[4] Fishing and fishermen have also influenced Ancient Egyptian religion; mullets were worshipped as a sign of the arriving flood season.

[2] Most of this growth took place in Asian countries, where four-fifths of world fishermen and fish farmers dwell.

Women and men fish in some regions inshore from small boats or collect shellfish and seaweed.

In many artisanal fishing communities, women or men are responsible for making and repairing nets, post-harvest processing and marketing.

The most common form of recreational fishing is done with a rod, reel, line, hooks and any one of a wide range of baits.

The main contributors to fatalities are:[6] Many fishermen, while accepting that fishing is dangerous, staunchly defend their independence.

The successes in commercial fishing are due in part to the U.S. Coast Guard implementing new safety requirements in the early 1990s.

While the number of occupational deaths of commercial fishermen in Alaska has been reduced, there is a continuing pattern of losing 20 to 40 vessels every year.