26 Catching Fishing Facts

By James Israelsen, Associate Writer

Published September 23, 2025

Every year, there are around 34 million Americans who go fishing at least once._[1]
The most common type of fishing is angling, which is done with a hook and line as well as equipment like rods and reels._[8][9]
Angling techniques include bait fishing, bait casting, fly fishing, trolling, and spinning._[8]
While fishing originated as a means of survival, the sport aspects of fishing date back to roughly 2000 BC, with ancient Egyptian sport-fishermen._[8]
Commercial fishermen in the United States caught a total of 8.6 billion pounds (3.9 million metric tons) of fish in 2021, valued at roughly $6.5 billion._[4]
A Florida man fishing with his son caught a television set. When they plugged it in, it still worked perfectly!_[2]
Some of Jesus of Nazareth's earliest followers—Peter, Andrew, James, and John—were professional fishermen._[10]
Many ecologists have sounded warnings that overfishing during the past several decades has decimated fish populations._[14]
There are five million more fishers in the United States than there are golfers._[1]

Fishing is very big business

Alaska is the homebase for the vast majority of commercial fishing in the United States, accounting for over half of the total yearly volume of fish caught._[4]
The global population of bluefin tuna is now only 2.6% of what it was prior to the beginning of modern commercialized fishing._[14]
China catches more fish than any other nation._[14]
United States presidents Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George Bush, George W. Bush, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Jimmy Carter all loved to fish._[1]
A million Americans have jobs in the fishing industry._[1]
Hand fishing, where the fisherman simply uses their own hand to imitate bait and grab fish by their gills, is done enough in some areas that local governments have laws regulating its use._[5]
Commercial fishing is dangerous. On average, 42 professional fishermen die on the job each year._[3]
The death toll among professional American fishermen is roughly 117 deaths per 100,000 workers. The national average for all workers is 4 in 100,000._[3]
Sri Lankan fishermen developed a novel form of "stilt fishing" during World War II, when food shortages led to overfishing on the beach. Stilt fishermen sit on makeshift wooden crosses out in the water to fish._[6]

In the wake of modern fishing enterprises, stilt fishing is becoming a thing of the past

In fishing, "structure" refers to places in a body of water that have some particular feature that cause fish to spend more time there than in other places._[1]
New Bedford, Massachusetts, boasts the most lucrative fishing bay in the United States, with most of its catch consisting of expensive sea scallops._[7]
Due to overfishing, bluefin tuna became so rare that one of these fish sold for $3.1 million dollars at a 2019 auction in Tokyo. Luckily, their numbers are on the rise._[11]
The almadraba is a method of fishing that involves an intricately woven net based on a pattern designed by the ancient Phoenicians._[11]
The number one cause of death for both whales and dolphins worldwide is "bycatch," when these animals are accidentally entangled in fishing gear._[12]
A Japanese YouTuber caught multiple octopi using the plastic figure of a female anime character as bait._[13]
Types of fishing done without a hook and line include spear fishing, hand fishing, net fishing, and bow fishing._[8][9]
Americans spend $36 million a year on fishing._[1]