eighty persons, or from two to sixteen puncheons of oil. Bar-boats of seven to eight tons have been used at Lagos ; only for commercial purposes, as the means for the transfer of cargoes from ship to shore, and of produce from shore to ship. They have been only used by the mercantile houses, but since the African Steamship Companies have supplied to Lagos and the rivers their own branch steamers, the number of bar-boats have considerably decreased, and their use is daily becoming a thing of the past. [33] c 18 Sea fishermen usually pursue their avocations in the day ; they rarely work at night ; but to this rule there are exceptions, while in the lagoons fresh-water fishing is con- ducted at times both day and night. On moonlight nights, when fishing is conducted on the inland waters or rivers, the men make use of a piece of glass—broken bottle—and metal, thereby making a musical tinkle to attract the fish before the hand net is cast. Sea fishermen, as I have said, rarely work at night. They usually start to fish at daybreak, and return about two or three o’clock in the afternoon. They are received on the - beach by a large crowd, comprised of purchasers in the person of subsequent retailers and cooks : wives to witness the luck, children to carry back, as they had brought, the nets and fishing-gear and their fathers’ spoil, scoffers to chaff in case of capsizing, or of return empty-handed. Canoes frequently capsize, having been caught broadside on by.a roller, or at times they are turned completely round and then go over; the fishermen invariably hold on, right the canoe, bale her out, re-embark, and pursue what remains of their journey. When bad weather is expected, and they anticipate being capsized, the fishing-gear, as also their catch in reed bags, . is secured to the cross-thwarts of the boat. Sea fishermen act as a barometer, for their movements and energy depend somewhat on the weather and con- dition of the sea. I have often watched them repair to the beach, run out their canoes to the edge of the surf, make a few abortive efforts towards departure, shrug their shoulders, ” meaning, at the weather, their mind being at ease as to the morrow, by probably having had a good haul a day or two previous, run back their canoes, and return “ not ingloriously” to their homes. The fishermen, in costume for work, are almost in a state with a “not good enoug! 19 of nature—and very wisely so—in view of the treacherous nature of surf, and of greater facility for paddling, and of less likelihood to contract disease. They are seen with a loin-cloth, of meagre dimensions, as a body cover, and for the head perhaps a broad-brimmed hat, or may be they are bareheaded. They take frequently with them their country clothes, a loose sheet-like body-covering wrapper, which, when worn, is carried toga-like, as illustrated in the views before us. These clothes may be seen on the return of the canoes wound around the head of their stalwart owners, to act as a sun-awning or umbrella. At times they are converted, as make-shifts, into temporary sails, although canoes are usually supplied with sheets of a like nature, or with sails made of fibre or leaf matting. The sail is square, or nearly so. There is a single mast—a bamboo pole—to the head of which the sail is either hoisted by means of a small line run through a hole made through the mast-head, or made fast with a seizing. The sail is spread by a bamboo “ sprit,” and is worked by means of a sheet and a brace on the sprit; usually one man holds these, while the other steers with a paddle, but sometimes one man performs both duties. There are occasions when the luff of the sail is “bowlined out” by means of another bamboo. Very rarely accidents by drowning occur.- Of fishermen it might almost be said that they were amphibious. As children they are generally made pursue the calling of their fathers: they are to be seen all day long, especially in the heat of the day, in the water, either swimming, “turning turtle,”‘engaged paddling a plank or remnant of a canoe, or learning the art of casting the net. In later years they frequently accompany their fathers, and learn [33] C2 20 their handicraft, and, when old enough, take to the industry themselves. : That West Africa affords a good stock for the develop- ment of a useful fish population may be inferred from the doings of their fellow-countrymen in the United States, where some 5,000 Negroes conduct chiefly the shad-fisheries, and “are employed during the shad and herring season in setting and hauling the seines.” In the shore fisheries of Key West, Florida, Negroes “are considered among the most skilful of the sponge and market fishermen.” Some Negroes are also to be found among the crews of the whaling vessels of Provincetown and New Bedford, United States, the latter alone representing over 200. I must not forget the Kroo-boys—fine good-natured fellows, instinctively watermen, almost amphibious. Their native home is in the country of Sinou in the central part of the Republic of Liberia.* They are to be found all along the. coast ; in fact, I don’t know what the coast would do without them. They are invaluable, and represent the most generally useful—whether ashore or afloat—and im- portant tribe on the West Coast of Africa. Without them it would be difficult to work, on this malarial coast, our men-of-war, mail steamers, foreign vessels, all loading and unloading being done by them. I applied to them the term amphibious; well they are known, in fact it is a frequent practice, to swim off, pushing their casks of oil before them, from their own coast to trading vessels lying at anchor some one or two miles off. They are equally useful on shore. Fisheries as to their economic value depend on quality, supply, and demand. Where a want equals the catch of * Liberia with a coast line of some 600 miles, and extending inland some 100 miles, with a native population estimated at 1,068,000. 2 the finny tribe, an industry may be viewed as healthy, whether the supply be marketable and local, or whether— which is another consideration, and one more to the point as regards this Paper—local consumption or industrial de- mand, or both, does not equal the catch, and as a conse- quence the surplus has to be and can be profitably sent to more distant markets where disposal will readily. follow. In the latter case so much would naturally depend on the available means and effective conveniences of transport, especially as to the disposition of fresh fish, or the effec- tiveness of curing where climate and circumstances put beyond consideration the transit of fresh fish. As a rule, it may be said of the tropics, that fresh fish, to be enjoyed, must be consumed on the day of the catch. It does not always admit, indeed, of this—and the surplus captures, if energy prove sufficient for such an issue, are cured and sent to inland markets that offer. My remarks are meant to apply to the Gold Coast Colony, where the people may be described as a fish- eating population, and where caste prejudices do not exist. Fetish restrictions may be at times, but rarely, imposed on the catch or consumption of this article of diet, but charity begins at home even with the Fetishman—who is often a fisherman, and, when not, is the recipient of “dashes” from the sea in the shape of fish by the propitiators of the sea- god; thus he would not be so short-sighted as to impose any restrictions on so needful and essential a commodity, especially when he would know that, were he to do so, his power of imposing obedience might be jeopardised by seafarers. It may be as well to add here that sovereign water rights are at times exercised in Native States through the medium of a fetish—to wit—the “Adanve” over the Denham 22 waters,* which have been and are through its instrument- ality, subject to the Government of the King of Katanu— a right that has been recognised and acknowledged by all the surrounding tribes. Ponds of fish, the subject of worship, are to be at places met with. Rivers also represent resorts, in the native mind, of favourite fetishes. The fetish of the river Tando is a favourite one of the Ashantees ; Cobee, a river in Denkera, and Odentee in'the Adirree, are two others. . The river “ Dah,” in Ashantee, receives annual ablutions and offerings in thanks to its Fetish for the yam of the year—the Adai custom. The sea-god has also offerings and propitiatory attentions. Of sea-fishing, I am unaware of any close season; but there are times when the fishing of some of the rivers and lagoons is by fetish order forbidden, in reality to allow of the growth of fish which is of general interest. Opening ceremonies after such “close times” are interesting and important events. In a country where local demand keeps pace with the population, and where the cost of fishing-gear is compara- tively trivial, when it is remembered that the value of time is not yet known, so that the estimate of labour in the computation of outlay on appliances is not of much moment, the question of supply may be said to be favour- ably met; whereas as to the demand, the sale-market is large and wide enough, representing, as it does, a huge interior, but a clammy and damp, at the same time hot climate, bad roads, no other means of transport but in baskets on the heads of natives, imperfect system of curing, stand forth as obstacles, and indeed great ones, towards the development and growth ofa healthy inland fish traffic. * Behind the Dahomean seaboard, 23 Natives object to travel by land at night, and there is no interior demand of such a nature as to make such an effort worthy of the trouble in a pecuniary sense. No grand central Billingsgates exist to which fish could be taken fresh, and be at once disposed of. There are, however, regular native appointed markets held on certain days of the month or week, where, with other articles, dried fish is taken for sale, whence it is for the most part procurable. Operations for the capture of the different forms of marine and fresh-water life are conducted from the sea beach and banks of inland waters, but as a rule by canoes, and effected by the following means which, with perhaps certain modifications, to meet tribal tastes or progress, apply, I am led to believe, generally to the Gulf of Guinea; in fact, a look at the specimens of fish gear from other tropical parts might justify a more extended application. I may remark that the descriptions which follow refer more directly to the fishing gear of Lagos, of the Gold Coast Colony, miniature models and specimens of which I had collected, and have presented for show in the Royal International Fisheries Exhibition 1883 :— Fish-traps—called in Popo language “Aja,” and in Fantee “Inchabah ”—open baskets of split bamboo, secured by tie-tie, of circular form, with two entrances, one at either end, when double, or with one when single. Size varies, but usually made 6 feet long and 24 feet deep. These traps are generally placed at the end or approach of a fish passage, whether natural or artificial, over a likely feeding ground. Baskets are, of course, baited with fish, or some farinaceous and oily compound. 24 Drag-nets—called in Popo language “ Aveh,” to drag, and in Fantee “Chouee,” to draw—made of pineapple or other fibre. Size varies, but usually made 10 feet long, with a breadth of 23 feet. These nets are used in shallow fresh water, 3 or 4 feet deep, where they are drawn by men. Hand-nets, called in the Popo language “ Gangdoh,” and in Fantee “Ebowaugh.” Size as to net and meshes varies. Made of pineapple or other native fibre, also of imported twine ; of circular form, usually about 12 feet diameter at mouth. Length of net, 12 or 15 feet; to end of net is affixed what may be called the casting- rope of some five or six fathoms. This net is universally known in tropical seas and used from canoes, in fresh water, from banks and from the beach. It is thrown by fishermen, by a circular motion of the body from left to right, on the water, where it sinks by means of a'weighted outer edge. On drawing up the net, which is allowed to sink as far as the casting-rope will admit, the weighted edge closes, and thus secures any fish over which it may have fallen. Shrimp basket, made of open bamboo work, secured by tie-tie ; of circular shape, tapering from a base varying in diameter from 2 to 4 feet, to a point when a length is reached of 8 or 10 feet, or even more. These baskets are secured to stake-poles or sticks, laid out in parallel lines of considerable length, of a diameter of 2 or three inches, and of length dependent on depth of water where used. I have met them in water from 3 to 12 feet, even more. The stakes are conveyed by canoes to the site for'which they are intended, and there erected 25 by being gradually worked into the bottom by mere manual labour, and it is surprising how firmly they hold. To each stake is secured, with a connecting string of tie-tie of some length, a shrimp basket, which acts as a “hat” to the stake when the tide is going out, as it is so placed to avoid rotting or entanglement. On the flow the basket is lowered into the current. Shrimps, in immense shoals, are carried by the tide into its open mouth, thence to the narrow end, where they are collected in large numbers. From this trap there is no escape. Before the turn, two or three times during the flow, the stakes are visited by the employés or owner, and the baskets cleared. It is a curious sight to observe of an evening these lines of stakes topped by sea-gulls, all heading to the wind or breeze, when there is one—balmy breezes do not always blow in these regions—which make them their roost for the night. The catching of shrimps at Lagos represents a very large and extensive industry. The season lies between December and April. The industry includes local con- sumption and interior trade. For storage and inland traffic shrimps are smoked, or rather semi-cooked, as follows.