Fisherman

Fisherman

Belgian Fisherman in the British Fishing Village of Brixham, Devon in 1944
Occupation
Names	Fish-harvester
Occupation type	Employment, self-employed
Activity sectors	Commercial
Description
Related jobs	fish farmers

A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish.^[1]

Worldwide, there are about 38 million

Fishing has existed as a means of obtaining food since the Mesolithic period. Fishing had become a major means of survival as well as a business venture.^[4]

Fishing and fishermen have also influenced

Commerce

According to the

FAO, there were about 39 million fishermen in countries producing more than 200,000 tonnes in 2012,

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (October 2023)

which is nearly 140% the number in 1995. The total fishery production of 66 million tonnes equated to an average productivity of 3.5 tonnes per person.^[2]

Most of this growth took place in Asian countries, where four-fifths of world fishermen and fish farmers dwell.^[2]

Most fishermen are involved in offshore and deep-sea fisheries. Women and men fish in some regions inshore from small boats or collect

Recreational fishing is fishing for pleasure or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is fishing for

The most common form of recreational fishing is done with a rod, reel, line, hooks and any one of a wide range of baits. Lures are frequently used in place of bait. Some people make handmade lures, including plastic lures and artificial flies.

The practice of catching or attempting to catch fish with a hook is called angling, and fishers using this technique are sometimes referred to as anglers. When angling, it is sometimes expected or required that the fish be caught and released. Big-game fishing is fishing from boats to catch large open-water species such as tuna, sharks and marlin. Noodling and trout tickling are also recreational activities.

Communities

For some communities, fishing provides not only a source of food and work but also community and cultural identity.^[5]

Safety issues

The fishing industry is hazardous for Artisan fishers. Between 1992 and 1999, US commercial fishing vessels averaged 78 deaths per year. The main contributors to fatalities are:^[6]

• inadequate preparation for emergencies
• poor vessel maintenance and inadequate safety equipment
• lack of awareness of or ignoring stability issues.

Many fishermen, while accepting that fishing is dangerous, staunchly defend their independence. Many proposed laws and additional regulation to increase safety have been defeated because fishers oppose them.^[6]

Alaska's commercial fishermen work in one of the world's harshest environments. Many of the hardships they endure include isolated fishing grounds, high winds, seasonal darkness, very cold water, icing, and short fishing seasons, where very long work days are the norm. Fatigue, physical

• 
  A fisherman and his catch, including small sharks, hooked on hand lines miles offshore in the Seychelles
• 
  Traditional Icelandic fisherman
• 
  Belgium shrimpers on horseback
• 
  English shrimper with

  pushnet
• 
  Chilean fishermen with

  lobsters
• 
  Indian fisherman
• 
  Long Island fisherman
• 
  Woman fishing in Laos

See also

• Fishing
• Recreational fishing
• Aquaculture
• Fish farming
• Dirty, dangerous and demeaning
• Fishery
• List of American fishers

References

Further reading

• ISBN 978-0-312-27726-0
• Jones, Stephen (2001) Working Thin Waters: Conversations with Captain * Lawrence H. Malloy, Jr. University Press of New England.
  ISBN 978-1-58465-103-1

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fishermen.

• Moore, Charles W (1998) Did fishermen discover the New World?
• For Those in Peril: Dangers at Sea for fishermen on the East Coast of Scotland historyshelf.org
• Fisher Folk at Sea and Ashore North East Folklore Archive, Aberdeenshire Council. Retrieved 9 March 2011.