| For other uses, see Fish (disambiguation).Fish are abundant in the sea and in fresh water, with species being known from mountain streams (e.They are of tremendous importance as food for people around the world, either collected from the wild (see fishing) or farmed in much the same way as cattle or chickens (see aquaculture).Fish are also exploited for recreation, through angling and fishkeeping, and fish are commonly exhibited in public aquaria.Fish have an important role in many cultures through the ages, ranging as widely as deities and religious symbols to subjects of books and popular movies.Definition
2 Classification
3 Anatomy
3.Central nervous system
3.Fish or fishes
10.Fish come in many shapes and sizes.Many groups of freshwater fish extract oxygen from the air as well as from the water using a variety of different structures.Lungfish have paired lungs similar to those of tetrapods, gouramis have a structure called the labyrinth organ that performs a similar function, while many catfish, such as Corydoras extract oxygen via the intestine or stomach.Similarly, the surface of the skin may be naked (as in moray eels), or covered with scales of a variety of different types usually defined as placoid (typical of sharks and rays), cosmoid (fossil lungfishes and coelacanths), ganoid (various fossil fishes but also living gars and bichirs, cycloid, and ctenoid (these last two are found on most bony fish.There are even fishes that spend most of their time out of water.The catfish Phreatobius cisternarum lives in underground, phreatic habitats, and a relative lives in waterlogged leaf litter.Many types of aquatic animals commonly referred to as "fish" are not fish in the sense given above; examples include shellfish, cuttlefish, starfish, crayfish and jellyfish.In some contexts, especially in aquaculture, the true fish are referred to finfish to distinguish them from these other animals.Classification
Fish are a paraphyletic group: that is, any clade containing all fish also contains the tetrapods, which are not fish.For this reason, groups such as the "Class Pisces" seen in older reference works are no longer used in formal classifications.Some palaeontologists consider that Conodonta are chordates, and so regard them as primitive fish.For a fuller treatment of classification, see the vertebrate article.The various fish groups taken together account for more than half of the known vertebrates.There are almost 28,000 known extant species of fish, of which almost 27,000 are bony fish, with the remainder being about 970 sharks, rays, and chimeras and about 108 hagfishes and lampreys.On the other hand, about 64 families are monotypic, containing only one species.Digestive system
The advent of jaws allowed fish to eat a much wider variety of food, including plants and other organisms.In fish, food is ingested through the mouth and then broken down in the esophagus.When it enters the stomach, the food is further broken down and, in many fish, further processed in fingerlike pouches called pyloric caeca.The intestine completes the process of digestion and nutrient absorption.Respiratory system
Most fish exchange gases by using gills that are located on either side of the pharynx.Each filament contains a network of capillaries that allow a large surface area for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.Some fishes, like sharks and lampreys, possess multiple gill openings.However, most fishes have a single gill opening on each side of the body.Juvenile bichirs have external gills, a very primitive feature that they hold in common with larval amphibians.Many fish can breathe air.Catfishes of the families Loricariidae, Callichthyidae, and Scoloplacidae are able to absorb air through their digestive tracts.Lungfish and bichirs have paired lungs similar to those of tetrapods and must rise to the surface of the water to gulp fresh air in through the mouth and pass spent air out through the gills.Loaches, trahiras, and many catfish breathe by passing air through the gut.Labyrinth fish (such as gouramis and bettas) have a labyrinth organ above the gills that performs this function.Clariidae family of catfish.Being able to breathe air is primarily of use to fish that inhabit shallow, seasonally variable waters where the oxygen concentration in the water may decline at certain times of the year.Fish can be divided into obligate air breathers and facultative air breathers.Obligate air breathers, such as the African lungfish, must breathe air periodically or they will suffocate.Facultative air breathers, such as the catfish Hypostomus plecostomus, will only breathe air if they need to and will otherwise rely solely on their gills for oxygen if conditions are favourable.Most fish are not obligate air breathers as there is an energetic cost in rising to the surface and a fitness cost of being exposed to predators.Circulatory system
Fish have a closed circulatory system with a heart that pumps the blood in a single loop throughout the body.The blood goes from the heart to gills, from the gills to the rest of the body, and then back to the heart.In most fish, the heart consists of four parts: the sinus venosus, the atrium, the ventricle, and the bulbus arteriosus.At the front end, the bulbus arteriosus connects to a large blood vessel called the aorta, through which blood flows to the fish's gills.Excretory system
As with many aquatic animals, most fish release their nitrogenous wastes as ammonia.Some of the wastes diffuse through the gills into the surrounding water.Kidneys help fishes control the amount of ammonia in their bodies.Saltwater fish tend to lose water because of osmosis.In saltwater fish, the kidneys concentrate wastes and return as much water as possible back to the body.The reverse happens in freshwater fish, they tend to gain water continuously.The kidneys of freshwater fish are specially adapted to pump out large amounts of dilute urine.Some fish have specially adapted kidneys that change their function, allowing them to move from freshwater to saltwater.Dorsal view of the brain of the rainbow trout.However, some fishes have relatively large brains, most notably mormyrids and sharks, which have brains of about as massive relative to body weight as birds and marsupials.The olfactory lobes are very large in fishes that hunt primarily by smell, such as hagfish, sharks, and catfish.In fishes the telencephalon is concerned mostly with olfaction.Together these structures form the forebrain.Connecting the forebrain to the midbrain is the diencephalon (in the adjacent diagram, this structure is below the optic lobes and consequently not visible).The pineal body lies just above the diencephalon.This structure performs many different functions including detecting light, maintaining circadian rhythms, and controlling colour changes.These are very large in species that hunt by sight, such as rainbow trout and cichlids.The hindbrain or metencephalon is particularly involved in swimming and balance.Hagfish and lampreys have relatively small cerebellums, but at the other extreme the cerebellums of mormyrids are massively developed and apparently involved in their electrical sense.The brain stem or myelencephalon is the most posterior part of the brain.As well as controlling the functions of some of the muscles and body organs, in bony fish at least the brain stem is also concerned with respiration and osmoregulation.Sense organs
Most fish possess highly developed sense organs.Many fish also have specialized cells known as chemoreceptors that are responsible for extraordinary senses of taste and smell.Although they have ears in their heads, many fish may not hear sounds very well.However, most fishes have sensitive receptors that form the lateral line system.The lateral line system allows for many fish to detect gentle currents and vibrations, as well as to sense the motion of other nearby fish and prey.Some fishes such as catfishes and sharks, have organs that detect low levels electric current.Other fish, like the electric eel, can produce their own electricity.Pain reception in fish
In 2003, Scottish scientists at the University of Edinburgh performing research on rainbow trout concluded that fish exhibit behaviors often associated with pain.Rose of the University of Wyoming critiqued the study, claiming it was flawed.Rose had published his own study a year earlier arguing that fish cannot feel pain as they lack the appropriate neocortex in the brain.Other researchers say the question of pain in fish is difficult to answer as fish "pain" may be felt differently than human "pain."Most fish move by contracting paired sets of muscles on either side of the backbone alternately.This backward force, in conjunction with the fins, moves the fish forward.The fish's fins are used like an airplane's stabilizers.The streamlined body of the fish decreases the amount of friction as they move through water.Since body tissue is more dense than water, fish must compensate for the difference or they will sink.Many bony fishes have an internal organ called a swim bladder that adjust their buoyancy through manipulation of gases.Organs
Fish reproductive organs include testes and ovaries.In most fish species, gonads are paired organs of similar size, which can be partially or totally fused.There may also be a range of secondary reproductive organs that help in increasing a fish's fitness.In terms of spermatogonia distribution, the structure of teleosts testes has two types: in the most common, spermatogonia occur all along the seminiferous tubules, while in Atherinomorph fishes they are confined to the distal portion of these structures.Fish ovaries may be of three types: gymnovarian, secondary gymnovarian or cystovarian.In the first type, the oocytes are released directly into the coelomic cavity and then enter the ostium, then through the oviduct and are eliminated.Secondary gymnovarian ovaries shed ova into the coelom and then they go directly into the oviduct.Gymnovaries are the primitive condition found in lungfishes, sturgeons, and bowfins.Cystovaries are the condition that characterizes most of the teleosts, where the ovary lumen has continuity with the oviduct.Secondary gymnovaries are found in salmonids and a few other teleosts.Oogonia development in teleosts fish varies according to the group, and the determination of oogenesis dynamics allows the understanding of maturation and fertilization processes.Changes in the nucleus, ooplasm, and the surrounding layers characterize the oocyte maturation process.Postovulatory follicles are structures formed after oocyte release; they do not have endocrine function, present a wide irregular lumen, and are rapidly reabosrbed in a process involving the apoptosis of follicular cells.This process can also occur, but less frequently, in oocytes in other development stages.Some fish are hermaphrodites, either having testes and ovaries at different phases in the life cycle.However, there are even some fish, such as hamlets, that are simultaneously male and female.Examples of oviparous fishes include salmon, goldfish, cichlids, tuna, and eels.In the majority of these species, fertilisation takes place outside the mother's body, with the male and female fish shedding their gametes into the surrounding water.However, a few oviparous fishes practise internal fertilisation, with the male using some sort of intromittent organ to deliver sperm into the genital opening of the female, most notably the oviparous sharks, such as the horn shark, and oviparous rays, such as skates.The larval period in oviparous fish is relatively short however (usually only several weeks), and larvae rapidly grow and change appearance and structure (a process termed metamorphosis) to resemble juveniles of their species.Ovoviviparous fish are ones in which the eggs develop inside the mother's body after internal fertilization but receive little or no nutrition from the mother, depending instead on the yolk.Familiar examples of ovoviviparous fishes include guppies, angel sharks, and coelacanths.Some species of fish are viviparous.In such species the mother retains the eggs, as in ovoviviparous fishes, but the embryos receive nutrition from the mother in a variety of different ways.Typically, viviparous fishes have a structure analogous to the placenta seen in mammals connecting the mother's blood supply with the that of the embryo.The embryos of some viviparous fishes exhibit a behaviour known as oophagy where the developing embryos eat eggs produced by the mother.This has been observed primarily among sharks, such as the shortfin mako and porbeagle, but is known for a few bony fish as well, such as the halfbeak Nomorhamphus ebrardtii.Intrauterine cannibalism is an even more unusual mode of vivipary, where the largest embryos in the uterus will eat their weaker and smaller siblings.Aquarists commonly refer to ovoviviparous and viviparous fishes as livebearers.Immune system
Types of immune organs vary between different types of fish.In the jawless fish (lampreys and hagfishes), true lymphoid organs are absent.Instead, these fish rely on regions of lymphoid tissue within other organs to produce their immune cells.For example, erythrocytes, macrophages and plasma cells are produced in the anterior kidney (or pronephros) and some areas of the gut (where granulocytes mature) resemble primitive bone marrow in hagfish.Cartilaginous fish (sharks and rays) have a more advanced immune system than the jawless fish.Chondrostean fish (sturgeons, paddlefish and birchirs) possess a major site for the production of granulocytes within a mass that is associated with the meninges (membranes surrounding the central nervous system) and their heart is frequently covered with tissue that contains lymphocytes, reticular cells and a small number of macrophages.The chondrostean kidney is an important hemopoietic organ; where erythrocytes, granulocytes, lymphocytes and macrophages develop.Like chondrostean fish, the major immune tissues of bony fish (or teleostei) include the kidney (especially the anterior kidney), where many different immune cells are housed.In addition, teleost fish possess a thymus, spleen and scattered immune areas within mucosal tissues (e.Recently, a lymphatic system similar to that described in mammals was described in one species of teleost fish, the zebrafish.Evolution
The early fossil record on fish is not very clear.It appears it was not a successful enough animal early in its evolution to leave many fossils.However, this would eventually change over time as it became a dominant form of sea life and eventually branching to include land vertebrates such as amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.Sea squirt, whose larvae resemble primitive fish in some key ways.The first ancestors of fish may have kept the larval form into adulthood (as some sea squirts do today, see Neoteny), although the reversal of this case is also possible.Candidates for early fish include Agnatha such as Haikouichthys, Myllokunmingia, Pikaia, and Conodonts.Fish from a number of different groups have evolved the capacity to live out of the water for extended periods of time.Of these amphibious fish some such as the mudskipper can live and move about on land for up to several days.Also, certain species of fish maintain elevated body temperatures to varying degrees.Endothermic teleosts (bony fishes) are all in the suborder Scombroidei and include the billfishes, tunas, and one species of "primitive" mackerel (Gasterochisma melampus).Diseases
Like other animals, fish can suffer from a wide variety of diseases and parasites.Should pathogens breach these defences, fish can develop an inflammatory response that increases the flow of blood to the infected region and delivers the white blood cells that will attempt to destroy the pathogens.Specific defences are specialised responses to particular pathogens recognised by the fish's body, in other words, an immune response.In recent years, vaccines have become widely used in aquaculture and also with ornamental fish, for example the vaccines for furunculosis in farmed salmon and koi herpes virus in koi.Some fish will also take advantage of cleaner fish for removal of external parasites.The best known of these are the cleaner wrasses of the genus Labroides found on coral reefs in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean.Cleaning behaviours have been observed in a number of other fish groups, including an interesting case between two cichlids of the same genus, Etroplus maculatus, the cleaner fish, and the much larger Etroplus suratensis, the host.Whale shark, the world's largest fish, is classified as Vulnerable.As of 2006, the IUCN Red List describes 1,173 species of fish as being threatened with extinction.Because fish live underwater they are much more difficult to study than terrestrial animals and plants, and information about fish populations is often lacking.However, freshwater fish seem particularly threatened because they often live in relatively small areas.Overfishing
In the case of edible fishes such as cod and tuna a major threat is overfishing.Where overfishing persists, it eventually causes the collapse of the fish population (known as a "stock") because the population cannot breed fast enough to replace the individuals removed by fishing.Pacific sardine Sadinops sagax caerulues fishery off the coast of California.From a peak in 1937 of 790,000 tonnes the amount of fish landed steadily declined to a mere 24,000 tonnes in 1968, at which point the fishery stopped as no longer economically viable.Such commercial extinction does not mean that the fish itself goes extinct, merely that it can no longer sustain a profitable fishery.The main tension between fisheries science and the fishing industry is the need to balance conservation with preserving the livelihoods of fishermen.In places such as Scotland, Newfoundland, and Alaska the fishing industry is a major employer, so governments have a vested interest in finding a balance between conserving fish stocks while maintaining an economic level of commercial fishing.On the other hand, scientists and conservations push for increasingly stringent protection for fish stocks, warning that many stocks could be wiped out within fifty years.Habitat destruction
A key stress on both freshwater and marine ecosystems is habitat degradation including water pollution, the building of dams, removal of water for use by humans, and the introduction of exotic species.An example of a fish that has become endangered because of habitat change is the pallid sturgeon, a North American freshwater fish that living in rivers that have all been changed by human activity in a variety of different ways.Exotic species
Introduction of exotic species has occurred in a variety of places and for many different reasons.One of the nest studied (and most severe) examples was the introduction of Nile perch into Lake Victoria.Since the 1960s the Nile perch gradually exterminated the 500 species of cichlid fishes found only in this lake and nowhere else.Some species survive now only in captive breeding programmes, but others are probably extinct.European perch, brown trout, rainbow trout, and sea lampreys are other examples of fish that have caused problems by being introduced into alien environments.Roa of the Polynesians, Dagon of various ancient Semitic peoples, and Matsya of the Dravidas of India.The astrological symbol Pisces is based on a constellation of the same name, but there is also a second fish constellation in the night sky, Piscis Austrinus.Fish have been used figuratively in many different ways, for example the ichthys used by early Christians to identify themselves through to the fish as a symbol of fertility among Bengalis.Fish have also featured prominently in art and literature, as in movies such as Finding Nemo and books such as The Old Man and the Sea.Large fish, particularly sharks, have frequently been the subject of horror movies and thrillers, most notably the novel Jaws, which spawned a series of films of the same name that in turn inspired similar films or parodies such as Shark Tale, Snakehead Terror, and Piranha.Terminology
Fish or fishes
Though often used interchangeably, these words actually mean different things.Fish is used either as singular noun or to describe a group of specimens from a single species.Fishes describes a group containing more than one species.Hence, as plurals, these words could be used thus:
My aquarium contains three different fishes: guppies, platies, and swordtails.The North Atlantic stock of Gadus morhua is estimated to contain several million fish.These squirrelfish are shoaling, not schooling: though swimming as a group, their speed and direction is not synchronised.These jacks are schooling because their swimming is synchronised.When fish come together in an interactive, social grouping, then they may be forming either a shoal or a school depending on the degree of organisation.Schools of fish are much more tightly organised, synchronising their swimming so that all fish move at the same speed and in the same direction.Cichlids congregating at lekking sites form an aggregation.Many minnows and characins form shoals.Classic examples of schooling fish are anchovies, herrings, and silversides.British English using "shoal" to describe any grouping of fish, while speakers of American English often using "school" just as loosely.Fishes of the World.Species Summary: Periophthalmus barbarus."Modifications of the Digestive Tract for Holding Air in Loricariid and Scoloplacid Catfishes" (PDF).The Physiology of Fishes, 3rd Edition.Fish do feel pain, scientists say.Rose, Do Fish Feel Pain?Retrieved September 27, 2007.RE: Do fish and shellfish have pain receptors?.Peter Scott: Livebearing Fishes, p.Cells and tissues of the immune system of fish.In: The Fish Immune System: Organism, Pathogen and Environment.The thymus in fish: development and possible function in the immune response.Lymphocyte development in fish and amphibians.Development of the zebrafish lymphatic system requires VegFc signalling.Cipriano (2001), Furunculosis And Other Diseases Caused By Aeromonas salmonicida.Fish Disease Leaflet 66.Hartman et al (2004), Koi Herpes Virus (KHV) Disease.Cleaning Symbiosis between the Cichlid Fishes Etroplus maculatus and Etroplus suratensis.Description and Possible Evolution.The Diversity of Fishes, Blackwell Publishing, pp.Tuna groups tackle overfishing.UK 'must shield fishing industry'.EU fish quota deal hammered out.Ocean study predicts the collapse of all seafood fisheries by 2050.Threatened and Endangered Species: Pallid Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus Fact Sheet.The little fish fight back.Look up Fish in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.Photos and facts on freshwater fishes of Southeast Asia
Fischinfos.See Copyrights for details.Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish by hooking, trapping, or gathering.By extension, the term fishing is applied to pursuing other aquatic animals such as various types of shellfish, squid, octopus, turtles, frogs, and some edible marine invertebrates.The term fishing is not usually applied to pursuing aquatic mammals such as whales, where the term "whaling" is more appropriate, or to commercial fish farming.Fishing is an ancient and worldwide practice with various techniques and traditions and it has been transformed by modern technological developments.In addition to providing food through harvesting fish, modern fishing is both a recreational and professional sport.Fisheries provide direct and indirect employment to an estimated 200 million people worldwide.Fishermen in the harbor of Kochi, India.New England fishermen with a pile of white hake c.Fishing in antiquity
1.Spear and bow fishing
2.Preservation
5 Fish products
5.Stone Age fishing hook made from bone.Egyptians bringing in fish, and splitting for salting.Neptune sculpture in Copenhagen Port.Origins
Fishing is an ancient practice that dates back at least to the Mesolithic period which began about 10,000 years ago.However, where there are early examples of permanent settlements (though not necessarily permanently occupied) such as those at Lepenski Vir, they are almost always associated with fishing as a major source of food.With the new technologies of farming and pottery came basic forms of all the main fishing methods that are still used today.Ancient representations
The ancient river Nile was full of fish; fresh and dried fish were a staple food for much of the population.The Egyptians invented various implements and methods for fishing and these are clearly illustrated in tomb scenes, drawings, and papyrus documents.Simple reed boats served for fishing.As is fairly common today, the fish were clubbed to death after capture.Nile perch, catfish and eels were among the most important fish.Some representations hint at fishing being pursued as a pastime.Fishing scenes are rarely represented in ancient Greek culture, a reflection of the low social status of fishing.In the water below, a rounded object of the same material with an opening on the top.This object is currently in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.Pictorial evidence of Roman fishing comes from mosaics which show fishing from boats with rod and line as well as nets.Various species such as conger, lobster, sea urchin, octopus and cuttlefish are illustrated.He would fight against the murmillo, who carried a short sword and a helmet with the image of a fish on the front.Roman sea god Neptune is depicted as wielding a fishing trident.The Moche people of ancient Peru depicted fisherman in their ceramics.An early example from the Bible in Job 41:7: Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons?BC), in his Histories, describes hunting for swordfish by using a harpoon with a barbed and detachable head.Oppian of Corycus, a Greek author wrote a major treatise on sea fishing, the Halieulica or Halieutika, composed between 177 and 180.This is the earliest such work to have survived intact to the modern day.Oppian describes various means of fishing including the use of nets cast from boats, scoop nets held open by a hoop, spears and tridents, and various traps "which work while their masters sleep".Oppian's description of fishing with a "motionless" net is also very interesting:
The fishers set up very light nets of buoyant flax and wheel in a circle round about while they violently strike the surface of the sea with their oars and make a din with sweeping blow of poles.At the flashing of the swift oars and the noise the fish bound in terror and rush into the bosom of the net which stands at rest, thinking it to be a shelter: foolish fishes which, frightened by a noise, enter the gates of doom.Then the fishers on either side hasten with the ropes to draw the net ashore.From ancient representations and literature it is clear that fishing boats were typically small, lacking a mast or sail, and were only used close to the shore.BC: of these Fu Hsi was reputed to be the inventor of writing, hunting, trapping, and fishing.Hand fishing
It is possible to fish with minimal equipment by using only the hands.Trout binning is a method of fishing, possibly fictional, performed with a sledgehammer.Noodling or Stump Fishing is a technique in which the fisher holds the bait in his or her hand and waits for a large catfish to attempt to eat it; when the fish bites, the fisher pulls his or her arm, along with the fish, from the water.Head of an arrow used for fishing, from Guyana.American South and Midwest for "gigging" bullfrogs with a bright light at night, or for gigging carp and other fish in the shallows.Traditional spear fishing is restricted to shallow waters, but the development of the speargun has made the method much more efficient.With practice, divers are able to hold their breath for up to four minutes and sometimes longer; of course, a diver with underwater breathing equipment can dive for much longer periods.Bow fishers use a bow and arrow to kill fish in shallow water from above.Coracles on the River Teifi, Wales 1972.All fishing nets are meshes usually formed by knotting a relatively thin thread.Modern nets are usually made of artificial polyamides like nylon, although nets of organic polyamides such as wool or silk thread were common until recently and are still used in certain areas.They tend to have the form of a scoop made of chain mesh called dredges and they are towed by a fishing boat.Dredging could be compared to unmonitored forest clearing, where it can wipe out an ecosystem.Nowadays, this method of fishing is often replaced by mariculture or by scuba diving to collect the scallops.Fishing line is any cord made for fishing.Important parameters of a fishing line are its length, material, and weight (thicker, sturdier lines are more visible to fish).Factors that may determine what line an angler chooses for a given fishing environment include breaking strength, knot strength, UV resistance, castability, limpness, stretch, abrasion resistance, and visibility.Kite fishing
Kite fishing is presumed to have been first invented in China.Kites can provide the boatless fishermen access to waters that would otherwise be available only to boats.Similarly, for boat owners, kites provide a way to fish in areas where it is not safe to navigate such as shallows or coral reefs where fish may be plentiful.Kites can also be used for trolling a lure through the water.The fishing line may be made from coconut fibre and the lure made from spiders webs.Kite fishing is also emerging in Melbourne where sled kites are becoming popular, both off beaches and off boats and in freshwater areas.The disabled community are increasingly using the kites for fishing as they allow mobility impaired people to cast the bait further out than they would otherwise be able to.Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and hooks through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water.Inuit and by anglers in other cold or continental climates.Here, where water levels fluctuate seasonally, indigenous people constructed ingenious stone fish traps.The largest and best known were the Brewarrina fish traps on the Barwon River at Brewarrina in New South Wales, which fortunately are at least partly preserved.The Brewarinna fish traps caught huge numbers of migratory native fish as the Barwon River rose in flood and then fell.In southern Victoria, indigenous people created an elaborate systems of canals, some more than 2 km long.The eels were caught by a variety of traps including stone walls constructed across canals with a net placed across an opening in the wall.Traps at different levels in the marsh came into operation as the water level rose and fell.In medieval Europe, large fishing weir structures were constructed from wood posts and wattle fences.V' shaped structures in rivers could be as long as 60 m and worked by directing fish towards fish traps or nets.Such fish traps were evidently controversial in medieval England.Basket weir fish traps were widely used in ancient times.Fishing method of Wagenya people in Congo.To these tripods are anchored large baskets, which are lowered in the rapids to "sieve" the waters for fish.It is a very selective fishing, as these baskets are quite big and only large size fish are trapped.Twice a day the adults Wagenya people pull out these baskets to check whether there are any fish caught; in which case somebody will dive into the river to fetch it.In the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America, Fishermen submerse a long, visible mesh wall running perpendicular to the shoreline that guides fish (who instinctively swim towards deeper water when coming upon a large obstacle) into a maze that ends in a large mesh "pot", that can be raised up to the boat to haul the fish in.This method of fishing results in fish staying alive until the time they are hauled into the boat, versus being entangled and killed in a gill net.This method also allows for sportfish and other protected species to be released without harm.Pot traps are typically used to catch crustaceans such as crabs, lobsters and crayfish.Pot traps such as the lobster trap may be constructed in various shapes, each is a box designed with a convoluted entrance that makes entry much easier than exit.Similar traps are used in many areas to capture bait fish.Historically lobster pots were constructed with wood or metal.Today most traps are made from checkered wire and mesh.In theory the lobster walks up the mesh and then falls into the wire trap.Bait varies from captain to captain but it is common to use herring.In commercial lobstering five to ten of these traps will be connected with line.Two buoys are important to make retrieval easier and so captains don't set their traps over each other.Each buoy is painted differently so the various captains can identify their traps.Ancient Japanese night fishing technique.Chinese man with fishing cormorant.In China and Japan, the practice of cormorant fishing is thought to date back some 1300 years.The fish are instead collected by the fisherman.The people of Nauru used trained frigatebirds to fish on reefs.The practice of tethering a remora, a sucking fish, to a fishing line and using the remora to capture sea turtles probably originated in the Indian Ocean.The earliest surviving records of the practice are Peter Martyr d'Anghera's 1511 accounts of the second voyage of Columbus to the New World (1494).However, these accounts are probably apocryphal, and based on earlier, no longer extant accounts from the Indian Ocean region.Dating from the 1500s in Portugal, Portuguese Water Dogs were used by fishermen to send messages between boats, to retrieve fish and articles from the water, and to guard the fishing boats.Labrador Retrievers have been used by fishermen to assist in bringing nets to shore; the dog would grab the floating corks on the ends of the nets and pull them to shore.Many hunter gatherer cultures use poisonous plants to stun fish so that they become easy to collect by hand.Some of these poisons paralyse the fish, others are thought to work by removing oxygen from the water.Cyanides are used to capture live fish near coral reefs for the aquarium and seafood market.This illegal fishing occurs mainly in or near the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Caribbean to supply the 2 million marine aquarium owners in the world.Many fish caught in this fashion die either immediately or in shipping.Those that survive often die from shock or from massive digestive damage.The high concentrations of cyanide on reefs harvested in this fashion damages the coral polyps and has also resulted in cases of cyanide poisoning among local fishermen and their families.Dynamite or blast fishing, is done easily and cheaply with dynamite or homemade bombs made from locally available materials.Fish are killed by the shock from the blast and are then skimmed from the surface or collected from the bottom.The explosions indiscriminately kill large numbers of fish and other marine organisms in the vicinity and can damage or destroy the physical environment.Explosions are particularly harmful to coral reefs.Blast fishing is also illegal in many waterways around the world.Electrofishing
A relatively new fishing technique is electrofishing (electric fishing).Electrofishing is used primarily in freshwater by zoologists as a sampling technique.Typical uses include collecting fish for stream classification surveys such as Index of Biotic Integrity surveys, to capture brood stock for hatcheries, or to collect representative samples from fish populations for the estimation of population size and structure.For example, with the apparatus correctly tuned as to pulse speed, voltage gradient and current, fish will exhibit galvanotaxis; they turn into the electric field and swim toward the apparatus.The effectiveness of electrofishing is influenced by a variety of biological, technical, logistical, and environmental factors.The catch is often selectively biased as to fish size and species composition.When using pulsed DC for fishing, the pulse rate and the intensity of the electric field strongly influence the size and nature of the catch.Electrofishing systems can be powered by one or more batteries or by a generator and come in various sizes, from those that are mounted to a backpack to those mounted in large boats.Systems are typically equipped with various safety devices including one or more dead man's switches and a tilt switch designed to disable the device if the unit is tipped beyond a certain limit by, for example, the operator becoming incapacitated or falling into the water.Rubber gloves and rubber boots must be worn to isolate the operator and to prevent electrocution.Recreational fishing and the closely related (nearly synonymous) sport fishing describe fishing for pleasure or competition.Recreational fishing has conventions, rules, licensing restrictions and laws that limit the way in which fish may be caught, The International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) makes and oversees a set of voluntary obligations.Typically, these prohibit the use of nets and the catching of fish with hooks not in the mouth.Enforceable regulations are put in place by Governments to ensure sustainable practice amongst anglers.For example in the Republic of Ireland, the Central Fisheries Board oversees the implementation of all angling regulations, which include controls on angling lures, baits and number of hooks permissible, as well as licensing regimes and other conservation based restrictions.The most common form of recreational fishing is done with a rod, reel, line, hooks and any one of a wide range of baits.Other devices, commonly referred to as terminal tackle, are also used to affect or compliment the presentation of the bait to the targeted fish.Some examples of terminal tackle include weights, floats, and swivels.Most types of fishing tackle are made in a professional manufacturing facility while others are hand made by hobbyists who find greater satisfaction in catching fish with tackle made by themselves.Some examples of hand made tackle include plastics from Fishing worm molds and flies.The practice of catching or attempting to catch fish with a hook is known as angling.In addition to capturing fish for food recreational anglers also enjoy keeping a log of fish caught and submitting trophy sized fish to independent record keeping bodies.In the Republic of Ireland the Irish Specimen Fish Committee verify and publicize the capture of specimen (i.The Committee also ratifies Irish record rod caught fish.It also uses a set of 'fair play' regulations to ensure fish are caught in accordance with accepted angling norms.One method of growing popularity is kayak fishing.Kayak fisherman fish from sea kayaks in an attempt to level the playing field with fish and to further challenge their abilities.Kayaks are extremely stealthy and can allow anglers to reach areas unfishable from land or by conventional boat.In angling, it is sometimes expected or required that fish all be returned to the water (catch and release).The practice, however, is viewed by some with disapproval as they consider it unethical to inflict pain on a fish for fun or sport and not for reasons of capturing food.There is also some research that shows certain types of fish such as catfish, do not have nerves around their mouth, most likely due to the fact that they eat animals such as crawfish that can pinch.Scientific studies show a wide range of survival, depending on species, environmental conditions, fish density and research design (methodology).The difficulty of doing such experiments is closely linked to the fact that negative effects of being exposed to fishing gears develop over a long time.Keeping fish trapped over a long period of time creates a lot of noise which makes it hard to single out the effect of the catch from the effect of the chosen methodology.Proponents of catch and release also contend that the practice is increasingly necessary in order to conserve fish stocks in the face of burgeoning human populations, mounting fishing pressure and worsening habitat degradation.Recreational fishermen can have profound deleterious effects on fish stocks in commercial lakes, this is due to anglers with poor knowledge of how to protect the fish from damage or stress once out of the water.The fish which suffer most are those of large, slow growing species such as carp.The only way for growing numbers of recreational fishermen to continue fishing is to reduce their impact on fish populations or to increase the fish populations (e.Catch and release, in combination with techniques such as strong tackle (to get fish in quickly, for release in good condition) and careful handling of fish help improve the chances of survival.Quick release lead systems such as the Korda quick release system or the E.It is popularly believed barbless hooks lead to more lost fish, but ensuring lures are equipped with split rings and keeping the line tight while fighting fish will reduce fish losses to levels similar to those of barbed hooks.The design of a circle hook is intended to cause less injury to the fish, allowing the fisherman to catch and release the fish without causing injury.This sport evolved from local fishing contests into large competitive circuits, especially in North America.Competitors are most often professional fishermen who are supported by commercial endorsements.Other competitions is purely on length with mandatory catch and release, either longest fish or total length is documented with camera and a mandatory sticker, is more fair since it's hard to weigh a living fish accurately in a boat.Noodling and Trout tickling may be pursued as a recreation.Laws made to control recreational fishing frequently also attempt to control the harvest of other aquatic species, such as frogs and turtles.Sport fishing (sometimes game fishing) describes recreational fishing where the primary reward is the challenge of finding and catching the fish rather than the culinary or financial value of the fish's flesh.The philosophies and tactics used for sport fishing, however, are usually sufficiently different from "food fishing" to make the distinction clear enough.The most common fish sought after are marlin, tuna, tarpon, sailfish, shark and mackerel along with other species of fish.In virtually every case, however, the fishing is done with hook, line, rod and reel rather than with nets or other aids.In the past, sport fishers, even if they did not eat their catch, almost always killed them to bring them to shore to be weighed or for preservation as trophies.Fishermans desire to improve the fishery have resulted in many sportfisherman releasing their catch alive, sometimes after fitting them with identifying tags and recording their details so as to aid fisheries research (known as tag and release).Sport fishing competitions give competitors (individuals if the fishing occurs from land, usually teams where conducted from boats) a specified time and area from which they are to catch fish.Scores are awarded for each fish caught, the points depending on the fish's weight and species, and then, sometimes, divided by the strength of the fishing line used (so catching fish on thinner, weaker line scores additional points).In tag and release competitions, a flat score per fish, divided by the line strength, is awarded for each species caught.Usually sport fishing events will have prize money for the boat or team with the most points.Commercial fishing provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions.Commercial fishermen harvest almost all aquatic species, from tuna, cod and salmon to shrimp, krill, lobster, clams, squid and crab, in various fisheries for these species.Many new restrictions are often integrated with varieties of fishing allocation schemes (such as individual fishing quotas), and international treaties that have sought to limit the fishing effort and, sometimes, capture efficiency.Fishing methods vary according to the region, the species being fished for, and the technology available to the fishermen.Commercial fishing gears today are surrounding nets (e.In addition to the above, commercial fishing can also be thought of as encompassing "pay to fish" enterprises, which provide anglers with controlled access to stocked lakes, ponds or canals.These provide fishing opportunities outside of the permitted seasons and quotas applied to public waters.In North America, establishments usually charge for the fish caught, by length or by weight, rather than for access to the site although some establishments charge both types of fees.Fish packed in ice.Salting of fish in factory.Ancient methods of preserving fish included drying, salting, pickling and smoking.All of these techniques are still used today but the more modern techniques of freezing and canning have taken on a large importance.Fish curing includes methods of curing fish by drying, salting, smoking, and pickling, or by combinations of these processes have been employed since ancient times.On sailing vessels fish were usually salted down immediately to prevent spoilage; the swifter boats of today commonly bring in unsalted fish.Modern freezing and canning methods have largely supplanted older methods of preservation.Fish to be cured are usually first cleaned, scaled, and eviscerated.Fish are salted by packing them between layers of salt or by immersion in brine.The fish most extensively salted are cod, herring, mackerel, and haddock.Smoking preserves fish by drying, by deposition of creosote ingredients, and, when the fish are near the source of heat, by heat penetration.Kippers are split herring, and bloaters are whole herring, salted and smoked.Fish are dried under controlled conditions of temperature, humidity, and air velocity.Cod: stockfish (air dried), lutefisk (soaked in lye).In the past, fishing vessels were restricted in range by the simple consideration that the catch must be returned to port before it spoils and becomes worthless.The development of refrigeration and freezing technologies transformed the commercial fishing industry: fishing vessels could be larger, spending more time away from port and therefore accessing fish stocks at a much greater distance.Refrigeration and freezing also allow the catch to be distributed to markets further inland, reaching customers who previously would have had access only to dried or salted sea fish.Canning, developed during the 19th century has also had a significant impact on fishing by allowing seasonal catches of fish that are possibly far from large centres of population to be exploited.Korean style raw fish.The flesh of many fish are primarily valued as a source of food; there are many edible species of fish as well as other sea food.Shellfish include shelled molluscs and crustaceans used as food.Shelled molluscs include the clam, mussel, oyster, winkle and scallop; some crustaceans are the shrimp, lobster, crayfish, and crab.Eggs, called roe, of various species may be eaten; roe comes from fish and certain marine invertebrates, such as sea urchins and shrimp.Sea cucumber is considered a delicacy in Chinese cooking and is often served at New Year's feasts, usually in soups.In some cultures, for example China, Japan, and Vietnam, certain species of jellyfish.Live fish
Live fish are collected for the international live food fish trade.Some seafood restaurants keep live fish in aquaria for display or for cultural beliefs.The majority of live fish kept at seafood restaurants, however, are desired for the freshness of the seafood, being killed only immediately before being cooked.Suiting customer preference, this practice makes the seafood higher in quality and better in taste.The prevalence of cultural beliefs and consumer standards helps to drive the demand for the live food fish trade.Hong Kong, for example, is estimated to have imported in excess of 15,000 tonnes of live food fish in 2000.Fish can also be collected in ways that do not injure them such as in a seine net or by placing an electric current into the water.Such techniques are used most often by researchers for observation and study but are also used by those who collect fish for the aquarium trade.There are several organizations devoted to improving the methods of collecting, handling, transporting, exporting and farming of wild and domesticated live food fish, as well as freshwater and marine tropical fish destined for aquaria.Traditional methods of pearl hunting are now virtually extinct.Sharkskin and rayskin which are covered with, in effect, tiny teeth (dermal denticles) were used for the purposes that sandpaper currently is.Sea horse, star fish, sea urchin and sea cucumber are used in traditional Chinese medicine.Sepia is a pigment made from the inky secretions of cuttlefish.Fish glue is made by boiling the skin, bones and swim bladders of fish.Fish glue has long been valued for its use in all manner of products from illuminated manuscripts to the Mongolian war bow.Isinglass is a substance obtained from the swim bladders of fish (especially sturgeon), it is used for the clarification of wine and beer.Fish emulsion is a fertilizer emulsion that is produced from the fluid remains of fish processed for fish oil and fish meal industrially.Statue of fishermen in Petrozavodsk, Russia.Fishing is a widely used as a metaphor though as such it is possibly ambiguous.On the one hand, fishing with a net has nuances of gathering by honest effort.For example, in the New Testament, Jesus is reported to have said to his disciples: Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.On the other hand, fishing with bait or lure sometimes has nuances of catching by deception, possibly with an implication of greed on the part of the victim.For example, the expression "fishing expedition" (usually used to describe a line of questioning), describes a case where the questioner implies that he knows more than he actually does in order to trick the target into divulging more information than he wishes to reveal.Other examples of fishing terms that carry a negative connotation are: "fishing for compliments", "to be fooled hook, line and sinker" (to be fooled beyond merely "taking the bait"), and the internet scam of Phishing in which a third party will duplicate a website where you would put sensitive information (such as ebay or a bank site) in order to obtain it.Early humans followed the coast BBC News article.Coastal Shell Middens and Agricultural Origins in Atlantic Europe.Fisheries history: Gift of the NilePDF.Image of fishing illustrated in a Roman mosaic.New York: Thames and Hudson, 1997.Polybius, Histories, Fishing for Swordfish.Issue 328, August 23, 1828, Project Gutenberg.Spear fishing for eels.Articles on Kite Fishing.Brewarrina Aboriginal Fish Traps.Dam Fishing Fishing techniques of the Baka.The Text of Magna Carta, see paragraph 33.Shooting and Fishing the Trent, ancient fish traps.Cormorant fishing: history and technique.De Orbe Novo, Volume 1, The Eight Decades of Peter Martyr D'Anghera, Project Gutenberg.Ethnozoology of the Tsou People: Fishing with poison.Further reading
Roberts, Callum (2007).The Unnatural History of the Sea: The Past and the Future of Man, Fisheries and the Sea.External links
Fishing hierarchy for U.This page was last modified 03:09, 4 January 2008.Nothing is more striking than crystal clear sparkling water.Just as every aquarium is unique, every aquarium has unique filtration needs.Whether you're looking to create a freshwater or saltwater haven, we have the perfect aquarium to showcase your vibrant, exquisite aquatic inhabitants.We also carry betta, goldfish and hermit crab aquariums that will flawlessly set the stage for your smaller residents.Precise, constant and comfortable water temperatures are a must within any aquarium in order to keep fish healthy and happy.Lighting not only adds color, intensity and ambiance to your aquarium, it is also vital to proper function.Regardless of what atmosphere you are trying to create, we have the ideal selection for your community: florescent lighting, color enhancing lighting, metal halide lighting, dual lighting, saltwater, freshwater and reef lamps, lighting fixtures, timers, cooling fans, and accessories for all.Perfect nourishment and nutrition will manifest itself in your tank with healthy, active and intensely colored fish.Whether your personal taste craves metal or wood, simple or elegant, we have the perfect complement to your tank!Natrona Heights, PA
Win Free Fish.Ocean Star International Freshwater Flakes 7.AZOO Koi Food for Fish 2.SiteCatalyst code version: H.Natrona Heights, PA
Win Free Fish.AZOO Koi Food for Fish 2.Stock Ratein the Industry!Vice President of Mariculture Systems, Inc.From Ronnie Garrison,Your Guide to Freshwater Fishing.Jim Sheppard with The Fishing Wire is a southern boy like me but is interested in ice fishing.The fish hit a Strike King Series 5 crankbait in Sexy Shad color.The day was fairly tough and I won the tournament with two bass weighing 12.My other bass was a nice 3.Check out my winter fishing tips and share your comments and how you do in the comments section below.Also share any of your winter tips.Lake Conroe fishing is always good and Pappa John can tell you what is biting and where to catch them.Ice fishing can be fun but it can be dangerous.Brian Knippers has experience on the ice and offeres some suggestions on staying safe.For this Georgia fisherman ice fishing sounds like fun but a little frightening, too.Brian's advice if I ever get a chance to go.The pictures Brian has sent in really makes me want to give it a try.New Year's Resolutions for the Outdoors
I resolve to go fishing every single day in 2008.Some days like yesterday when it rained all day I might just walk out on my dock and catch one or two bluegill, but at least I went fishing.Fish a Jig and Pig
Knowing how to fish a jig and pig helps but where do you fish it?It will catch fish just about anywhere you try but some types of cover and structure are beter than others.Try to find these kinds of places and you should catch bass in them this winter.How To Fish a Jig and Pig
A jig and pig is a great bait for cold water bass fishing.Try these ways to fish a jig and pig and see if they will work for you.These tips from him might help you catch a record, or at least a personal record if you think about them.David Francis caught two big bass in a pond in Virginia on plastic worms.Share your pond fishing for bass in the comment section below.Car MaintenanceWinter Auto CareTaking Your Car to the MechanicTop ToolsDoing It Yourself?Buying Used Parts What's HotJulia MancusoTennis Racquet frame Glossary DefinitionBrassieGiants Playoff HistoryCheerleading Myths
if(!Fish and Wildlife Service offers an abundance of fishing opportunities.The National Wildlife Refuge System managesover 270 National Wildlife Refuge FishingPrograms that include everything from saltwater fishing to using ice tipups on high elevation lakes.You can learn more about refuge fishing opportunities by reviewing Your Guide to Fishing on National Wildlife Refuges as well as the Refuge System's Fishing page.In addition, the National Fish Hatchery System offers fishing opportunities at or near many hatcheries.Fishing generates tremendous economic benefit through taxes on fishing equipment.These revenues are paid by anglers, distributed by the Service and spent by State resource agencies on aquatic habitat enhancement, fishing and boating access, education, and invasive species eradication.Associated Recreation will be completed in 2007.It is abundantly clear that fishing has, and continues to have, an incredible influence on managing for clean water, healthy aquatic habitats, healthy fisheries populations, and abundant and quality angling opportunities.We encourage you to spend some time on the water enticing the fish that inhabit the watershed that you live in."Fishing at Bosque del Apache NWR."Photo of a man holding a gulf sturgeon.""Photo of Alamosamonte Vista NWR.Javascript is currently disabled!Moderators Y0da 3102 RE: Your first fish.....Anything and Everything fish!Tropical and saltwater fish indexModerators Y0da 1201195 RE: Axolotls ..Moderators Y0da 40307 RE: live foods ..Anything and everything not fish relatedModerators Y0da 2082176 RE: what was yur weirdest dre ..What it is and how to treat itModerators Y0da 2011332 RE: ich?Moderators Y0da 1751177 RE: Unexpected Kribs ..Moderators Y0da 58364 RE: christmas tree ..PM",0,0,0,0,16,0,1)26190 RE: Question help!PM",0,0,0,0,20,0,1)17105 Beginning marine fish ..Good and BadModerators Y0da 632 RE: Tetras ..Questions, suggestions and help post them hereModerators Y0da 31154 RE: TANK QUESTIONS ..Stop in and drop us a line!With sections for the forum and the sales site, let us know what you like about us and what you'd like to see changed!PM",0,0,0,0,30,0,1)717 RE: live tropical fish ..Registered users have made 21829 posts in 29 forums.There are currently 2407 topics.Would you like to go to your inbox now?" |
