Commercial Versus Recreational Fishing

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Commercial Versus Recreational Fishing When most people think of fishing, the images conjured up are likely something reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn or The Andy Griffith Show, just a boy and his fishing pole in the tranquil pastoral setting of a lake or river. Alternatively, some people might think of the sport of tournament fishing or adventure trips featuring deep-sea fishing. However, the world of commercial fishing is light years away from either of these images. Commercial fisherman use boats the size of football fields and advanced electronic equipment track fish. Fishing vessels can stay at sea for as long as six months and store thousands of fish in massive onboard coolers. Moreover, commercial fishing includes catching, taking, harvesting, cultivating, or farming of any kind of fish, shellfish, crustacea, sponges, seaweeds, or other aquatic forms of animal and vegetable life. Under this definition, a person can be considered a fisherman who works on a land-based fish farm but has never been to sea at all. Commercial fishing is a massive industry, complete with its own regulations, governing bodies, and accepted practices. Commercial fisheries have their own websites, newsletters, industry tracking, and data compilation. It is a far cry from its origins of a handful of men on a boat. Recreational fishing, too, has become far more commercial and regulated than pastoral and nostalgic images suggest. Fishing requires licensure. There are limits to the numbers and types of fish that can be caught, and any number of electronic gadgets available to help track fish. Recently, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) has begun efforts to track and compile data on recreational fishing much as it does commercial fishing. Both commercial and recreational fishing have come a long way from the days of Andy and Opie with a fishing

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