Fishing, also called angling, the sport of catching, freshwater or saltwater, typically with rod, line, and hook. Like, fishing originated as a means of providing food for survival. Fishing as a sport, however, is of considerable antiquity. An Egyptian angling scene from about 2000 bce shows figures fishing with rod and line and with nets.

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping. “Fishing” may include catching aquatic animals other than fish, such as molluscs, cephalopods, crustaceans, and echinoderms.

A Chinese account from about the 4th century bce refers to fishing with a line, a hook made from a needle, and a rod, with cooked rice as bait. References to fishing are also found in ancient Greek, Assyrian, Roman, and Jewish writings. Bass fishing in Charles county, Md.

Tim Tadder/Maryland Office of TourismToday, despite increased human populations creating a great number of demands on rivers and lakes, fishing for sport remains one of the most popular forms of outdoor recreation in the world. The problems of the modern angler fundamentally remain the same as those of every angler who came before: where to find fish and how to best tempt them into being taken.

The angler must understand wind and weather, the nature of the quarry, and the ways of the. Fishing remains what it has always been—a problem in applied natural history. Early historyThe history of angling is in large part the history of, as the equipment for fishing is called.One of humankind’s earliest tools was the predecessor of the fishhook: a gorge—that is, a piece of wood, bone, or stone 1 inch (2.5 cm) or so in length, pointed at both ends and secured off-centre to the line.

The gorge was covered with some kind of bait. When a fish swallowed the gorge, a pull on the line wedged it across the gullet of the fish, which could then be pulled in.

Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription.With the advent of the use of copper and bronze, a hook was one of the first tools made from metal. This was attached to a hand-operated line made of animal or vegetable material of sufficient strength to hold and land a fish. The practice of attaching the other end of the line to a rod, at first probably a stick or tree branch, made it possible to fish from the bank or shore and even to reach over vegetation bordering the water.For over a thousand years, the fishing rod remained short, not more than a few feet (a metre or so) in length. The earliest references to a longer, jointed rod are from Roman times, about the 4th century ce. As with the earliest rods made from streamside branches, the first longer rods were made of wood, which would continue as the dominant rod material well into the 19th century.The history of the sport in England began with the printing of ’s (1496) as a part of the second edition of The Boke of St. Berners’s work was evidently based on earlier Continental dating to the 14th century, but virtually no records of these previous writings are known.

Many of the methods described in the Treatyse are surprisingly modern and remain in use in some form or another.The first period of great improvement came about the mid-17th century, when and were writing the classic The Compleat Angler (1653). During this time an angler might attach a wire loop or ring at the tip end of the rod, which allowed a free-running line, useful for both casting and playing a hooked fish. This method intensified the need to develop a means of taking up and storing longer lines and led to the invention of the fishing.Experiments with material for the line led to the use of a gut string (mentioned by the diarist in 1667) and of a lute string (noted by Col. Robert Venables in 1676). The use of a landing hook, or gaff, for lifting large hooked fish from the water was noted by Thomas Barker in 1667. Improved methods of fishhook making were devised in the 1650s by Charles Kirby, who later invented the Kirby bend, a distinctive shape of hook with an offset point that is still in common use worldwide. Kirby and his fellow hook makers eventually established factories in about 1730.

Redditch remains the current centre of the English hook-manufacturing industry.While evidence exists that the Chinese developed a fishing reel in the 3rd century ce, modern reel design dates back to 18th-century England. The predominant British reel of the day was called the reel, based on the wooden lace bobbin devised in the lace-making town of that name. It was a wide-drum, free-spooling reel, ideal for allowing line and bait or lure to float downstream with the current and suitable for certain kinds of sea fishing. By 1770 a rod with guides for the line along its length and a reel were in common use. The first true modern reel was a geared multiplying reel attached under the rod, in which one turn of the handle moved the spool through several revolutions. Never popular in Great Britain, such reels became popular in the United States and inspired the bait-casting reel devised by watchmaker George Snyder in 1810.About the same time, rod materials were undergoing major changes.

Heavy woods native to Britain and the United States were superseded by more-elastic imported woods—such as lancewood and greenheart from and the West Indies—and by bamboo. By the end of the 18th century, bamboo became the rod material of choice. Several strips of bamboo were glued together, retaining the strength and pliancy of the cane but greatly reducing the thickness and weight of the finished rod. By 1870 bamboo rods were being produced on both sides of the Atlantic.After 1880 tackle design evolved rapidly. Horsehair fishing gave way to lines made of silk, cotton, or linen. The average angler could cast three times farther with these lines, and this increased distance helped spur the development of artificial lures. With longer casting capabilities and more line, a considerable tangle (called an overrun in Britain and a backlash in the United States) could result.

Governors were devised to prevent this. In 1896 William Shakespeare, Jr., of, Michigan, devised the level-wind, a traveling bracket on the reel that automatically spread the line evenly as it was wound. The next significant tackle development took place in 1905, when English magnate Holden Illingworth filed the first patent on the fixed-spool, or spinning, reel.

In this kind of reel, the spool permanently faces toward the tip of the rod, and the line peels off during the cast. The increased casting distance afforded by the spinning reel—and by new lines with smaller diameters—revolutionized freshwater fishing.In the first half of the 20th century, rods became shorter and lighter without sacrificing strength. Split bamboo was largely replaced by during the period immediately following and finally by carbon fibre or graphite in the 1970s. After the 1930s the fixed-spool reel was taken up in Europe and after World War II in and the rest of the world, thus creating a boom in spin casting. Nylon monofilament line was developed in the late 1930s and became dominant after World War II. Plastic coverings for fly lines allowed them to float or sink without the application of grease. Plastic also became the dominant material for artificial casting lures, replacing various types of low-density wood, such as balsa.

Fishing with nets, MexicoFishing is the activity of trying to catch. Fish are normally caught. For catching fish include,. “Fishing” may include catching other than fish, such as,. The term is not normally applied to catching, or to, such as whales where the term is more appropriate.

In addition to being caught to be, fish are caught as. Are held, and caught fish are sometimes kept as. When occur, fish are typically caught, identified, and then released.According to the United Nations statistics, the total number of and is estimated to be 38 million. And provide direct and indirect employment to over 500 million people in developing countries. In 2005, the worldwide per capita consumption of fish captured from was 14.4 kilograms, with an additional 7.4 kilograms harvested from fish farms. Main articles: andFishing is an ancient practice that dates back to at least the beginning of the Upper period about 40,000 years ago.

Isotopic analysis of the skeletal remains of, a 40,000-year-old modern human from eastern Asia, has shown that he regularly consumed freshwater fish. Features such as, discarded fish bones, and show that sea foods were important for survival and consumed in significant quantities.Fishing in Africa is evident very early on in human history. Were fishing by about 200,000 BC. People could have developed basketry for fish traps, and spinning and early forms of knitting in order to make fishing nets to be able to catch more fish in larger quantities.During this period, most people lived a 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, they are almost always associated with fishing as a major source of food.Trawling The British was an early type of sailing from the 17th century, but the modern fishing trawler was developed in the 19th century, at the English fishing port of. By the early 19th century, the fishermen at Brixham needed to expand their fishing area further than ever before due to the ongoing depletion of stocks that was occurring in the waters of.

The that evolved there was of a sleek build and had a tall, 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. The great trawling fleet that built up at Brixham, earned the village the title of 'Mother of Deep-Sea Fisheries'. Painting of A Brixham trawler. The painting is now in the.This revolutionary design made large scale trawling in the ocean possible for the first time, resulting in a massive migration of fishermen from the ports in the South of England, to villages further north, such as, and, that were points of access to the large fishing grounds in the Atlantic Ocean.The small village of grew to become the largest fishing port in the world by the mid 19th century. An was first obtained in 1796, which authorised the construction of new quays and dredging of the Haven to make it deeper. It was only in 1846, with the tremendous expansion in the, that the was formed.

The foundation stone for the Royal Dock was laid by the in 1849. The dock covered 25 acres (10 ha) and was formally opened by in 1854 as the first modern fishing port.The elegant spread across the world, influencing fishing fleets everywhere. By the end of the 19th century, there were over 3,000 fishing trawlers in commission in Britain, with almost 1,000 at Grimsby. These trawlers were sold to fishermen around Europe, including from the. Twelve trawlers went on to form the nucleus of the German fishing fleet.The earliest steam-powered fishing boats first appeared in the 1870s and used the system of fishing as well as lines and drift nets. These were large boats, usually 80–90 feet (24–27 m) in length with a beam of around 20 feet (6.1 m). They weighed 40–50 tons and travelled at 9–11 knots (17–20 km/h; 10–13 mph).

The earliest purpose-built fishing vessels were designed and made by David Allan in, Scotland in March 1875, when he converted a drifter to steam power. In 1877, he built the first in the world.Steam trawlers were introduced at and in the 1880s. In 1890 it was estimated that there were 20,000 men on the North Sea. The steam drifter was not used in the herring fishery until 1897.

The last sailing fishing trawler was built in 1925 in Grimsby. Trawler designs adapted as the way they were powered changed from sail to coal-fired steam by to and by the end of.In 1931, the first powered drum was created by Laurie Jarelainen.

The drum was a circular device that was set to the side of the boat and would draw in the nets. Since, and have been widely used.

The first trawlers fished over the side, rather than over the. The first purpose-built stern trawler was Fairtry built-in 1953 at, Scotland. The ship was much larger than any other trawlers then in operation and inaugurated the era of the 'super trawler'. As the ship pulled its nets over the stern, it could lift out a much greater haul of up to 60 tons. The ship served as a basis for the expansion of 'super trawlers' around the world in the following decades. Recreational fishing. 's, published in 1653 helped popularise fly fishing as a sport.Woodcut byThe early evolution of fishing as recreation is not clear.

For example, there is anecdotal evidence for in Japan, however, fly fishing was likely to have been a means of survival, rather than recreation. The earliest English essay on recreational fishing was published in 1496, by, the prioress of the Benedictine. The essay was titled Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth an Angle, and included detailed information on fishing waters, the construction of rods and lines, and the use of natural baits and artificial flies.Recreational fishing took a great leap forward after the, where a newly found interest in the activity left its mark on the many books and treatises that were written on the subject at the time.

Was written by in 1653 (although Walton continued to add to it for a quarter of a century) and described the fishing in the. It was a celebration of the art and spirit of fishing in prose and verse. A second part to the book was added by Walton's friend.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. Trading card of the Ustonson company, an early firm specializing in fishing equipment, and holder of a from the 1760s.The 18th century was mainly an era of consolidation of the techniques developed in the previous century. Running rings began to appear along the fishing rods, which gave anglers greater control over the cast line. The rods themselves were also becoming increasingly sophisticated and specialised for different roles.

Jointed rods became common from the middle of the century and came to be used for the top section of the rod, giving it a much greater strength and flexibility.The industry also became commercialised – rods and tackle were sold at the store. After the in 1666, artisans moved to which became a centre of production of fishing related products from the 1730s. Onesimus Ustonson established his shop in 1761, and his establishment remained as a market leader for the next century. He received a from three successive monarchs starting with King.

He also invented the. The commercialization of the industry came at a time of expanded interest in fishing as a recreational hobby for members of the.The impact of the was first felt in the manufacture of fly lines. Instead of anglers twisting their lines – a laborious and time-consuming process – the new textile spinning machines allowed for a variety of tapered lines to be easily manufactured and marketed.British fly-fishing continued to develop in the 19th Century, with the emergence of fly fishing clubs, along with the appearance of several books on the subject of fly tying and fly fishing techniques.By the mid to late 19th century, expanding opportunities for the middle and lower classes began to have its effect on fly fishing, which steadily grew in mass appeal. The expansion of the railway network in Britain allowed the less affluent for the first time to take weekend trips to the seaside or rivers for fishing. Richer ventured further abroad.

The large rivers of replete with large stocks of began to attract fishers from England in large numbers in the middle of the century – Jones's guide to Norway, and salmon-fisher's pocket companion, published in 1848, was written by Frederic Tolfrey and was a popular guide to the country. 'Nottingham' and 'Scarborough' reel designs.Modern reel design had begun in England during the latter part of the 18th century, and the predominant model in use was known as the ' reel'. The reel was a wide drum that spooled out freely and was ideal for allowing the bait to drift along way out with the current. Geared multiplying reels never successfully caught on in Britain, but had more success in the United States, where similar models were modified by of into his bait-casting reel, the first American-made design in 1810.The material used for the rod itself changed from the heavy woods native to England to lighter and more elastic varieties imported from abroad, especially from South America and the. Rods became the generally favoured option from the mid 19th century, and several strips of the material were cut from the cane, milled into shape, and then glued together to form the light, strong, hexagonal rods with a solid core that were superior to anything that preceded them.

And his predecessors fished their flies with long rods, and light lines allowing the wind to do most of the work of getting the fly to the fish. Fishing became a popular recreational activity in the 19th century. Print from.Tackle design began to improve from the 1880s. The introduction of new woods to the manufacture of fly rods made it possible to cast flies into the wind on silk lines, instead of. These lines allowed for a much greater casting distance. However, these early fly lines proved troublesome as they had to be coated with various dressings to make them float and needed to be taken off the reel and dried every four hours or so to prevent them from becoming waterlogged.

Another negative consequence was that it became easy for the much longer line to get into a tangle – this was called a 'tangle' in Britain, and a 'backlash' in the US. This problem spurred the invention of the regulator to evenly spool the line out and prevent tangling.The American, Charles F. Orvis, designed and distributed a novel reel and fly design in 1874, described by reel historian Jim Brown as the 'benchmark of American reel design,' and the first fully modern fly reel.a textiles magnate, patented the modern form of fixed-spool spinning reel in 1905.

When casting Illingworth's reel design, the line was drawn off the leading edge of the spool but was restrained and rewound by a line pickup, a device which orbits around the stationary spool. Because the line did not have to pull against a rotating spool, much lighter lures could be cast than with conventional reels.The development of inexpensive rods, synthetic fly lines, and monofilament leaders in the early 1950s, that revived the popularity of fly fishing.Techniques. Main article:There are many fishing techniques and tactics for catching fish. The term can also be applied to methods for catching other such as (, octopus) and edible marine.Fishing techniques include, and., and fishers use different techniques, and also, sometimes, the same techniques.

Recreational fishers fish for pleasure, sport, or to provide food for themselves, while commercial fishers fish for profit. Artisanal fishers use traditional, low-tech methods, for survival in third-world countries, and as a cultural heritage in other countries.

Usually, recreational fishers use angling methods and commercial fishers use netting methods.Why a fish bites a baited hook or lure involves several factors related to the sensory physiology, behaviour, feeding ecology, and biology of the fish as well as the environment and characteristics of the bait/hook/lure. There is an intricate link between various fishing techniques and knowledge about the fish and their behaviour including,. The effective use of fishing techniques often depends on this additional knowledge. Some fishermen follow which claim that fish feeding patterns are influenced by the position of the sun and the moon.Tackle. Main article:Fishing tackle is the equipment used by when fishing.

Almost any equipment or gear used for fishing can be called fishing tackle. Some examples are, and tackle boxes.Tackle that is attached to the end of a is called terminal tackle. This includes, leaders, split rings and wire, snaps, beads, spoons, blades, spinners and clevises to attach spinner blades to fishing lures. People also tend to use dead or live fish as another form of bait.Fishing tackle refers to the physical equipment that is used when fishing, whereas refers to the ways the tackle is used when fishing. See also: andA fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in, and.According to the, in 2004 there were four million commercial fishing vessels.

About 1.3 million of these are decked vessels with enclosed areas. Nearly all of these decked vessels are mechanised, and 40,000 of them are over 100 tons. At the other extreme, two-thirds (1.8 million) of the boats are traditional craft of various types, powered only by sail and oars. These boats are used by.It is difficult to estimate how many there are, although the number is high. The term is fluid since most recreational boats are also used for fishing from time to time. Unlike most commercial fishing vessels, recreational fishing boats are often not dedicated just to fishing. Just about anything that will stay afloat can be called a recreational fishing boat, so long as a periodically climbs aboard with the intent to catch a fish.

Fish are caught for recreational purposes from boats which range from, and small to, and cruising yachts to large, hi-tech and luxurious rigs. Larger boats, purpose-built with recreational fishing in mind, usually have large, open at the, designed for convenient fishing. Main article:and sport fishing are fishing primarily for or competition.

Recreational fishing has conventions, rules, licensing restrictions and laws that limit how 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, and any one of a wide range of or such as. The practice of catching or attempting to catch fish with a hook is generally known as. In angling, it is sometimes expected or required that fish be returned to the water.

Recreational or sport fishermen may log their catches or participate in fishing competitions.is fishing from boats to catch large open-water species such as,. Sportfishing (sometimes game fishing) is recreational fishing where the primary reward is the challenge of finding and catching the fish rather than the or financial value of the fish's flesh.

Fish sought after include, and many others. Modern Spanish in the.The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products.

It is defined by the as including, and, and the harvesting, and sectors. Fishing boat in a heavy seaCommercial fishing is the capture of fish for commercial purposes.

Those who practice it must often pursue fish far from the land under adverse conditions. Commercial fishermen harvest almost all aquatic species, from, and to, and, in various for these species.

Commercial fishing methods have become very efficient using large nets and sea-going processing factories. 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 processing tons of fish every day.Commercial fishing gear includes weights, (e.g. Purse ), seine nets (e.g.

Beach seine), (e.g. ), dredges, and line (e.g. And ), lift nets, entangling nets and.According to the of the United Nations, the total world 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, crab,. All except these last four provided a worldwide catch of well over a in 1999, with and together providing a catch of over 22 million metric tons in 1999. Many other species as well are fished in smaller numbers.Fish farms. Main article:Fish farming is the principal form of, while other methods may fall under. It involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures, usually for food.

A facility that releases into the wild for recreational fishing or to supplement a species' natural population is generally referred to as a. Fish species raised by fish farms include, and.Increased demands on by has caused widespread. Fish farming offers an alternative solution to the increasing market demand for fish.

See also:, andFish and fish products are all over the world. With other, it provides the world's prime source of high-quality: 14–16 percent of the animal protein consumed worldwide. Over one billion people rely on fish as their primary source of animal protein.Fish and other aquatic organisms are also processed into various food and non-food products, such as sharkskin leather, pigments made from the inky secretions of, used for the of wine and beer, used as a, and.Fish are also collected live for research and the trade.Fish marketing. Main articles: andFisheries management draws on to find ways to protect resources so sustainable exploitation is possible. Modern fisheries management is often referred to as a governmental system of (hopefully appropriate) management rules based on defined objectives and a mix of management means to implement the rules, which are put in place by a system of.Fisheries science is the academic discipline of managing and understanding fisheries. It is a multidisciplinary science, which draws on the disciplines of, ecology, economics and management in an attempt to provide an integrated picture of fisheries. In some cases new disciplines have emerged, such as.Sustainability.

Main article:Issues involved in the long term sustainability of fishing include, and.Conservation issues are part of, and are addressed in programs. 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 grows.Similar to other, there can be conflict between the fishermen who depend on fishing for their livelihoods and who realise that if future fish populations are to be then some fisheries must limit fishing or cease operations. Further information: andHistorically, some doubted that fish could experience pain. Laboratory experiments have shown that fish do react to painful stimuli (e.g., injections of bee ) in a similar way to mammals. This is controversial and has been disputed. The expansion of as well as animal welfare concerns in society has led to research into more humane and faster ways of killing fish. Trailmakers download. In large-scale operations like fish farms, stunning fish with electricity or putting them into water saturated with so that they cannot breathe, results in death more rapidly than just taking them out of the water.

For, it is recommended that fish be killed soon after catching them by hitting them on the head followed by or by stabbing the brain with a sharp object (called or in Japanese). Some believe it is not cruel if you release the catch back to where it was caught however a study in 2018 states that the hook used to catch causes damage to an important part of the feeding mechanism used to suck in food by the fish ignoring the issue of pain. Cultural impact. Woman with traditional fish catching device made from bamboo in Assam Community For communities like, fisheries provide not only a source of food and work but also a community and identity.

Semantic A ' is a situation where an interviewer implies they know more than they do to trick their target into divulging more information than they wish to reveal. Other examples of fishing terms that carry a negative connotation are: 'fishing for compliments', 'to be fooled ' (to be fooled beyond merely 'taking the bait'), and the internet scam of, in which a third party will duplicate a website where the user would put sensitive information (such as bank codes). Religious Fishing has had an effect on major religions, including, Christianity, and the various religions. Jesus was said to participate in fishing excursions, and a number of the and many parables and stories reported in the Bible involve fish or fishing. Since the was a fisherman, the Catholic Church has adopted the use of the into the Pope's traditional. See also.Notes.