Karimeen

The fish, known locally as Karimeen, is considered a delicacy.
Some of the prominent dishes are the Karemeen Fry, Karemeen Molly and Karemeen Pollichathu. This fish is fairly expensive and is available throughout the year. It is caught mainly using gillnets. It commonly reaches 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in length, and the maximum length is twice that. Kerala declared Karimeen as the official fish of Kerala state. Year 2010-'11 was observed as 'The Year of the Karimeen". Karemeen Polichathu is commonly wrapped in banana leaves.

It is found throughout Kerala, especially in Kerala Backwaters around Alleppey, and in western flowing rivers in Karnataka, and backwaters of Andhra Pradesh. It feeds on algae, plant material and insects.
It is my favorite Fresh water fish, with a sweet delicate flavor that melts in your mouth.As tasty as it is, you have to be very careful of the bones which tend to be pretty sharp and strong.Kids should be allowed to have this fish only under adult supervision.

CHINESE FISHING NETS

You can see Chinese fishing nets in Ashtamudi Lake and Kayamkulam Lake Between Kollam and Thrikkunnappuzha. Constructed out of Teak wood and Bamboo poles, they work on the principle of balance.

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.

The system of counterweights is most ingenious. 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. .