How We Got Here and Where We're Going
Mark Sampson / January 2000 


I suppose nobody will ever know when the first man or man-like creature 
went to the water's edge with the intent purpose of catching a fish. Before 
that, I imagine such creature's seafood diet came strictly by chance, maybe 
the result of leftover meals by bears, birds, or from fish that beached 
themselves.

The exact era when man became "fisherman" may never be known, but 
certainly he was but a minuscule bump on the time-line of human existence, 
probably still swinging from trees and hiding from saber toothed cats.

Certainly the first man to catch a fish was motivated by the desire for 
food. That's pretty much a given. But I'll bet a dozen minnows that the 
second fish that harry angler grabbed from the stream was taken only 99.9% 
for food, the rest was for fun.

I can see it now, after a couple successful days of plucking fish from 
the water that fellow returned to his woman and grunted out "pull the kids 
from the branches and clear out the cave, honey we're moving to the beach!" 
So began the great migration to the shore and the origin of fishing.

Bare hands were replaced by sharp sticks, then stone tipped spears, bone 
hooks, traps, nets, linen hand lines, bamboo poles, fly rods, spinning reels, 
and here we are. Like the evolution of man himself, fishing has transformed 
in ways inconceivable to it's early pioneers.

These changes have not been limited only to techniques and technological 
advances in equipment. Modern man's reason to peruse fish has probably 
undergone metamorphosis more than anything else. Substance, while still a 
compelling reason for man to approach the waters edge, is no longer the only 
reason, and, in many situations, has no bearing on the decision to fish at 
all.

Some fish as an occupation, and in some parts of the world the nutrition 
the sea provides is a necessity of life. But still, the bottom line is very 
simple - man likes to fish.

the many years that man has lived on this planet, the 
recreational or "sport" fisherman has come to be. By definition his reason 
to fish is not so much for food as it is for fun. Oh yes, the fine tasting 
flesh of his quarry is a rich reward for the modern anglers efforts, but it 
has become the icing on the cake rather than a necessary outcome.

"Bringing home the bacon" is nice, but today's recreational fisherman 
"fish to fish" not just to catch. For most sportfishermen, fishing has 
become a tradition, a relaxing or exciting pastime, a way of life. For so 
many of us that live by the sea, it's a natural part of our lives, as common 
as getting dressed in the morning, as important as going to sleep at night.

In the last 100 years, recreational fishermen's focus has shifted from 
trying to bring home as many fish as possible, to maximizing the enjoyment 
from whatever fish they're fortunate enough to hook. Our caveman friend may 
have fished 99.9% for food, but today's recreational angler puts a much lower 
priority on the "kill factor".

One needs only to look at fishery statistics to understand that this is 
the way it must be. Today so many species are listed as over-fished or 
fully-fished it's become obvious that fisheries "business as usual" is not 
going to work into the next millennium. These depletion's have come from 
years of over-harvest by commercial fishermen, the combined take by millions 
of recreational anglers, and from the destruction of natural fish habitat by 
pollution and development. Man has been reaching into the water and pulling 
out fish for a long time now, and he's gotten very good at it.

In the next 100 years I dare say that the ocean's resources will be 
managed in such a way that all user groups will be held accountable for the 
impacts they have on them. Technology will advance to where even large ocean 
fish will be able to be raised in controlled environments, and then restocked 
into the wild. Like the timber industry that replants trees for those they 
cut, fishermen will be required to do the same.

This same technology will allow aqua-culture to become such a cost 
efficient way to provide consumers with seafood, that much less pressure will 
be placed on wild stocks of fish. This, coupled with the ever increasing 
regulations and ever shrinking catch limits, will mean that simple economics 
will phase out most of the commercial fishing that goes on today.
In the next 100 years a new era of recreational angler will emerge. 

Realizing that past generations of fishermen have left them with a mere 
pittance of the vast marine resources that use to be, they will have a keen 
respect and concern for the well being of what they have left, and an 
inherent desire to conserve it for their own heirs to enjoy.

More so than ever before, future sportfishermen will be much more 
concerned with maximizing the enjoyment out of every fish they hook rather 
than worrying about catching huge numbers of fish or bringing home a few 
fillets for dinner. Light tackle fishing will surly fit into this program. 

Future anglers will develop better methods to catch-and-release without 
harming the fish in the process. Like hunter safety courses, education and 
training about the use of such products as barbless hooks, circle hooks, 
efficient hook removers, and proper handling techniques may be required 
before "just anyone" is allowed to interact with the sea's precious resources.

Certainly in the next 100 years boats will become safer, engines more 
reliable and efficient. As always, tackle companies will keep coming out 
with stuff that's "new and improved" even though most fishermen will tend to 
stick with what's "tried and true".

Of course for all anyone knows in a 100 years there could also be some 
big protest against technology and everyone might be back to wading around in 
the shallows and catching fish by hand. Even then, modern man will never 
have quite the fishing excitement of our primal ancestors - no saber toothed 
cats to chase them home!