Fisher Folk - Gulam Mustafa
Gulam Mustafa was one of my main fisher folk informants. He had several businesses that he ran, but he also had a lot of knowledge and the equipment related to fishing.
Fish objects and signs from ancient Indus Civilization sites.
Fisher Folk – Baba Yaqoob
One of my main informants in Harappa Town was an elderly man named Baba Yaqoob. He was retired at the time during the mid-1990s, while his sons worked their land as well as a vegetable stand on the western side of Harappa.
Fish Markets
The main fish markets near the modern village of Harappa were within the village itself as well as the District market in the local District center, Sahiwal.
Getting the Fish to Market
Most of the fisher folk have a low-tech way of getting the fish to the market – primarily burlap bags and a bicycle. Often the fish are sold to passers-by as the fisher folk will have a scale to weigh the fish in kilograms.
Monsoonal Flooding and Oxbow Lakes
The River Ravi is a meandering river that travels back and forth across its alluvial plain leaving a series of landscape scars of old river channels.
Fish traps
Another type of fishing method seen in the Punjab was a type of conical fish trap. The trap was a multi-leg frame covered with a net.
Clay Net Weights
The older nets that were observed in the Punjab had net weights that were made of fired clay, while the modern ones used standard lead net weights.
Seine Nets
Seine nets are the dominant net used to harvest fish in the oxbows. Again, the “eye” or mesh size of the net is controlled by the Punjabi government, but allow the oxbows to be harvested through a series of sweeps across the entire body of water.
Cast Nets
One of the main methods of catching fish is using casting or throw nets. The mesh size (or “eye”) is currently controlled by fisheries laws by the Punjab Province. However, mesh size will vary depending on the target species of fish.
Spiny Eels, Family Mastacembelidae
Spiny eels are relatively uncommon in the archaeological record and within the general diet of the Punjabi folk. These fish also can survive in extremely environments in soft mud with little water.
