Fishing Practices: Angling, Commercial, and Aquaculture

Angling and Recreational Fishing Practices

Angling involves using a hook with a wide range of baits or lures, such as artificial flies, to catch fish. This practice sometimes requires fish to be returned to the water, a method known as catch and release. Recreational or sport fishermen often log their catches or participate in fishing competitions.

The Global Fishing Industry

The fishing industry encompasses any activity related to taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing, or selling fish and fish products. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines it as including recreational, subsistence, and commercial fishing, along with the harvesting, processing, and marketing sectors. Commercial activities within this industry primarily aim to deliver fish and other seafood products for human consumption or as raw materials for other industrial processes.

Commercial Fishing Operations

Commercial fishing involves capturing fish for profit. Practitioners often venture far into the ocean, enduring adverse conditions. Commercial fishermen harvest nearly all aquatic species, including:

• Tuna
• Cod
• Salmon
• Shrimp
• Krill
• Lobster
• Clams
• Squid
• Crab

These operations occur in various fisheries targeting specific species. Modern commercial fishing methods have become highly efficient, utilizing large nets and sea-going processing factories. To manage sustainability, individual fishing quotas and international treaties are implemented to control the species and quantities caught.

Fish Farming and Aquaculture

Fish farming is the primary form of aquaculture, with other methods categorized as mariculture. It involves commercially raising fish in tanks or enclosures, typically for food production. Facilities that release juvenile fish into the wild for recreational fishing or to supplement natural populations are known as fish hatcheries.

Common fish species raised by fish farms include:

• Atlantic Salmon
• Carp
• Tilapia
• Catfish
• Trout
• And others

The increased demand on wild fisheries due to commercial fishing has led to widespread overfishing. Fish farming presents a viable alternative to meet the growing market demand for fish and fish protein.