Fishing

Fishing Part I

Overview:
Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish. It is an ancient and worldwide practice that dates back about 35,000 years and may be an individual necessity or a collective undertaking involving large groups of men. Since the 16th century fishing vessels have been able to cross oceans in pursuit of fish and since the 19th century it has been possible to use larger vessels and in some cases process the fish on board; or just sitting on the shore or favorite dock. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping.
The term fishing may be applied to catching other aquatic animals such as shellfish,cephalopods, crustaceans, and echinoderms. The term is not usually applied to catching aquatic mammals, such as whales, where the term whaling is more appropriate, or to farmed fish. In addition to providing food, modern fishing is also a recreational sport with various techniques and traditions and it has been transformed by modern technological developments.

Fishing continues to be a favorite pastime in the United States, in 2001, 16% of the U.S. population 16 years old and older (34 million anglers) spent an average of 16 days fishing. Freshwater fishing was the most popular type of fishing with over 28 million anglers devoting nearly 467 million angler-days to the sport.



Fishing as a means:
As a means of game, or sport by most.
As a means to provide food for ones own household.
As a means of employment to garnish wages by providing food for others.
- Also know as commercial fishing: Using specific fishing laws and quotas.
A Release or escape, hobby, pastime, etc.


Associations/Organizations:
American Sportfishing Association
International Game Fish Association
iFish Online News Group
Rocky Mountain Angling Club
(just to name a few out of thousands)


Types of Fishing:
Angling: Trolling, Long Lining
Bow Fishing
Fly Fishing
Ice Fishing
Spear Fishing: Traditional Spear, Hawaiian Sling, and Spear Gun.
Netting: Hand Net, Lave Net, Cast Net, Coracle Fishing, Chinese Nets, Gillnet, Drift Net, Ghost Net, Stake Net, Drive-in Net, Fyke Net, Trammel, Seinem and Trawl.


Catches (fish species and types):
Fresh Water Most Popular: Bass, trout, gar, salmon, etc
Salt Water Most Popular: Various range.

Areas:
Fresh Water: Designated rivers, lakes, ponds, canals, etc
Salt Water: Ocean, seaside docks, inter-coastal canals




Fishing Part II

Physical Boundaries:

Land, busy industrial/commercial areas, sewage/waste, pollution, private property, heavy wooden debris, wildlife regulations, climate/weather change, seasons, government, patience, boredom, outfit.


What’s/who’s involved:

Families (kids, parents), sportsman, government agencies, retail sporting goods stores (fishing shops), marines biologists/studies, marine students, fish markets/farmers markets/grocery stores, fishing equipment companies, farmers, hunters, Department of Parks and Recreation, Wildlife Gaming boards, boaters, local communities, seafood lovers, weather, restaurants.


Equipment Needs:

Instruments: Fishing rod, reel, lines, lures, bait, bait containers, floats, weights, hooks, nets, spears, pliers, knife, tackle box, waders, maybe a floating vessel, container for fish, rigs.

Safety/and some requirements: Life jacket, camera for documentation, fishing license, area permission, knowledge of fishing, compass/GPS/maps, hat, calendar.


Demographics:

Age: 16 and up, specifics — Median age = 48.6, Average age = 51.6
Gender: Primarily male approximately 61.9% are male in both salt and freshwater fishing.
Game/occupational/pastime: An estimated national average of 47% sport, 18% occupation, and 35% pastime.
Most popular Fishing type: Angling/Bass fishing.
Population of active fishing participants in the U.S.: 50 million = sport fishing, 28.4 million = freshwater angling.
Financial value of Fresh Water Angling: 74.8 Billion
Economic class: varies on type of fishing.
Groups: scout & professionals.
Cultures
Ethnicity


Individual and community wants and needs:

Pride - in sport or competitive nature.
Self-providing - as a means of food.
Food - for nutritional purposes.
Sense of community recreation.
An escape or release.
Revenue/profit.
A clean and maintained/protect wildlife environment to fish in.
Knowledge, mentoring and instruction.
Respect and courtesy of fishing culture.
Photograph/document experience
Biggest Catch.
Hot Spots
Religious Impact
Good weather
Right bait
The fish/ scale (no pun intended)
Big lakes/waterways
Sense of equality
Enhance sport
License


Symbols (uniforms, tools, markers of the activity’s community):

Uniforms: ball caps, fishing hooks in ball cap lid, lure keychains, casual t shirts and water activity shorts/pants, fishing equipment branded apparel, Tan line, water sandals, vest.

Tools: Poles sticking out of car, reels, hooks, tackle box, boat, bobber, anchor.

Other Markers: Smell like water or fish, specific vocabulary, callused hands from lines and hooks, bumper sticker, fishing signage, fish, peace.


Motivations:

Entertainment
Nutritional Health
Physical Health
To eat.
Pride in competition.
A mental Release/escape.
Sentimental generation continuation/tradition
Nature enthusiast
Sense of achievement


Sources: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; American Sportfishing Association, Fishing.com, National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, Nation Master Statistics, ESPN.


Fishing Part III


Historical Consciousness (commonalities and membership boundaries):

General interest in fishing creates a commonality that dictates immediate integration of a community.
Similarities in pride of fishing and interest in the competitive/therapeutic/economics stability aspects gives individuals a sense of uniformity and now a common ground of belonging to a community that shares these same interests/pride.

Students, wildlife enthusiasts, sporting good store owners, sportsman, retired folk, busy people who need a break, grocer market representatives.



Agency (influence & power/authority):

A sense of earning your right by purely time spent in the field or the needs of a newbie who can communicate what the community can do to help ease the membership registration.

Seniority and respect for elders (in the sense), the wisdom and history of their expertise in the field generates a reputation of validation and credibility that creates a bond of trust from other members.

The greenhorn also has the influence to exploit faults within the community that have gone array from making members feel a sense of pride and belonging. These needs are only recognized by other fishermen who have experienced the same and acknowledge the need.

Wildlife marshals and park/rec officials can influence fisherman to be responsible in what they are doing by abiding to our ecological standards.



Relationships (awareness):

Having knowledge about your community to find a sense of space and specific area of belonging, and then continuing to build and progress that unit or units.

Environmentalists know better environments where more or specific fish dwell, locals know the best areas to fish and hang out, boaters know the relationship of tides and water depths to know what type of fishing and equipment you’ll need.



Life Goals (motivation):

Providing food and nutrition, impacting the community by sharing the physical/healthy aspect of a recreational activity, helping others by educating them on a new activity/way of: good sportsmanship, ecological responsibility, a way to accrue nutrition, a career opportunity to make an honest living, and the entertainment of having a fun hobby/relaxing activity.



Organizational Structure (roles):

Equal roles in the community.
No official hierarchy or chain of command in community.
Everyone fishes independently.
A community build of individuals contributing to their own agendas of relaxation, providing, or sport.
Professional fisherman or commercial fisherman have a tendency to educate on seasons, areas, and techniques.
While greenhorns experiment and introducing new ways to improve traditional methods/experiences.
Supply stores and bait shop owners provide tools for the fisherman; and weatherman and wildlife marshals guide those safely, who don’t know the proper procedure and environmental constraints.
While the fisherman simply perform the activity and share their experiences with one another.