I went Vasco da Gama Square just to witness the gallant Chinese fishing nets. Operated by local fishermen, it takes about 5 - 6 men to pull in the net using a pulley system made of rope, rocks, teak, and bamboo. It is called cheenavala in Malayalam, works on the principle of weight balancing. Fort Kochi is the only place in India that uses such nets. Locals say, "There are just no more fish!” on shore and due to lack of fish, the Chinese fishing nets are very expensive to upkeep. Once there used to be 30 nets in Cochin, which has been reduced to 20 now. 11 of those are at Fort Cochin.
