Fisherman

A fisherman or fisher is someone who gathers fish, shellfish, or other animals from a body of water. [ [http://www.bls.gov/soc/soc_r3b1.htm 45-3011 Fishers and Related Fishing Workers] US Department of Labor] Although the term usually addresses people who fish commercially or as a means of subsistence, it can also be used to identify recreational fishermen. It may be used to describe both men and women.

Commercial fishing

According to the FAO, there were 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers in 2002, more than triple the number in 1970. Of this total, 74% worked in capture fisheries and 26% in aquaculture. The total fishery production of 133 million tonnes equated to an average productivity of 3.5 tonnes per person.

Most of this growth took place in Asian countries, where four-fifths of world fishers and fish farmers dwell.FAO: [http://www.fao.org/fishery/topic/13827/en "Fishing people"] . Retrieved 7 July 2008.]

Most fishermen are men involved in offshore and deep-sea fisheries. Women fish in some regions inshore from small boats or collect shellfish and seaweed. In many artisanal fishing communities, women are responsible for making and repairing nets, post-harvest processing and marketing.

Recreational fishing

"Angling" is a term used to describe fishing with a hook. Commonly, this involves a rod, reel and line. Today it's usually practiced for pleasure.

History

Fishing has existed as a means of obtaining food since the Mesolithic period. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5398850.stm Early humans followed the coast] BBC News article.] By the time of the Ancient Egyptians, fishermen provided the majority of food for Egyptians. Fishing had become a major means of survival as well as a business venture.http://www.icsf.net/icsf2006/uploads/publications/samudra/pdf/english/issue_28/art01.pdf Fisheries history] Fishing and the fisherman had also influenced Ancient Egyptian religion; mullets were worshiped as a sign of the arriving flood season. Bastet was often manifested in the form of a catfish. The method Amun, in ancient Egyptian literature, created the world, is associated with the Tilapia's method of mouth-brooding.

Fishing communities

For some communities, fishing provides not only a source of food and work but also community and cultural identity. [ [http://www.icsf.net International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF)] ]

In the New Testament, Jesus is reported to have said to his disciples: "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." [bibleref|Matthew|4:19|KJV] .

ee also

*Fishing
*Sport Fishing
*Aquaculture
*Fish farming
*3D's Dangerous Jobs

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References

Further reading

* Fields, Leslie Leyland (editor) (2002) "Out On The Deep Blue: Women, Men, and the Oceans They Fish." St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312277260
* Jones, Stephen (2001) "Working Thin Waters: Conversations with Captain * Lawrence H. Malloy, Jr". University Press of New England. ISBN 978-1584651031

External links

* [http://www.floridaconservation.org/fishing/women/index.html Women in fishing]
* Moore, Charles W (1998) [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/9318/fisherman.html Did fishermen discover the New World?"]