Chinese fishing nets (of Kochi)

Chinese fishing nets (of Kochi)
Kochi fishing net
Cheena vala (Chinese fishing net), Kochi
Raising the net

The Chinese fishing nets (Cheena vala) are fixed land installations for an unusual form of fishing — shore operated lift nets.[1] They are mostly found in the Indian state of Kerala. Huge mechanical contrivances hold out horizontal nets of 20 m or more across. Each structure is at least 10 m high and comprises a cantilever with an outstretched net suspended over the sea and large stones suspended from ropes as counterweights at the other end. Each installation is operated by a team of up to six fishermen.

The system is sufficiently balanced that the weight of a man walking along the main beam is sufficient to cause the net to descend into the sea. The net is left for a short time, possibly just a few minutes, before it is raised by pulling on ropes. The catch is usually modest: a few fish and crustaceans — these may be sold to passers by within minutes.

Rocks, each 30 cm or so in diameter are suspended from ropes of different lengths. As the net is raised, some of the rocks one-by-one come to rest on a platform thereby keeping everything in balance.

Each installation has a limited operating depth. Consequently, an individual net cannot be continually operated in tidal waters. Different installations will be operated depending on the state of the tide.

The nets may have been introduced by the Chinese explorer Zheng He.[2]

The Chinese fishing nets have become a very popular tourist attraction, their size and elegant construction is very photogenic and the slow rhythm of their operation is quite hypnotic. In addition, catches can be purchased individually and need be taken only a short distance to a street entrepreneur who will cook it.

See also

References

  1. ^ Shore operated stationary lift nets.
  2. ^ U.S. News & World Report, Volume 136, No 21, p. 53. 14 June 2004.

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kochi — This article is about the city in India. For other uses, see Kochi (disambiguation). Cochin redirects here. For other uses, see Cochin (disambiguation). Kochi (Cochin) കൊച്ചി …   Wikipedia

  • Fishing net — A fishing net or fishnet is a net that is used for fishing. Fishing nets are meshes usually formed by knotting a relatively thin thread. Modern nets are usually made of artificial polyamides like nylon, although nets of organic polyamides such as …   Wikipedia

  • List of fishing topics — This page is a list of fishing topics. AlphanumericTOC align=center nobreak= numbers= seealso= externallinks= references= top=| 11959 Escuminac Hurricane22004 Morecambe Bay cockling disasterAA Pobra do Caramiñal A River Somewhere Abalone ABU… …   Wikipedia

  • Tourist attractions in Kochi — Kochi, India (Audio|Kochi.ogg|pronunciation; Malayalam: unicode|കൊച്ചി [IPA|koˈʧːi] ), formerly known as Cochin, is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. Kochi or Cochin is popularly known as the Queen of Arabian Sea, [cite web… …   Wikipedia

  • Fort Kochi — A municipal town from 1866 to 1967, Fort Kochi now is one of the three main urban components that constitute the present day City of Kochi in the Indian State of Kerala, the other two being Mattancherry and Ernakulam. In 1967, these three… …   Wikipedia

  • Sino-Indian relations — China India relations India …   Wikipedia

  • North Paravur — This article is about a town in Ernakulam district. For other uses, see Paravur. Paravur   suburb   …   Wikipedia

  • Kodungallur — This article is about the city. For the medieval kingdom of the same name, see Kodungallur Kovilakam. Not to be confused with Kadungallur. Kodungallur   municipality and town   …   Wikipedia

  • Kumbalangi — is a village in Kerala, India. Located in the district of Ernakulam, near the city of Kochi, the village was selected as a model tourism village by the Government of India.In 2003 Kerala government give more preference to village tourism and… …   Wikipedia

  • Places of interest in and around Ernakulam — Ernakulam (Malayalam : എറണാകുളം ) refers to the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. Ernakulam is the most urbanised part of Kochi and has lent its name to Ernakulam District.Places of interest in and around… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”