Fishing
Isotopic analysis of the remains of Tianyuan man, a 40,000-year-old modern human from eastern Asia, has shown that he regularly consumed freshwater fish. Archaeology features such as shell middens and discarded fish bones show that seafood was important for survival and consumed in significant quantities. Neanderthals were fishing by about 200,000 BC. People could have developed basketry for fish traps using spinning and early forms of knitting to make fishing nets able to catch more fish. Fishing is an ancient practice that dates back to at least the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic period.
The British dogger was a very early type of sailing trawler from the 17th century but the modern fishing trawler was developed in the 19th century at the English fishing port of Brixham. The Brixham trawler that evolved there was of a sleek build and had a tall gaff rig which gave the vessel sufficient speed to make long-distance trips out to the fishing grounds in the ocean. They were also sufficiently robust to be able to tow large trawls in deep water. This revolutionary design made large-scale trawling in the ocean possible for the first time resulting in a massive migration of fishers from the ports in the south of England to villages further north such as Scarborough Hull Grimsby Harwich and Yarmouth. By the end of the 19th century there were over 3,000 fishing trawlers in commission in Britain with almost 1,000 at Grimsby.
The earliest English essay on recreational fishing was published in 1496 by Dame Juliana Berners the prioress of the Benedictine Sopwell Nunnery. Her essay titled Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth an Angle included detailed information on fishing waters the construction of rods and lines and the use of natural baits and artificial flies. The Compleat Angler was written by Izaak Walton in 1653 although Walton continued to add to it for a quarter of a century and described the fishing in the Derbyshire Wye. Charles Kirby designed an improved fishing hook in 1655 that remains relatively unchanged to this day. He went on to invent the Kirby bend a distinctive hook with an offset point still commonly used today. The industry also became commercialized after the Great Fire of London in 1666 when artisans moved to Redditch which became a centre of production of fishing-related products from the 1730s.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations the total world capture fisheries production in 2000 was 86 million tons. 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 including herring cod sardine anchovy tuna flounder 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.
Fish farming is the principal form of aquaculture while other methods may fall under mariculture. It involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures usually for food. Fish species raised by fish farms include salmon carp tilapia catfish white seabass and trout. Increased demands on wild fisheries by commercial fishing has caused widespread overfishing. Fish farming offers an alternative solution to the increasing market demand for fish. The total number of commercial fishers and fish farmers is estimated to be 39.0 million. Fishing industries and aquaculture provide direct and indirect employment to over 500 million people in developing countries.
Stocks fished within biologically sustainable levels decreased from 90% in 1974 to 62.3% in 2021. Issues involved in the long term sustainability of fishing include overfishing by-catch marine pollution environmental effects of fishing ghost fishing climate change fisheries-induced evolution and fish farming. There is a growing gap between how many fish are available to be caught and humanity's desire to catch them a problem that gets worse as the world population grows. Similar to other environmental issues there can be conflict between the fishermen who depend on fishing for their livelihoods and fishery scientists who realize that if future fish populations are to be sustainable then some fisheries must limit fishing or cease operations.
Historically some doubted that fish could experience pain. Laboratory experiments have shown that fish do react to painful stimuli such as injections of bee venom in a similar way to mammals. This is controversial and has been disputed. The expansion of fish farming as well as animal welfare concerns in society has led to research into more humane and faster ways of killing fish. In large-scale operations like fish farms stunning fish with electricity or putting them into water saturated with nitrogen so that they cannot breathe results in death more rapidly than just taking them out of the water. For sport fishing it is recommended that fish be killed soon after catching them by hitting them on the head followed by bleeding out or by stabbing the brain with a sharp object called pithing or ike jime in Japanese.
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Common questions
When did Neanderthals start fishing?
Neanderthals were fishing by about 200,000 BC. This activity dates back to at least the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic period.
Where was the modern fishing trawler developed?
The modern fishing trawler was developed in the 19th century at the English fishing port of Brixham. The Brixham trawler evolved there with a sleek build and tall gaff rig for long-distance ocean trips.
Who wrote the earliest English essay on recreational fishing?
Dame Juliana Berners published the earliest English essay on recreational fishing in 1496. Her work titled Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth an Angle included detailed information on rods lines and baits.
Which country produced the most fish globally in 2000?
China alone accounted for a third of the world's production in 2000 when total capture fisheries reached 86 million tons. China excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan led the list of top producing countries followed by Peru Japan and the United States.
What percentage of global fish stocks were fished within sustainable levels in 2021?
Stocks fished within biologically sustainable levels decreased to 62.3% in 2021 from 90% in 1974. This decline highlights issues such as overfishing marine pollution and climate change affecting long term sustainability.