   #copyright

Fishing

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Food and agriculture

   Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish. By extension, the term
   fishing is also applied to hunting for other aquatic animals such as
   various types of shellfish as well as squid, octopus, turtles, frogs
   and some edible marine invertebrates. The term fishing is not usually
   applied to the hunting of aquatic mammals such as whales. Fishing is an
   ancient and worldwide practice with various techniques and traditions
   and it has been transformed by modern technological developments. It
   has even became a sport of some account.
   Fishermen in the harbor of Kochi, India.
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   Fishermen in the harbour of Kochi, India.
   New England fishermen with a pile of white hake c. 1936
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   New England fishermen with a pile of white hake c. 1936

Fishing in antiquity

   Stone Age fishing hook made from bone.
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   Stone Age fishing hook made from bone.

Origins

   "Fishing" is a very ancient practice that dates back at least to the
   Mesolithic period which began about 10,000 years ago. Archaeological
   features such as shell middens, 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-gather 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 Neolithic culture and technology spread worldwide between 4,000 and
   8,000 years ago. With the new technologies of farming and pottery came
   basic forms of all the main fishing methods that are still used today.

   Fishing may even pre-date the development of modern humans. The aquatic
   ape hypothesis, a controversial proposal, suggests that the ancestors
   of modern humans went through one or more periods of time living in a
   semi-aquatic setting and gathered most of their food from shallow
   coastal or other waters before their descendants returned to a more
   land-based existence.

Ancient representations

   Egyptians bringing in fish, and splitting for salting.
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   Egyptians bringing in fish, and splitting for salting.

   The ancient river Nile was full of fish; fresh and dried fish were a
   staple food for much of the population. The Egyptians invented various
   implements and methods for fishing and these are clearly illustrated in
   tomb scenes, drawings, and papyrus documents. Simple reed boats served
   for fishing. Woven nets, weir baskets made from willow branches,
   harpoons and hook and line (the hooks having a length of between eight
   millimetres and eighteen centimetres) were all being used. By the 12th
   dynasty, metal hooks with barbs were being used. As is fairly common
   today, the fish were clubbed to death after capture. Nile perch,
   catfish and eels were among the most important fish. Some
   representations hint at fishing being pursued as a pastime.
   Poseidon/Neptune sculpture in Copenhagen Port.
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   Poseidon/Neptune sculpture in Copenhagen Port.

   Fishing scenes are rarely represented in ancient Greek culture, a
   reflection of the low social status of fishing. There is a wine cup,
   dating from 510–500 BC, that shows a boy crouched on a rock with a
   fishing-rod in his right hand and a basket in his left. In the water
   below, a rounded object of the same material with an opening on the
   top. This has been identified as a fish-cage used for keeping live
   fish, or as a fish-trap. It is clearly not a net. This object is
   currently in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

   Pictorial evidence of Roman fishing comes from mosaics which show
   fishing from boats with rod and line as well as nets. Various species
   such as conger, lobster, sea urchin, octopus and cuttlefish are
   illustrated. In a parody of fishing, a type of gladiator called
   retiarius was armed with a trident and a casting-net. He would fight
   against the murmillo, who carried a short sword and a helmet with the
   image of a fish on the front.

   The Greco-Roman sea god Neptune is depicted as wielding a fishing
   trident.

Ancient literature

   There are numerous references to fishing in ancient literature; in most
   cases, however, the descriptions of nets and fishing-gear do not go
   into detail, and the equipment is described in general terms. An early
   example from the Bible in Job 41:7: Canst thou fill his skin with
   barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?.

   The Greek historian Polybius (ca 203 BC-120 BC), in his Histories,
   describes hunting for swordfish by using a harpoon with a barbed and
   detachable head.

   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 intact to the modern
   day. Oppian describes various means of fishing including the use of
   nets cast from boats, scoop nets held open by a hoop, spears and
   tridents, and various traps "which work while their masters sleep".
   Oppian’s description of fishing with a "motionless" net is also very
   interesting:

          The fishers set up very light nets of buoyant flax and wheel in
          a circle round about while they violently strike the surface of
          the sea with their oars and make a din with sweeping blow of
          poles. At the flashing of the swift oars and the noise the fish
          bound in terror and rush into the bosom of the net which stands
          at rest, thinking it to be a shelter: foolish fishes which,
          frightened by a noise, enter the gates of doom. Then the fishers
          on either side hasten with the ropes to draw the net ashore.

   From ancient representations and literature it is clear that fishing
   boats were typically small, lacking a mast or sail, and were only used
   close to the shore.

   In traditional Chinese history, history begins with three semi-mystical
   and legendary individuals who taught the Chinese the arts of
   civilization around 2800–2600 BC: of these Fu Hsi was reputed to be the
   inventor of writing, hunting, trapping, and fishing.

Fishing techniques

Hand fishing

   It is possible to fish with minimal equipment by using only the hands.
   In the USA catching catfish in this way is known as noodling. In the
   British Isles, the practice of catching trout by hand is known as trout
   tickling; it is an art mentioned several times in the plays of
   Shakespeare.

   Trout binning is a method of fishing, possibly fictional, performed
   with a sledgehammer.

   Divers can catch lobsters by hand.

   Pearl diving is the practice of hunting for oysters by free-diving to
   depths of up to 30 m.

   Hand-line fishing is a technique requiring a fishing line with a weight
   and one or more lure-like hooks.

   Catching fish by hand is currently illegal in the United States in the
   state of Kansas.

Spear and bow fishing

   Head of an arrow used for fishing, from Guyana.
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   Head of an arrow used for fishing, from Guyana.

   Spear fishing is an ancient method of fishing and may be conducted with
   an ordinary spear or a specialised variant such as an eel spear or the
   trident. A small trident type spear with a long handle is used in the
   American South and Midwest for "gigging" bullfrogs with a bright light
   at night, or for gigging carp and other fish in the shallows.

   Traditional spear fishing is restricted to shallow waters, but the
   development of the speargun has made the method much more efficient.
   With practice, divers are able to hold their breath for up to four
   minutes and sometimes longer; of course, a diver with underwater
   breathing equipment can dive for much longer periods.

   Bow fishers use a bow and arrow to kill fish in shallow water from
   above.

Fishing nets

   Fishing with a cast net.
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   Fishing with a cast net.
   Coracles on the River Teifi, Wales 1972.
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   Coracles on the River Teifi, Wales 1972.
   A Moroccan fisherman mending his nets.
   Enlarge
   A Moroccan fisherman mending his nets.

   All fishing nets are meshes usually formed by knotting a relatively
   thin thread. Modern nets are usually made of artificial polyamides like
   nylon, although nets of organic polyamides such as wool or silk thread
   were common until recently and are still used in certain areas.

   A small hand net held open by a hoop and possibly on the end of a long
   stiff handle has been known since antiquity and may be used for
   sweeping up fish near the water surface. Such a net used by an angler
   to aid in landing a captured fish is known as a landing net. In
   England, hand netting is the only legal way of catching eels and has
   been practised for thousands of years on the River Parrett and River
   Severn.

   A casting net is circular with a weighted periphery. Sizes vary up to
   about 4 m diameter. The net is thrown by hand in such a manner that it
   spreads out on the water and sinks. Fish are caught as the net is
   hauled back in.

   Coracle-fishing is performed by two men, each seated in his coracle and
   with one hand holding the net while, with the other, he plies his
   paddle. When a fish is caught, each hauls up his end of the net until
   the two coracles are brought to touch and the fish is then secured.

   The Chinese fishing nets (Cheena vala) found at Kochi in India are an
   example of shore operated lift nets. Huge mechanical contrivances hold
   out horizontal nets of 20 m or more across. The nets are dipped into
   the water and raised again, but otherwise cannot be moved.

   A seine is a large fishing net that may be arranged in a number of
   different ways. In purse seine fishing the net hangs vertically in the
   water by attaching weights along the bottom edge and floats along the
   top. A simple and commonly used fishing technique is beach seining,
   where the seine net is operated from the shore. Danish seine is a
   method which has some similarities with trawling.

   Trawling is a method of fishing that involves actively pulling a
   fishing net through the water behind one or more boats.

   A gillnet catches fish which try to pass through it by snagging on the
   gill covers. Thus trapped, the fish can neither advance through the net
   nor retreat.

   Ghost nets are nets that have been lost at sea. They may continue to be
   a menace to wildlife for many years.

Dredging

   There are types of dredges used for collecting scallops or oysters from
   the seabed. They tend to have the form of a scoop made of chain mesh
   and they are towed by a fishing boat. Scallop dredging is very
   destructive to the seabed, and nowadays is often replaced by
   mariculture or by scuba diving to collect the scallops.

Fishing lines

   Fish are caught with a fishing line by encouraging a fish to bite upon
   a fish hook or a gorge. A fishing hook will pierce the mouthparts of a
   fish and may be barbed to make escape less likely. A gorge is buried in
   the bait such that it would be swallowed end first. The tightening of
   the line would fix it cross-wise in the quarry's stomach or gullet and
   so the capture would be assured.

   Fishing with a hook and line is called angling. In addition to the use
   of the hook and line used to catch a fish, a heavy fish may be landed
   by using a landing net or a hooked pole called a gaff.

   Trolling is a technique in which a fishing lure on a line is drawn
   through the water. Trolling from a moving boat is a technique of
   big-game fishing and is used when fishing from boats to catch large
   open-water species such as tuna and marlin. Trolling is also a
   freshwater angling technique most often used to catch trout. Trolling
   is also an effective way to catch northern pike in the great lakes.
   This technique allows anglers to cover a large body of water in a short
   time.

   Long-line fishing is a commercial fishing technique that uses hundreds
   or even thousands of baited hooks hanging from a single line.

   Snagging is a technique where the object is to hook the fish in the
   body. Generally, a large treble hook with a heavy sinker is cast into a
   river containing a large amount of fish, such as a Salmon, and is
   quickly jerked and reeled in. Due to the often illegal nature of this
   method some practitioners have added methods to disguise the practice,
   such as adding bait or reducing the jerking motion.

Kite fishing

   Kite fishing is presumed to have been first invented in China. It was,
   and is, also used by the people of New Guinea and other Pacific Islands
   - either by cultural diffusion from China or independent invention.

   Kites can provide the boatless fishermen access to waters that would
   otherwise be available only to boats. Similarly, for boat owners, kites
   provide a way to fish in areas where it is not safe to navigate such as
   shallows or coral reefs where fish may be plentiful. Kites can also be
   used for trolling a lure through the water.

   Suitable kites may be of very simple construction. Those of Tobi Island
   are a large leaf stiffened by the ribs of the fronds of the coconut
   palm. The fishing line may be made from coconut fibre and the lure made
   from spiders webs.

   Modern kitefishing is popular in New Zealand, where large delta kites
   of synthetic materials are used to fish from beaches , taking a line
   and hooks far out past the breakers. Kite fishing is also emerging in
   Melbourne where sled kites are becoming popular, both off beaches and
   off boats and in freshwater areas. link title The disabled community
   are increasingly using the kites for fishing as they allow mobility
   impaired people to cast the bait further out than they would otherwise
   be able to.

Ice fishing

   Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and hooks
   through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. It is
   practised by hunter-gatherers such as the Inuit and by anglers in other
   cold or continental climates.

Fish traps

   Traps are culturally almost universal and seem to have been
   independently invented many times. There are essentially two types of
   trap, a permanent or semi-permanent structure placed in a river or
   tidal area and pot-traps that are baited to attract prey and
   periodically lifted.

   Indigenous Australians were, prior to European colonisation, most
   populous in Australia's better-watered areas such as the Murray-Darling
   river system of the south-east. Here, where water levels fluctuate
   seasonally, indigenous people constructed ingenious stone fish traps.
   Unfortunately, most have been completely or partially destroyed. The
   largest and best known were the Brewarrina fish traps on the Barwon
   River at Brewarrina in New South Wales, which fortunately are at least
   partly preserved. The Brewarinna fish traps caught huge numbers of
   migratory native fish as the Barwon River rose in flood and then fell.
   In southern Victoria, indigenous people created an elaborate systems of
   canals, some more than 2 km long. The purpose of these canals was the
   encouragement and catching of eels, a fish of short coastal rivers (as
   opposed to rivers of the Murray-Darling system). The eels were caught
   by a variety of traps including stone walls constructed across canals
   with a net placed across an opening in the wall. Traps at different
   levels in the marsh came into operation as the water level rose and
   fell. Somewhat similar stone wall traps were constructed by native
   American Pit River people in north-eastern California.
   Fishing method of Wagenya people in Congo.
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   Fishing method of Wagenya people in Congo.
   Catching lobster.
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   Catching lobster.

   A technique called dam fishing is used by the Baka pygmies. This
   involves the construction of a temporary dam resulting in a drop in the
   water levels downstream — allowing fish to be easily collected.

   In medieval Europe, large fishing weir structures were constructed from
   wood posts and wattle fences. 'V' shaped structures in rivers could be
   as long as 60 m and worked by directing fish towards fish traps or
   nets. Such fish traps were evidently controversial in medieval England.
   The Magna Carta includes a clause requiring that they be removed:

          All fish-weirs shall be removed from the Thames, the Medway, and
          throughout the whole of England, except on the sea coast.

   Basket weir fish traps were widely used in ancient times. They are
   shown in medieval illustrations and surviving examples have been found.
   Basket weirs are about 2 m long and comprise two wicker cones, one
   inside the other — easy to get into and hard to get out.

   The Wagenya people, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, build a huge
   system of wooden tripods across the river. These tripods are anchored
   on the holes naturally carved in the rock by the water current. To
   these tripods are anchored large baskets, which are lowered in the
   rapids to "sieve" the waters for fish. It is a very selective fishing,
   as these baskets are quite big and only large size fish are trapped.
   Twice a day the adults Wagenya people pull out these baskets to check
   whether there are any fish caught; in which case somebody will dive
   into the river to fetch it.

Lobster and crab pots

   Pot traps are typically used to catch crustaceans such as crabs,
   lobsters and crayfish. Pot traps such as the lobster trap may be
   constructed in various shapes, each is a mesh box designed with a
   convoluted entrance that makes entry much easier than exit. The pots
   are baited and lowered into the water and checked daily. Similar traps
   are used in many areas to capture bait fish.

Trained animals

   Chinese man with fishing cormorant.
   Enlarge
   Chinese man with fishing cormorant.

   In China and Japan, the practice of cormorant fishing is thought to
   date back some 1300 years. Fishermen use the natural fish-hunting
   instincts of the cormorants to catch fish, but a metal ring placed
   round the bird's neck prevents large, valuable fish being swallowed.
   The fish are instead collected by the fisherman.

   The people of Nauru used trained frigatebirds to fish on reefs.

   The practice of tethering a remora, a sucking fish, to a fishing line
   and using the remora to capture sea turtles probably originated in the
   Indian Ocean. The earliest surviving records of the practice are Peter
   Martyr d'Anghera's 1511 accounts of the second voyage of Columbus to
   the New World (1494). However, these accounts are probably apocryphal,
   and based on earlier, no longer extant accounts from the Indian Ocean
   region.

   Dating from the 1500s in Portugal, Portuguese Water Dogs were used by
   fishermen to send messages between boats, to retrieve fish and articles
   from the water, and to guard the fishing boats. Labrador Retrievers
   have been used by fishermen to assist in bringing nets to shore; the
   dog would grab the floating corks on the ends of the nets and pull them
   to shore.

Toxins

   Many hunter gatherer cultures use poisonous plants to stun fish so that
   they become easy to collect by hand. Some of these poisons paralyse the
   fish, others are thought to work by removing oxygen from the water.

   Cyanides are used to capture live fish near coral reefs for the
   aquarium and seafood market. This illegal fishing occurs mainly in or
   near the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Caribbean to supply the 2
   million marine aquarium owners in the world. Many fish caught in this
   fashion die either immediately or in shipping. Those that survive often
   die from shock or from massive digestive damage. The high
   concentrations of cyanide on reefs harvested in this fashion damages
   the coral polyps and has also resulted in cases of cyanide poisoning
   among local fishermen and their families.

Explosives

   Dynamite or blast fishing, is done easily and cheaply with dynamite or
   homemade bombs made from locally available materials. Fish are killed
   by the shock from the blast and are then skimmed from the surface or
   collected from the bottom. The explosions indiscriminately kill large
   numbers of fish and other marine organisms in the vicinity and can
   damage or destroy the physical environment. Explosions are particularly
   harmful to coral reefs. Blast fishing is also illegal in many waterways
   around the world.

Electrofishing

   A relatively new fishing technique is electrofishing, typically used
   for stream classification surveys and catching brood stock for
   hatcheries, or making estimates of populations in a body of water. A
   gated pulse of direct current is used to cause muscular contractions in
   a fish, called galvanotaxis, causing them to turn towards the source of
   the electrical current and swim towards it when correct pulse speeds
   and durations are used, along with correct current.

   A low voltage or short pulse with long gaps will cause the fish to swim
   away from the device, and high voltage or long pulses with short rests
   can cause galvanonarcosis, or unconsciousness. Techniques for setting
   pulse length and patterns, current and voltage require great skill to
   fish effectively without killing or injuring fish if they are to be
   left unharmed. Dissolved minerals in the water can decrease resistance
   causing less of the current to pass through the fish, whereas fish
   recently entering fresh water from the ocean have high salinity and are
   more prone to electric shock. Also the smaller the fish, and
   consequently the less surface area in contact with the water, the
   higher the current required to produce galvanotaxis. Smaller fish also
   require shorter pulses, closer together, while large fish should have
   longer pulses at lower power and longer gaps between pulses.

   Rigs can be battery powered back-packs or powered by a generator if
   they are mounted in a boat. They are typically equipped with a
   "dead-man switch" and a tilt switch to disable the device if the unit
   is tipped or the operator incapacitated. Protective equipment must be
   worn to isolate the operator and prevent electrocution.

   Electro-fishing is also used to illegally catch Razorfish or Spoots,
   using a boat based generator. Current is passed into the sediment
   causing the Razorfish to 'jump' and be harvested by divers. For obvious
   reasons this method of electro-fishing is banned due to the risk to the
   divers.

Modern fishing

Recreational fishing

   Angling.
   Enlarge
   Angling.

   Recreational fishing and the closely related (nearly synonymous) 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, The International Game
   Fishing Association ( IGFA) makes and oversees these obligations.
   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 rod, line
   and hooks attached to any of a wide range of lures or baits. Most types
   of fishing tackle are made in a professional manufacturing facility and
   other for hobbyist enjoy making their own baits, examples would include
   the use of Fishing worm molds, etc. This practice is known as angling.

   One method of growing popularity is kayak fishing. Kayak fisherman fish
   from sea kayaks in an attempt to level the playing field with fish and
   to further challenge their abilities. Kayaks are extremely stealthy and
   can allow anglers to reach areas unfishable from land or by
   conventional boat.

   In angling, it is sometimes expected or required that fish all be
   returned to the water ( catch and release). The practice, however, is
   viewed by some with disapproval as they consider it unethical to
   inflict pain on a fish for fun or sport and not for reasons of
   capturing food. Anglers deny this charge, pointing out that fish
   commonly feed on hard and spiky prey items, and as such can be expected
   to have tough mouths, and also that some fish will re-take a lure they
   have just been hooked on, a behaviour that is unlikely if being hooked
   were painful. There is also some research that shows certain types of
   fish such as catfish, do not have nerves around their mouth. They most
   likely do not have nerves in their mouths due to the fact that they eat
   animals such as crawfish that can pinch.

   In a real sense, the suitability of catch and release is an ethical
   consideration and, as such, a science-based conclusion on the issue is
   unavailable. Scientific studies show a wide range of survival,
   depending on species, environmental conditions, fish density and
   research design (methodology). The difficulty of doing such experiments
   is closely linked to the fact that negative effects of being exposed to
   fishing gears develop over a long time. Keeping fish trapped over a
   long period of time creates a lot of noise which makes it hard to
   single out the effect of the catch from the effect of the chosen
   methodology. Nevertheless, several studies have now returned very high
   survival rates (95%+) for species caught on fly and lures, which
   generally tend to hook fish in the mouth and thus aid catch and release
   fishing.

   Proponents of catch and release also contend that the practice is
   increasingly necessary in order to conserve fish stocks in the face of
   burgeoning human populations, mounting fishing pressure and worsening
   habitat degradation. Opponents would prefer to ban or to severely
   restricting angling, a suggestion most anglers find unpalatable.

   Recreational fishermen can have profound deleterious effects on fish
   stocks in commercial lakes, this is due to anglers with poor knowledge
   of how to protect the fish from damage or stress once out of the water.
   The fish which suffer most are those of large, slow growing species
   such as carp. The only way for growing numbers of recreational
   fishermen to continue fishing is to reduce their impact on fish
   populations or to increase the fish populations (e.g. by restocking).
   Catch and release, in combination with techniques such as strong tackle
   (to get fish in quickly, for release in good condition), careful
   handling of fish and barbless hooks (to reduce physical damage) and
   quick release lead systems such as the Korda quick release system or
   the E.S.P. variety may be useful tools in this endeavour.

   Barbless hooks reduce damage to minimal levels, reduce de-hooking time
   and greatly aid in catch and release. Many keen catch and release
   anglers use barbless hooks. Barbless hooks can be purchased, or created
   by crushing the barbs on a normal hook flat with a pair of needle-nosed
   pliers. It is popularly believed barbless hooks lead to more lost fish,
   but ensuring lures are equipped with split rings and keeping the line
   tight while fighting fish will reduce fish losses to levels similar to
   those of barbed hooks. Also using circle hooks will cause the least
   amount of damage to a fish. The design of the hook is very simple, it
   is like a circle. When a fish bites the bait the hook's design causes
   it to hook in the side of the fish's mouth every time. This makes it
   very easy to remove the hook with minimal damage. Setting your hook
   when a fish bites is also different. Instead of snatching your line you
   slowly set your hook. This alone is a lot less stressful on the fish. A
   circle hook is the best choice for catch and release programs.

   A recent phenomenon of recreational fishing are fishing competitions
   (tournaments) where fishermen compete for prizes based on the total
   weight of a given species of fish caught within a predetermined time.
   This sport evolved from local fishing contests into large competitive
   circuits, especially in North America. Competitors are most often
   professional fishermen who are supported by commercial endorsements.
   Other competitions is purely on length with mandatory catch and
   release, either longest fish or total length is documented with camera
   and a mandatory sticker, is more fair since it’s hard to weigh a living
   fish accurately in a boat.

   Big-game fishing describes fishing from boats to catch large open-water
   species such as tuna, sharks and marlin.

   Noodling and Trout tickling may be pursued as a recreation.

   Laws made to control recreational fishing frequently also attempt to
   control the harvest of other aquatic species, such as frogs and
   turtles.

Commercial fishing

   A trawler leaving the port of Ullapool, north-west Scotland.
   Enlarge
   A trawler leaving the port of Ullapool, north-west Scotland.

   Commercial fishing provides a large quantity of food to many countries
   around the world, but those who practice it as an industry 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 fisheries
   for these species. Commercial fishing methods have become very
   efficient using large nets and sea-going processing factories. Many new
   restrictions are often integrated with varieties of fishing allocation
   schemes (such as individual fishing quotas), and international treaties
   that have sought to limit the fishing effort and, sometimes, capture
   efficiency.

   Fishing methods vary according to the region, the species being fished
   for, and the technology available to the fishermen. 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 gears today are surrounding nets (e.g. purse seine),
   seine nets (e.g. beach seine), trawls (e.g. bottom trawl), dredges,
   hooks and lines (e.g. long line and handline), lift nets, gillnets,
   entangling nets and traps.

   In addition to the above, commercial fishing can also be thought of as
   encompassing "pay to fish" enterprises, which provide anglers with
   controlled access to stocked lakes, ponds or canals. These provide
   fishing opportunities outside of the permitted seasons and quotas
   applied to public waters. In the United Kingdom, commercial fisheries
   of this sort charge access fees, with prices ranging from £2 to £25 per
   day. In North America, establishments usually charge for the fish
   caught, by length or by weight, rather than for access to the site
   although some establishments charge both types of fees. Prices for fish
   caught in North American "pay to fish" waters are generally in the
   range of $0.10 to $0.20 per cm or from $5.00 to $10.00 per kg.

Preservation

   Fish packed in ice.

   Canned fish.

   A fish-drying rack. Hovden in Norway.

   Salting of fish in factory.

   Ancient methods of preserving fish included drying, salting, pickling
   and smoking. All of these techniques are still used today but the more
   modern techniques of freezing and canning have taken on a large
   importance.

   See:
     * Haddock: Arbroath Smokie (lightly smoked).
     * Herring: kipper (salted and smoked), surströmming (fermented),
       rollmops (pickled), soused (salted).
     * Salmon: smoked salmon, cured salmon, and gravlax (fermented).
     * Cod: stockfish (air dried), lutefisk (soaked in lye).

   In the past, fishing vessels were restricted in range by the simple
   consideration that the catch must be returned to port before it spoils
   and becomes worthless. The development of refrigeration and freezing
   technologies transformed the commercial fishing industry: fishing
   vessels could be larger, spending more time away from port and
   therefore accessing fish stocks at a much greater distance.
   Refrigeration and freezing also allow the catch to be distributed to
   markets further inland, reaching customers who previously would have
   had access only to dried or salted sea fish.

   Canning, developed during the 19th century has also had a significant
   impact on fishing by allowing seasonal catches of fish that are
   possibly far from large centres of population to be exploited. For
   example: sardines.

Fish products

Food

   Fried fish & French fries (fish & chips).

   Crayfish and prawns.

   Korean style raw fish.

   Cooked mussels.

   The flesh of many fish are primarily valued as a source of food; there
   are many edible species of fish as well as other sea food.

   Shellfish include shelled molluscs and crustaceans used as food.
   Shelled molluscs include the clam, mussel, oyster, winkle and scallop;
   some crustaceans are the shrimp, lobster, crayfish, and crab.

   Eggs, called roe, of various species may be eaten; roe comes from fish
   and certain marine invertebrates, such as sea urchins and shrimp. In
   some cultures, roe is considered a delicacy, for example caviar from
   the sturgeon.

   Squid and octopus are valued as food.

   Sea cucumber is considered a delicacy in Chinese cooking and is often
   served at New Year’s feasts, usually in soups.

   In some cultures, for example China, Japan, and Vietnam, certain
   species of jellyfish are consumed.

   Fish oil is valued as a dietary supplement.

Live fish

   Live fish are collected for the international live food fish trade.
   Some seafood restaurants keep live fish in aquaria for display or for
   cultural beliefs. The majority of live fish kept at seafood
   restaurants, however, are desired for the freshness of the seafood,
   being killed only immediately before being cooked. Suiting customer
   preference, this practice makes the seafood higher in quality and
   better in taste. The prevalence of cultural beliefs and consumer
   standards helps to drive the demand for the live food fish trade. Hong
   Kong, for example, is estimated to have imported in excess of 15,000
   tonnes of live food fish in 2000. This brought the value of their live
   food fish trade industry to US$400 million as reported by the World
   Resources Institute.

   Fish can also be collected in ways that do not injure them such as in a
   seine net or by placing an electric current into the water. Such
   techniques are used most often by researchers for observation and study
   but are also used by those who collect fish for the aquarium trade.
   There are several organizations devoted to improving the methods of
   collecting, handling, transporting, exporting and farming of wild and
   domesticated live food fish, as well as freshwater and marine tropical
   fish destined for aquaria.

Other products

   Pearls and mother-of-pearl are valued for their lustre. Traditional
   methods of pearl hunting are now virtually extinct.

   Sharkskin and rayskin which are covered with, in effect, tiny teeth
   (dermal denticles) were used for the purposes that sandpaper currently
   is. These skins are also used to make leather. Sharkskin leather is
   used in the manufacture of hilts of 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.

   Fish glue is made by boiling the skin, bones and swim bladders of fish.
   Fish glue has long been valued for its use in all manner of products
   from illuminated manuscripts to the 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 industrially.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing"
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