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Slides by William R. Belcher, participant in HARP (Harappa Archaeological Research Project)

Drawing nets

Nets are drawn up by hand along the side of the boat. It is very strenuous and tiring work that can take up to 60 to 90 minutes per net. Often the nets catch on rocks and are broken free only through the use of intense pulling by the team or through… >

Environments – Satellite Image from Google

The aquatic environments around Harappa are riverine and composed of marshlands, oxbow lakes, and the River Ravi itself. Each of these areas represented a specific environment in which fish and many other types of aquatic life could be harvested, i… >

Sting Ray being pulled aboard

Fish, like this large sting ray, are pulled on board and then removed from the nets. Prior to removing the sting rays, the stinger had to be snapped off. Otherwise, the flailing tail could impale unlucky fishermen. The stinger is a bone and cartilag… >

Various Carp, Family Cyprinidae

Carp represent one of the most ubiquitous fish in the Ravi and its surrounding environs. However, many of the indigenous species have been overtaken by an introduced species from China – the so-called grass carp (Cyprio carpus). However, carp is a… >

Fish below deck

Fish are stowed beneath the floor boards of the boat's deck to protect them from the sun. The traditional vessels do not carry ice and it is important to keep these fish out of the sun so that they do not spoil. Each of the panels is numbered so th… >

Mystus Aor, Catfish, Family Siluridae

The following slides are related to certain species of riverine catfish, including the families Siluridae, Bagridae, and Sisoridae. Many of these catfish grow to in excess of 2 meters in length and would have provided a substantial portion of anima… >

Sua Fish

Seasonal variation in fish occurs and is important to document these changes in order to understand seasonal fishing patterns in the present as well as the past. What I found in discussions with fisheries biologist at the Department of Marine Fisher… >

Wallago Attu, Catfish, Family Siluridae

Sting Ray

While not usually used for food, sting-rays, sharks, and skates are important to the fishing industry itself. The livers are harvested by specialists in the village who boil them down to make a thick, malodorous oil. This oil is spread over the wood… >

Bagarius Bagarius Catfish, Family Sisoridae

While this fish is common in the archaeological deposits, Wallago attu and Rita rita are the most common. However, this fish, locally known as Goonch is one of the largest catfish known in Asia. It is so large that it’s “whiskers” ossify and form … >

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