We only stayed in the beach-side city of Cochin for one day, but what an action packed day it was! We visited an ancient Dutch palace, a Jewish synagogue, a wash house, where dozens of people were washing, hanging up and ironing mountains of clothes, and St Francis Church, the oldest Christian church in India. Then we strolled down a blissfully shady path, passing through a miniature market where several people tried to sell us everything from wall prints to jewellery to Indian hand puppets, and walked down a walled street until we reached the beach.
The beach was the exact opposite of the stretches of pristine white sand and clear sapphire-blue water you’d find in Australia. Tattered fishing nets, filthy, foul smelling fish crates and and warped wooden fishing boats littered the rough shoreline, while the rubbish infested, slate grey sea did not look very inviting for swimmers. The smell of rancid fish laced the air like a vile brand of perfume, most of it floating over from the direction of an open air fish market further down the beach. But the biggest difference presented itself in the form of several huge wooden constructions that towered above the water. They were the Chinese fishing nets.
One of the Chinese Fishing Nets
After examining these strange creations for a while I realised they really were fishing nets, however unlikely it looked. At the back end, raised above the beach by some precariously balanced stilts, was a narrow wooden platform with a small shelter to protect workers from the raging heat of the sun. Further on was an incredibly complex system of levers and pulleys. Then, hanging just above the water level, there was a giant net.
As I watched, several of the workers activated the levers and pulleys, lowering the net. When the net was completely submerged the workers retreated into the shade. After about five minutes the workers braved the sun once more to hoist up the net from the water. I leaned forward, expecting to see masses of squirming fish, but the net was completely empty. Looking up and down the shore, I realised that most of the other nets looked empty too.
Our tour guide explained that the Chinese had introduced this style of fishing when they came to India in the 1350s, and it had become vastly popular. The Chinese fishing nets flourished up and down the coast of Cochin, bringing in truckloads of fish every day. They stayed successful for many years until, eventually times changed, and the fishing nets did not change with them. Hi-tech boats rocketed across the waves, entering the open ocean and catching fish before they had a chance make it to the shore. A huge tsunami several years back destroyed several of the fishing nets, and severely damaged others. Nowadays the Chinese fishing nets remain as an ancient relic, a gem from the past, there to show foreigners and tourists what it was like on the beaches of Cochin hundreds of years ago.
The Suttonses in Bangalore 