Hobby And Commercial Fishing – Difference Between The Two

The definition of fishing is to hunt living species that spend their complete lives in water. Fishing could be a sporting activity, a hobby or a profession. For some it is an ancestral tradition that the families have been indulging in for generations. This is a relaxation that majorities of Americans part take in and also encourage the youngsters in their families to do so. Those adults who are fishing enthusiasts today have probably started when they were still in their teens. Many love fishing as a sport and some as a trade. Whatever the reason, it is necessary to keep this interest alive by encouraging today’s youth to experience it too.

Commercial and recreational fishing
Fishing in today’s world is either for recreation or as a commercial activity. Fishing as a sport is participated in as a competition and for pleasure. There are many guidelines and rules to follow when you fish for a sport. There are guidelines and laws on the kind of fish you are allowed to catch and the bait that is permitted to be used. The IGFA or International Game Fishing Association makes the rules and regulations for this sport. The legal way of fishing is with hooks, lines, reels and rods, it is forbidden to use fishing nets or to hook the fish in the mouth.

Competitions and tournaments
Tournaments and competitions are a form of fishing as a recreation. The winner is judged on the basis of the number of fish and the weight of the fish caught within a specific time.

Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing becomes the trade and career of the person who is a fishing enthusiast also. Fish are exported to different parts of the world and is a booming trade. Food is provided to people all over the world with this trade. The only negative aspect of this profession is that no matter what the weather conditions be the fishermen have to travel to distant places in the sea to do their job.

Another restriction is that the fisherman is allowed only a certain quota according to treaties that are made internationally. This way the fishing is limited and cannot go beyond the specified limits. In this way the local fisherman is found lacking in jobs for himself.

Fish that are most popular to catch are crabs, squids, clams, lobsters, krill, shrimps, salmon, cod and tuna. The method of catching fish varies according to the location where you are angling, the kind of fish and the technology that you are using. The needs of different ways of fishing differs, if there is just one person fishing from a small boat he will need completely different equipment to a group who are doing this on a daily basis.

Recreational fishing is something that the angler does during his free time or as a tournament, but if it is commercial fishing it is his profession and will have to be on a more serious level as it is his choice of a career.