Somethings Fishy 16"

Fishing has played an important role in human food gathering for over 35,000 years, but the evolution of fishing boats over the last several thousand years has greatly expanded societies’ ability to feed themselves and presents the modern world with an important source of healthy nourishment. 

Of the 4 million commercial fishing boats sailing the seas today, it is estimated that 1.3 million are modern, decked craft with enclosed areas and catch storage or processing holds. Two-thirds of the remaining boats are believed to be traditionally powered vessels, including sailboats and rowboats, that are used by artisan fishers for small scale commercial or subsistence fishing in coastal or island regions, as well as upon rivers and lakes.

Although boats utilized for fishing date from antiquity as evidenced by ancient Egyptian artwork, until the late medieval period boats were generally adapted from other purposes rather than being designed specifically to optimize their ability to function as commercial fishing craft. With the evolution of efficient, purpose-built fishing boats throughout the Renaissance, by the Age of Sail commercial fishing had become a major industry for many northern European seagoing nations. Fishing fleets consisting of hundreds of sailing craft might spend weeks at sea, salting their catch for storage in barrels or transferring them to other sailboats for transport back to shore. 

Fishing boat designed varied greatly by nation, region and even individual shipyard as much as by function or intended catch throughout the age of sailboats.  During the 1950s, the design of mechanized commercial fishing boats increasingly constructed of steel or fiberglass started to become more standardized. 

Modern commercial fishing boats operate using different fishing techniques and methods, depending upon their location, active fisheries and intended catch. The most common type is the fishing trawler, which drags large nets hanging from its sides or held open behind the boat as it moves through the water. Another is the “seiner”, or seine net, which deploys a long net to encircle a school of fish before drawing the fishing net tight to contain them. Tuna, mackerel, skipjack and squid are often fished using long lines with baited hooks, which may be extended on poles or booms from the sides and stern of the ship as it cruises slowly through the sea.

Shrimp boats (or shrimpboats) are specialized fishing boats that are specifically designed for shrimping, catching both shrimp and prawns in their nets or traps. Commercial shrimping is a significant industry for many regions worldwide, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Northwest, southeast Asia and the Gulf of Thailand. 

The most common type of shrimper is the trawler, which pulls a net through the water as it cruises slowly through bays, gulfs or open seas. Seines, or seine nets, which surround then envelope and contain a school of shrimp, can also be used as well as cast nets, while baits and traps are common shrimp fishing techniques in some regions. 

Shrimp trawlers often use a style of fishing net known as an otter net (or otter trawler). This type of conical net is held open by a combination of floats at the top and weights at the bottom as it moves through the water, scooping everything it catches into its long reservoir. Unwanted catch other than shrimp is known as bycatch, which is usually returned to the sea. In the U.S., shrimp boats (as well as the shrimp trawlers of fleets which sell their catch to the United States) now use a variety of bycatch excluder devices to reduce the amount of undesired catch and safeguard other species of fish and sea turtles. Such devices include grates through which shrimp pass but fish do not, or the turtle excluder device, which allows sea turtles to swim safely away from the net.