The act of catching fish from a water body is called fishing.Fishing is an age-old practice. It can be either commercial or non-commercial fishing.Commercial fishing is done as an occupation. It refers to catching fish and other sea creatures to sell them in the market. Recreational fishing is done as a pastime activity for non-commercial purposes. It refers to catching fish using a pole or hand-held line or a rod and line for sporting purposes.People who do recreational fishing are known as an angler. Recreational fishing typically costs money, and anglers spend around $11.50 per day. An angler fishes for sport and fun. Some anglers release the caught fish back into the waters.Anglers use different recreational fishing methods such as fly fishing and ice fishing. Traditional fishing is done using a fishing pole, hook, and line.Fishing is done in different water bodies; both freshwater and saltwater. There are various techniques involved in fishing, such as angling, trapping, hand gathering, netting, and spearing.Who invented fishing?The history of fishing is truly intriguing. Fish has been a vital food source since prehistoric times. Over time, the activity also gained commercial importance. With the invention of steamboats, deep-sea fishing took off and gained prominence. While recreational fishing was initially reserved for the wealthy class, it eventually gained everyone’s access as the fishing equipment became cheaper due to advancements in technology.Archaeological studies of fish fossils reveal that Homo Habilis carried out fishing about 500,000 years ago. It was followed by Homo Erectus later.With Homo Sapiens in the upper Paleolithic age, fishing developed as a significant activity in about 40,000 BCE.Around 3500 BCE, the Egyptians invented several fishing implements such as the net, line, spear, and fishing rod and developed methods to fish in the Nile river. They also used harpoons, weir baskets made of willow branches, woven nets, and fishing hook and line to fish. The drawings, tomb scenes, and papyrus records illustrate these activities.The earliest civilizations invented the curved fish hook made out of shell, wood, or bones. The oldest fish hooks date back 23,000 years and were made from the shell of sea snails. Traditionally, they also used a simple wooden fishing pole with a line tied to its end.Not just Egyptians, but other civilizations that developed on the river banks were involved in fishing. Greek and Roman books and paintings depict fishing scenes.According to traditional Chinese history, the legendary mythological hero Fuxi is believed to have invented trapping, fishing, writing, and hunting.Fly fishing, a fishing method that uses an artificial fly as a lightweight lure to catch fish, was invented around 200 CE.Fishing reels were first invented during the 1600s. The reel protected the fishing line from tangling. The largest fly-fishing reel in the world was constructed by Tiney Mitchell in 1999. The fishing reel stood at a whopping 7.1 ft. (2.1 m) and was 10 in (25.4 cm) wide and 4 ft. (1.2 m) in diameter.Facts About The Fishing IndustryThe fishing industry involves activities related to catching, sorting, processing, storage, preservation, transportation, marketing, and finally, the sale of fish or related products. It includes different kinds of fishing, such as commercial fishing, recreational fishing, and subsistence fishing. Here are some facts about fishing as an industry.The fishing industry is associated with several environmental and welfare issues, such as occupational safety and overfishing. One of the most popular fishing styles is fly-fishing. In the fly-fishing method, the anglers use a fly reel, fly rod, fly line, and artificial bait to trap fish.Asia has served as the base for the fishing industry for over four decades. The largest fish industry in the world belongs to China. The second-largest producer of fish in the world is India.Over $124 billion is spent by the world’s fishing every year to produce fish worth $70 billion.Ocean Fishing FactsFisheries harvest fish and other aquatic populations for commercial use. Fisheries are either farmed or wild. The ocean bears the major share of the world’s fisheries. With three-quarters of the earth covered with water bodies, the oceans are a significant source of the fish population.The oceans house various species of fish, including shellfish, salmon, snapper, and tuna.The Pacific Ocean, the largest ocean, contributes about 70% of the world’s fish catch. The temperate islands and the continents’ shoreline waters give a rich yield of herring, salmon, sardines, and snapper.Ocean fishing is a major contributor to ocean pollution. The nets that are abandoned in the oceans amount to around 10% of the ocean’s plastic waste. The fishing gear takes several centuries to decompose.Several sea creatures and sea birds get trapped in these nets and starve and suffocate to death.Many marine creatures ingest tiny pieces of fishing gear, which cause them severe harm.Not just the marine life, the industry also finds casualty among the people occupied with fishing. Over 24,000 people occupied with fish farming and processing lose their life at work every year.The American eel is a freshwater fish that lives in rivers during adulthood. They make the longest spawning migration into marine waters to spawn. The female species of North America live in large rivers such as the Mississippi and swim to the river mouth to spawn.While most species of fish swim with their bodies horizontally positioned, the sea horse, shrimp fish, and catfish swim vertically.North Americans call carp trash fish because they feed on dead plants and rotting carcasses. The most popular fish species among North Americans include trout and the largemouth bass.The fish’s speed is calculated by measuring the length of the line at any given time. A cosmopolitan sailfish is considered the world’s fastest fish. One sailfish took out 300 ft. (91.4 m) of line in three seconds; the velocity equaling 68 mph (109.4 kph).A great white shark that was caught off the Australian coast weighed 2664 lbs. (1208.3 kg), and is credited as being the heaviest fish caught and recorded.Sustainable Fishing FactsSustainable fishing refers to leaving the fish population in the water bodies and safeguarding threatened species. Catching fish from the ocean faster than the reproduction of fish is called overfishing. Rampant fishing leaves very few fish left in the ocean that cannot replenish the fish population through reproduction, leading to an imbalance in the aquatic and marine ecosystem.When the number of fish reduces in the oceans, it impacts the livelihood and nutritional needs of several people across the world. The fishing industry may collapse, and sustainable fishing practices are needed today to help the challenging situation and rebound the fish stock globally.Pole catching or hook and lining, trolling, harpooning, purse seining, and long-lining are sustainable fishing methods.During recreational fishing, we can practice the catch and release of fish to ensure that the fish population doesn’t get impacted. Lead-free sinkers help in less damage to aquatic life.We can use devices to exclude non-target aquatic species such as dolphins, sharks, and sea turtles.Fishing regulations need to be enforced across the globe to curb overfishing and ensure a rich fish population.Commercial Fishing FactsThe act of fishing for commercial profit is said to be commercial fishing. Mostly, commercial fishing is done in oceans and seas and other wild fisheries. Through commercial fishing, people’s nutritional needs are met. Commercial fishermen often venture into the ocean and seas under adverse conditions.Commercial fishing is attributed to overfishing, which leads to the destruction of the marine ecosystem. Practices such as trawling lead to a vast amount of bycatch, catching non-target marine species such as tortoise or octopus. These species are caught along with targeted fish and then thrown back into the ocean, either dead or dying.About 500 million people are dependent on aquaculture and fisheries in developing countries.Global consumption of fish has doubled since the mid-’70s.The largest commercial fishing fleet belongs to Australia.
The act of catching fish from a water body is called fishing.
