Fishing village

A fishing village is a community whose economy is based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. These settlements are usually located near productive fishing grounds. They can be found along vast coastlines or near inland lakes and rivers. The world has many such places, with global coastlines totaling around 356,000 kilometres.

Many of these villages have existed since Neolithic times. Most surviving fishing villages today still maintain traditional ways of life.

To function, a fishing village must manage its relationship with the water. Many coastal villages are somewhat isolated from large cities. They are often sited around a small natural harbour. This harbour provides a safe haven for the village fleet of fishing boats. The village must provide a way to land fish safely. It also needs ways to secure boats when they are not in use. In some areas, such as Lake Malawi, villages operate directly from a beach. In these places, specific rules might exist for outsiders. For example, a fisherman from another village might give fish to the local headman when using a village beach.

Boat technology in these villages is highly specialized. Traditional fishing boats evolve over time to meet local conditions. Builders use materials that are available in the local area. They also design boats to handle specific sea conditions. The boats must also meet the specific demands of the local fisheries.

Some villages do not live on solid land. In Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, villages are floating. In Tai O near Hong Kong, stilt houses are built over tidal flats. Other groups use structures called kelong in waters near Malaysia and Indonesia. Some people even live on floating islands, like the Phumdi on Loktak Lake in India or the Uros on Lake Titicaca.

Beyond fishing, these communities support many different enterprises. They often include standard village services like schools and health clinics. They also provide housing and community water supplies. Some villagers focus on specialized tasks like fish processing and marketing. Others work in the building and maintenance of boats. In the past, some villagers had different ways to supplement their income. Until the 19th century, some used wrecking or smuggling. Wrecking involved taking valuables from nearby shipwrecks.

History shows that fishing villages can change into much larger cities. Seven hundred years ago, Shanghai was just a small fishing village near the Yangtze River delta. Today, many traditional villages are changing due to socioeconomic factors. These factors include industrial fishing and urbanization. In some cases, villages outgrow their original function as small artisanal fishing communities. However, some groups remain connected to the water through leisure or fishing. These extended communities are sometimes called aquapelagos.

Many villages are now shifting toward tourism and leisure. Recreational fishing and boat pursuits have become big businesses. Traditional villages are often well positioned to take advantage of this. For example, Destin in Florida evolved from an artisanal village into a seaside resort. It now features a large fleet of recreational charter boats. The tourist appeal is so strong that the Korean government is purpose-building 48 fishing villages. In 2004, China reported having 8,048 fishing villages.

Archaeologists continue to find evidence of ancient fishing settlements. In Vietnam, an excavated village is thought to be 3,500 years old. A Tongan village was recently found to be 2,900 years old, making it the oldest known settlement in Polynesia. In Europe, Skara Brae was a Neolithic village occupied from 3100 to 2500 BC. It contained ten stone houses. Other ancient sites include Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee, established in the tenth century BCE. There is also the medieval village of Walraversijde in Belgium. These discoveries show how long humans have lived by the water.