page_title: Fishing techniques
section_title: Spearfishing
hierarchical_section_title: Fishing techniques / Spearfishing
caption_attribution_description: Català: Indi hupa pescant, per Edward Curtis. Česky: A smoky day at the Sugar Bowl Hupa, cca 1923. Dansk: Hupaindianer med fiskespyd. Deutsch: Hupa-Indianer. Ελληνικά: Άνδρας από τη φυλή Χούπα, 1923. English: Hupa man with spear, 1923. A Hupa man with his spear. A smoky day at the Sugar Bowl--Hupa, c. 1923. Hupa man with spear, standing on rock midstream, in background, fog partially obscures trees on mountainsides. A smoky day at the Sugar Bowl Edward Curtis, photographer. Hupa fisherman. A Hupa fisherman—In the early 20th century, Edward Curtis traveled across America recording photographs of the disappearing lifestyle of American Indian tribes. A smoky day at the Sugar Bowl. Salvage ethnography (Hupa fisherman). Español: Amerindio Hupa. Indio con jabalina. Indio hupa pescando, por Edward Curtis. Euskara: Indiarra xabalinarekin. Français&#160;: Un Hupa dans la brume. A smoky day at the Sugar Bowl - Hupa man with spear, 1923. Hrvatski: Hupa Indijanac. Interlingua: 2006-04-08.
context_page_description: Fishing techniques are methods for catching fish. The term may also be applied to methods for catching other aquatic animals such as molluscs and edible marine invertebrates.
  Fishing techniques include hand-gathering, spearfishing, netting, angling and trapping. Recreational, commercial and artisanal fishers use different techniques, and also, sometimes, the same techniques. Recreational fishers fish for pleasure or sport, while commercial fishers fish for profit. Artisanal fishers use traditional, low-tech methods, for survival in developing countries, and as a cultural heritage in other countries. Mostly, recreational fishers use angling methods and commercial fishers use netting methods.
  There is an intricate link between various fishing techniques and knowledge about the fish and their behaviour including migration, foraging and habitat. The effective use of fishing techniques often depends on this additional knowledge. Which techniques are appropriate is dictated mainly by the target species and by its habitat.
  Fishing techniques can be contrasted with fishing tackle.
context_section_description: Spearfishing is an ancient method of fishing conducted with an ordinary spear or a specialised variant such as a harpoon, trident, arrow or eel spear. Some fishing spears use slings (or rubber loops) to propel the spear.
  Bowfishing - uses a bow and arrow to kill fish in shallow water from above.
  Gigging - uses small trident type spears with long handles for gigging bullfrogs with a bright light at night, or for gigging suckers and other rough fish in shallow water. Gigging is popular in the American South and Midwest.
  Hawaiian slings - have a sling separate from the spear, in the manner of an underwater bow and arrow.
  Harpoons - Spearfishing with barbed poles was widespread in palaeolithic times. Cosquer Cave in Southern France contains cave art over 16,000 years old, including drawings of seals which appear to have been harpooned.
  Pike pole fishing
  Polespears - have a sling attached to the spear.
  Modern spearguns - traditional spearfishing is restricted to shallow waters, but the development of the speargun has made the method much more efficient. With practice, divers are able to hold their breath for up to four minutes and sometimes longer. Of course, a diver with underwater breathing equipment can dive for much longer periods.
  Tridents - are three-pronged spears. They are also called leisters or gigs. They are used for spear fishing and were formerly also a military weapon. They feature widely in early mythology and history.
caption: A Hupa man with his spear
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