Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Fisheries are an important source of food for many people around the world. As food became industrialized, fisheries became industrialized too. There are many research projects trying to understand the development of certain technologies and what it means for fisheries and management of fisheries. By relating the impact of the different technologies on the sustainability of fisheries we can attempt to mitigate or at least be aware of the possible impact of these technologies. Each new technology increases the ability of fish to be caught. Understanding where and when new introductions of technology occurs can help understand the impacts of fishing in those times and areas. This study aims to qualify the rate of development over time of a list of 208 different technologies from 8 different categories of technologies within fisheries: catch handling and storage, fish finding, fishing gear and operation, gear handling and operation, hulls and propulsion, navigation and communication, vessel types, and working conditions and safety. The goal of this work is to provide more quantitative research to help promote successful and healthy management of fisheries by examining and further understanding the impact of the rate of development of new technologies relating to catch numbers in fisheries. Using Google Books and sourcing from multiple publications such as government publications, magazine/journals, books, FAO, corporate reports, dictionary/encyclopedias, and newspapers, the first mention of each technology in published works was documented. Publications were examined from 1800 to 2020. This data was then used to understand the timeline and different rates of development. Development in these technologies has not been steady. The most important results of this research were spikes of development during 1880, and from 1947-1960. These correlate with the introduction of industrial fishing and the industrialization of food post WWII.