Fishing Industry

The fishing industry includes the commercial, recreational, or subsistence harvesting, processing, transporting, and marketing of aquatic organisms from inland waterways, coastal areas, and oceans. The industry includes both wild and farm-raised fish and other aquatic creatures. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 4.5 million vessels are currently engaged in the fishing industry. Most are small boats operating not far from shore, but 37,000 are large ocean-going vessels involved in industrial fishing. More than 500 million people worldwide work directly or indirectly in the fishing industry. The entry begins by tracing the history of the fishing industry, including the processing, transporting, and marketing of catches. Next, it describes several problems faced by the industry and their solutions. Last, this entry discusses contemporary aquaculture ...