Pai (पाई) or sometimes called Pahi (पाही) is a fish trap fabricated by using ''Thakal daantha'' (थाकलकॊ डाॅठ) and ''Beshram'' (बेश्रम)/''byaye'' (व्याय)/''ajambari'' (अजम्बरी) thoroughly knitting with rope to make large rectangular sheets suitable for the filtration of water and it is mainly famous in
Tharu, Kumal and
Majhi communities of western Nepal. Knitted sheets of their desired length and width are fixed in the river of sharp current with the help of solid and large wooden nails (''Kila''). This fish trap was a very efficient and logical tool for the ancient indigenous peoples- making them successful in fishing.
This fish trap looks like the Greek symbol
pi (Π). Indigenous people from near villages of
banghushree Banghushree (), sometimes Banghusri (बनघुस्री) or Bankhorsi (बनखोर्सी), is a village located in Gadhawa Rural Municipality ward number 1 of Dang Deukhuri District, Nepal. It is one of the oldest villages of Deukhuri ...
are still adopting this technique for fishing in
West Rapti River
The West Rapti, also known as the Kuwano, is a river which drains Rapti Zone in Mid-Western Region, Nepal, then Awadh and Bhojpur- Purvanchal regions of Uttar Pradesh state, India before joining the Ghaghara. It is a major left bank tributa ...
.
Methods
The method used for this fish trap is
filtration
Filtration is a physical separation process that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture using a ''filter medium'' that has a complex structure through which only the fluid can pass. Solid particles that cannot pass through the filte ...
where fishes are considered as suspended solids, rectangular knitted sheets act as a filter, and large wooden nails as a rigid support for the entire system. This fishing method only applies to rivers free from floating derbies and other suspended objects.
References
{{Reflist
Fish traps