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Fishing

- ''For the computer security term, see Phishing.''
Fishing is the activity of catching fish. Fishing techniques include Fish net|netting, Fish trap|trapping, angling and Gathering seafood by hand|hand gathering. The term fishing may be applied to catching other aquatic animals such as different types of shellfish, squid, octopus, turtles, Edible frog|frogs, and some edible marine invertebrates. ''Fishing'' is not usually applied to catching aquatic mammals such as whales, where the term "whaling" is more appropriate, or to commercial fish farming. In addition to providing food through harvesting fish, modern fishing is both a recreational and professional Recreational fishing|sport. According to FAO statistics, the total number of fishermen and Fish farm|fish farmers is estimated to be 38 million. Fisheries provide direct and indirect employment to an estimated 200 million people. In 2005, the worldwide per capita consumption of fish captured from Wild fisheries of the world|wild fisheries was 14.4 kilograms, with an additional 7.4 kilograms harvested from fish farms.FAO: Fisheries and Aquaculture

History

Fishing is an ancient practice that dates back at least to the Paleolithic period which began about 40,000 years ago.African Bone Tools Dispute Key Idea About Human Evolution National Geographic News article. Archaeological|archeology features such as midden|shell middens,Coastal Shell Middens and Agricultural Origins in Atlantic Europe. discarded fish bones and cave paintings show that sea foods were important for survival and consumed in significant quantities. During this period, most people lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and were, of necessity, constantly on the move. However, where there are early examples of permanent settlements (though not necessarily permanently occupied) such as those at Lepenski Vir, they are almost always associated with fishing as a major source of food. The ancient river Nile was full of fish; fresh and dried fish were a staple food for much of the population.. The Egyptians had implements and methods for fishing and these are illustrated in tomb scenes, drawings, and papyrus documents. Some representations hint at fishing being pursued as a pastime. In India, the Pandyas, a classical Dravidian race|Dravidian Tamil people|Tamil kingdom, were known for the pearl fishery as early as the 1st century BC. Their seaport Tuticorin was known for deep sea pearl diving|pearl fishing. The paravas, a Tamil caste centred in Tuticorin, developed a rich community because of their pearl trade, navigation knowledge and fisheries. Fishing scenes are rarely represented in ancient Greek culture, a reflection of the low social status of fishing. However, Oppian|Oppian of Corycus, a Greek author wrote a major treatise on sea fishing, the ''Halieulica'' or ''Halieutika'', composed between 177 and 180. This is the earliest such work to have survived to the modern day. Pictorial evidence of Ancient Rome|Roman fishing comes from mosaics.Image of fishing illustrated in a Roman mosaic. The Greco-Roman sea god Neptune (god)|Neptune is depicted as wielding a fishing trident. The Moche people of ancient Peru depicted fisherman in their ceramics.Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum. ''The Spirit of Ancient Peru:Treasures from the Larco Museum|Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera.'' New York: Thames and Hudson, 1997. One of the world’s longest trading histories is the Cod trade|trade of dry cod from the Lofoten area of Norway to the southern parts of Europe, Italy, Spain and Portugal. The trade in cod started during the Viking period or before, has been going on for more than 1000 years and is still important.

Traditional fishing

Traditional fishing is a term used to describe small scale commercial fishing|commercial or subsistence fishing practices, using traditional techniques such as rod and Fishing tackle|tackle, arrows and harpoons, throw nets and drag nets, etc.

Recreational fishing

Recreational and sport fishing describe fishing for pleasure or competition. Recreational fishing has conventions, rules, licensing restrictions and laws that limit the way in which fish may be caught; typically, these prohibit the use of nets and the catching of fish with hooks not in the mouth. The most common form of recreational fishing is done with a fishing rod|rod, fishing reel|reel, fishing line|line, Fish hook|hooks and any one of a wide range of Bait (luring substance)|baits. The practice of catching or attempting to catch fish with a hook is known as angling. In angling, it is sometimes expected or required that fish be returned to the water (catch and release). Recreational or sport fishermen may log their catches or participate in fishing competitions. Big-game fishing describes fishing from boats to catch large open-water species such as tuna, sharks and marlin. Sport fishing (sometimes game fishing) describes recreational fishing where the primary reward is the challenge of finding and catching the fish rather than the culinary or financial value of the fish's flesh. Fish sought after include marlin, tuna, tarpon, sailfish, shark and mackerel.

Techniques

There are many techniques for fishing. Fishermen may use hooks and fishing line. Fishing nets, fish traps, and trap nets may be used to capture fish. Lobster and crab pots use a similar method. Hand fishing consists of fishing with the hands or through the use of minimal equipment. In spear fishing, the fish is killed using an ordinary spear or a specialized variant thereof. Closely related to spear fishing is bow fishing. Trained animals can assist in fishing; one notable example is Asian cormorant fishing. Kite fishing allows the fisherman to cast far into the water, even without a boat. Dredging is sometimes used to collect scallops or oysters from the seabed. Poisonous plants can be used to stun fish so that they become easy to collect by hand; cyanide is also sometimes used for fishing. Other fishing techniques include electrofishing and dynamite fishing. Some techniques are bottom trawling, Fishing net|seining, drift net|driftnetting, Hand-line fishing|handlining, Long-line fishing|longlining, gillnetting, dragger fishing|dragging, tile fishing|tiling, and diving activities|diving.

Tackle

The fishing industry

Fishing industries are industries concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products. They include Artisan fishing|subsistence fishing, commercial supports for recreational fishing, and the various harvesting, Fish processing|processing, and Fish marketing|marketing sectors.FAO Fisheries Section: Glossary: ''Fishing industry.'' Retrieved 28 May 2008.

Commercial fishing

Commercial fishing is the capture of fish for commercial purposes. Those who practice it must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions. Commercial fishermen harvest almost all aquatic species, from tuna, cod and salmon to shrimp, krill, lobster, clams, squid and crab, in various fishery|fisheries for these species. Commercial fishing methods have become very efficient using large nets and sea-going processing factories. IFQ|Individual fishing quotas) and international treaties seek to control the species and quantities caught. A commercial fishing enterprise may vary from one man with a small boat with hand-casting nets or a few pot traps, to a huge fleet of trawlers processing tons of fish every day. Commercial fishing gear includes Fishing net|nets (e.g. purse Seine (fishing)|seine), seine nets (e.g. beach seine), trawls (e.g. Bottom trawling|bottom trawl), dredges, Fish hook|hooks and lines (e.g. Long-line fishing|long line and Hand-line fishing|handline), lift nets, gillnets, entangling nets and Fishing trap|traps. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, total world Wild fisheries of the world|capture fisheries production in 2000 was 86 million tons (FAO 2002). The top producing countries were, in order, the People's Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan), Peru, Japan, the United States, Chile, Indonesia, Russia, India, Thailand, Norway and Iceland. Those countries accounted for more than half of the world's production; China alone accounted for a third of the world's production. Of that production, over 90% was marine and less than 10% was inland. A small number of species support the majority of the world’s fisheries. Some of these species are herring, cod, anchovy, tuna, flounder, Mullet (fish)|mullet, squid, shrimp, salmon, crab, lobster, oyster and scallops. All except these last four provided a worldwide catch of well over a million tonnes in 1999, with herring and sardines together providing a catch of over 22 million metric tons in 1999. Many other species as well are fished in smaller numbers.

Fish farms

Fish products

Today, fisheries are estimated to provide 16% of the world population's protein, and that figure is considerably elevated in some developing nations and in regions that depend heavily on the sea. The flesh of many fish are primarily valued as a source of food; there are many List of edible fish|edible species of fish. Other marine life taken as food includes shellfish, crustaceans, sea cucumber, and jellyfish. Roe are also harvested. Fish may also be collected live for research observation or for the aquarium trade. Fish and other marine life have uses apart from food. Pearls and Nacre|mother-of-pearl are valued for their lustre. Traditional methods of pearl hunting are now virtually extinct. Sharkskin and Rajiformes|rayskin which are covered with, in effect, tiny teeth (dermal denticles) were used for sandpaper. These skins are also used to make leather. Sharkskin leather is used in the manufacture of the hilts|hilt of Katana|traditional Japanese swords. Sea horse, star fish, sea urchin and sea cucumber are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Tyrian purple is a pigment made from marine snails ''Murex brandaris'' and ''Murex trunculus''. Sepia is a pigment made from the inky secretions of cuttlefish. Animal glue|Fish glue is made by boiling the skin, bones and Gas bladder|swim bladders of fish. Fish glue has been valued for its use in products from illuminated manuscripts to the Bow (weapon)|Mongolian war bow. Isinglass is a substance obtained from the swim bladders of fish (especially sturgeon), it is used for the clarification of wine and beer. Fish emulsion is a fertilizer emulsion that is produced from the fluid remains of fish processed for fish oil and fish meal.

Fish marketing

Sustainability

Environmental issues include the availability of fish to be caught, such as overfishing, sustainable fisheries, and fisheries management; and issues surrounding the impact of fishing on the environment, such as by-catch. Scientific studies have questioned the sustainability of current fishing practices. Fisheries management, which draws on fisheries science, aims to provide for sustainable exploitation of fisheries.

Cultural impact

Community impact

For communities, fisheries provide not only a source of food and work but also a community and culture|cultural identity.International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF)

Semantical impact

The expression "fishing expedition" (usually used to describe a line of questioning), describes a case in which the questioner implies that he knows more than he actually does in order to trick the target into divulging more information than he wishes to reveal. Other examples of fishing terms that carry a negative connotation are: "fishing for compliments", "to be fooled Hook, Line and Sinker|hook, line and sinker" (to be fooled beyond merely "taking the bait"), and the internet scam of Phishing in which a third party will duplicate a website where the user would put sensitive information (such as bank codes).

Religious Impact

Fishing has had a major impact on the religious institutions, with a distinct effect on all major religions|religions, including IslamAfrican fishermen find way of conservation in the Koran The Christian Science Monitor, ChristianityA Misunderstood Analogy for Evangelism Bible Analysis ArticleAmerican Bible Society Article American Bible Society, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Wicca, Hinduism, Latter Day Saints and the various new ageAbout Pices the Fish The Astrology Cafe Monitorreligions. Christianity's first Pope was a fisherman apostle Pope Peter|PeterPeter: From Fisherman to Fisher of Men Profiles of Faith and a number of the miracle|miracles reported in the Bible involve it. Additionally, the Pope's traditional costume include a fish-shaped hat which some say is a representation of the Philistine god Dagon.

References

External links

- Category:Fishing| Category:Fisheries simple:Fishing

Related Images

- Egyptians bringing in fish, and splitting for salting.
- Commercial fishermen in Alaska, early 20th century
- Fisheries scientists sorting a catch of small fish and langoustine.

Sources: StartLearningNow, Wikipedia | Usage license: GNU FDL

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