CLASSIFICATION OF THE MAJOR TYPES OF FISHING UNDER 6 MAJOR CATEGORIES
If you are here, it is probably because you intend to know about all the major types of fishing that exist. Based on intensive research, I have assembled all you need to know about types of fishing, and have presented these types, as well as the relationships, similarities and differences among them.
Below is a simple yet comprehensive classification of fishing using seven major criteria. If you intend to know more about the word fishing, read this page on fishing.
This write-up is about types of fishing. Visit this link for types of fisheries.If you are not clear about the differences between fishery and fishing.
A. Major types of fishing across the world
We have prepared a list of about 16 major types of fishing, recognised internationally. They are:
- Inland fishing
- Maritime/marine fishing
- Artisanal/traditional/subsistence fishing
- Freshwater fishing
- Brackish water fishing
- fin fishing
- Shellfishing
- Small-scale fishing
- Medium-scale fishing
- Large-scale fishing
- Semi-industrial fishing
- Industrial fishing
- Recreational fishing
- Sport fishing
- Subsistence fishing
- Commercial fishing
B. Classification of fishing types
Looking at the above listing, you may not easily see the relationship these fishing types have with each other. Let’s group them based on 6 criteria into 6 popular categories.
1. Classification of fishing based on profit-making: Recreational fishing vs Subsistence fishing vs Commercial fishing
Recreational fishing:
Recreational fishing involves capturing living aquatic resources (mainly fish) for sports and other non-profit reasons, such that it does not constitute the individual’s primary resource to meet basic nutritional needs. Fishes captured are not generally sold or otherwise traded on export. (source: FAO Recreational fishing. FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries. No. 13). It is a non-commercial fishing activity exploiting aquatic living resources for recreation, leisure, exercise, competition tourism, entertainment, refreshment, relaxation, sport, etc.
Sport fishing or game fishing is recreational fishing activities that focus mainly on the physical exertion and thrilling experience during the process of subduing a hard-fighting fish, which provides the fisherman with the excitement of a challenge (a good “sport” or “game”) and a satisfying sense of achievement after successfully catching the target (Wikipedia (2024, October 8)).
Subsistence fishing:
Capture of living aquatic resources (mainly fish) for family consumption with only excesses sold. It is small-scale fishing using low-tech fishing techniques investing low effort, with the use of smaller manual gears such as surrounding nets, fish traps, cast nets, etc. Subsistence fishing is often classified under artisanal fishing, small-scale fishing, extensive fishing
Commercial fishing:
The main reason for this fishing is profit-making. This fishing type involves catching fish and other seafood and resources from oceans, rivers, and lakes to market them and make a living.
Table 1: Differences between Recreational fishing and Commercial fishing:
| Comparison criteria | Recreational fishing | Subsistence fishing | Commercial fishing |
| Intension | leisure | Family consumption. Only excesses are sold | mainly profit-making |
| Investment scale | smaller | small | larger |
| Input effort | Low-tech fishing techniques and low-effort | Low-tech fishing techniques and low-effort | High-tech fishing techniques with high fishing effort |
| Gear type | typically smaller manual gears such as spearguns, hooks and lines, spears, pots, harpoons, | smaller manual gears such as surrounding nets, fish traps, cast nets, etc. | typically larger gears and mechanised gears like purse seine, gillnets, trawls, lift nets, etc. |
| Other Categories | recreational fishing is often classified under artisanal fishing, small-scale fishing, extensive fishing | subsistence fishing is often classified under artisanal fishing, small-scale fishing, extensive fishing | commercial fishing is often classified under industrial fishing, large-scale fishing, intensive fishing |
2. Classification of fishing based on products obtained: Fin fishing vs Shellfishing
Fin fishing:
Fin fishing also known as finfish fishing is the capture of ‘true’ fishes i.e. fishes with fins like tilapia, carp, sardines, etc.
Shellfish fishing:
Shellfishing is a part of non-fin fishing that deals with capturing shelled organisms other than true fish. Shellfishes of interest in this type include prawns, crabs, lobsters, mussels, oysters, etc.
Table 2: Comparing Shellfishing with Finfish fishing
| Comparison criteria | Shellfishing | Finfish fishing |
| Organism’s covering | shell | fin |
| Salinity of environment | mostly practised in marine environments | practised in both marine, brackish and freshwater environments |
| Resource examples | prawns, crabs, lobsters, mussels, oysters | tilapia, carp, kanga, etc. |
| Other names | shellfisheries | fin fishing |
3. Classification of fishing based on water salinity: Freshwater fishing vs Brackish water fishing vs Marine fishing
Freshwater fishing:
Freshwater fishing is the capture of fish that spend some or all of their lives in freshwater, such as rivers and lakes, with a salinity of less than 1.05%. Examples of freshwater fish species are Carp, Catfish, Trout, Salmon, Perch, and Sunfish.
Brackish water fishing:
Brackish water fishing, also known as estuarine fishing is fishing practiced in a mixture of fresh and salty water which usually occurs in estuaries and has a salinity usually of between 15 and 30 per thousand. Examples of freshwater fish species are Dragon Goby · Crab-Eating Frog · Archer Fish · Mudskipper ·American Alligator
Marine/maritime fishing:
Marine or maritime fishing is fishing dealing with fish living in saline environments like oceans, seas, etc. Marine fishing species include Atlantic Bonito · Atlantic Menhaden · Atlantic Croaker · Atlantic Spadefish.
Table 3: Difference between Freshwater, Brackish and Marine fishing
| Comparison criteria | Freshwater fishing | Brackish fishing | Marine fishing |
| Salinity range | salinity value of less than 0.5 ppt | salinity anywhere between 0.5 ppt and 35 ppt | typically 35 ppt but ranges between 33-37 grams per litre (33ppt – 37ppt) |
| Environment | mostly practised in freshwater environments | practiced in estuarine environments | mostly practised in marine environments |
| Resource examples | tilapia, carp, kanga, etc. | Dragon Goby · Crab-Eating Frog · Archer Fish · Mudskipper including some species of prawns, crabs, lobsters, mussels, oysters | prawns, crabs, lobsters, mussels, oysters |
| Synonyms and spelling variants | Fresh water fishing, fresh-water fishing | estuarine fishing, brackish fishing | maritime fishing |
4. Classification of fishing based on location: Inland fishing vs Marine/Maritime fishing
Inland fishing:
Inland fishing is any activity conducted to extract aquatic organisms (fish, crustaceans, and others) from inland waters (e.g. lakes, rivers, brooks, etc.)
Maritime fishing:
Unlike inland fishing, maritime fishing is the capture of fish living in saline environments like oceans, seas, etc. Marine fishing species include Atlantic Bonito · Atlantic Menhaden.
Table 4: Comparing the difference between Inland and Marine fishing
| Comparison criteria | Inland fishing | Marine fishing |
| Salinity range | salinity value of less than 35 ppt | salinity is typically greater than 33 ppt |
| Environment | mostly practiced in freshwater and estuarine environments | mostly practiced in marine environments |
| Resource examples | tilapia, carp, kanga, etc. | Atlantic Croaker · Atlantic Spadefish and many marine prawns, crabs, lobsters, mussels, and oysters |
| Other names | – | maritime fishing |
Read more on the differences between inland and marine fishing.
5. Classification of fishing based on scale: Small-scale fishing vs Medium-scale fishing vs Large-scale fishing
Small-scale fishing:
These fishing are characterised by low capital investment, high labour activities often family or community-based, no vessel or small-size vessels. Some sub-groups of fishing that are considered synonymous with small-scale fishing include subsistence fishing and traditional fishing.
Medium-scale fishing:
It is a type of fishing undertaken by powered boats and with small or medium-sized capital. Medium-sized fishing is in between small and large-scale fishing.
Large-scale fishing:
This fishing type is typically mechanized, using advanced technology, high capital investment, heavy gear, and large-sized vessels.
Table 5: Difference between Small-scale, Medium-scale and Large-scale fishing
| Comparison criteria | Small-scale fishing | Medium-scale fishing | Large-scale fishing |
| Input and output scale | small | medium | large |
| Technology level | low | medium | high |
| Capital investment | low | medium | high |
6. Classification of fishing based on technology: Artisanal fishing vs Semi-industrial fishing vs Industrial fishing
Artisanal fishing:
Artisanal fishing (or traditional/subsistence fishing) consists of various small-scale, low-technology, low-capital, fishing practices undertaken by individual fishermen or their families.
Semi-industrial fishing:
It is a type of fishing undertaken by powered boats and with small or medium-sized capital. Medium-sized fishing is in between small and large-scale fishing.
Industrial fishing:
This fishing type is typically mechanized and uses advanced technology, high capital investment, heavy gear, and large-sized vessels.
Table 6: Difference between Artisanal, Semi-industrial and Industrial fishing
| Comparison criteria | Artisanal fishing | Semi-industrial fishing | Industrial fishing |
| Input and output scale | small manual input | medium | large labour and energy input, and high output |
| Labour source | single persons or their families | community-based labour | trained employees |
| Technology level | low | medium | high |
| Gears used | manual gears like kooks, lines, pots, cast nets, etc. | small motorised gears like small engine vessels with gears like trawls. | large motorised gears like large engine vessels, trawlers, shrimpers, etc. |
| Capital investment | low | medium | high |
Conclusion
We just provided a list of major fishing types. Less popular or minor types have been elaborated in their corresponding posts. For instance, fishing like onshore fishing and offshore fishing have been expounded under our post on marine fishing.
For more information about fishing, visit our Fisheries Terminology Dictionary portal. If you have any questions, or any other fishing type not mentioned in our classification above, kindly drop them in the comment section.
Sources:
Wikipedia (2024, October 8). Recreational fishing. Retrieved on 29 January 2025 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recreational_fishing
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