Most Fishing Today is Not Done for Survival

Fishing is done today for either recreation or competition. Fishing started primarily as a male means of living for survival. It still is dominated by men who enjoy the thrill of the catch, though there are women fisher women as well. Fishing is not a survival skill for the most part any more, but people still enjoy fishing. People can fish a local river or pond or lake, or they can book a fishing boat and go out on the water. Some people fish for fun. Other people fish for food. When it comes to food, fish are an important part of the food chain worldwide. Whether caught by fishermen as sport or not, or purchased from stores or restaurants, fish provide 16% of the world's protein.

Be humane when you fish. If the fish is small, put it back right away. There is no point killing it when it is too small. There are regulations about the size of fish that you can keep. When people hunted and fished for survival, they recognized that they should put the small ones back because it would mean that one put back might be big enough for food the next year. Nowadays, again, it is not as critical when someone fishes to bring back a catch because most people have another way to get their food. However, being considerate and throwing the little ones back so they can grow is still a good idea.

If you don't catch anything, you may be discouraged. However, enjoy the day with your friends and family. With more knowledge and practice you can do better. Sometimes the fishermen who do the best are the children. It just seems that fish will take to their line, maybe because they are not as tense about catching one, and the fish notice that. It takes patience to catch fish. Just do your best to learn and keep on going.