Human and Fish Interaction: Tracing Back the Evolution and Impact on Modern Society

Running head: HUMAN AND FISH INTERACTION
Human and Fish interaction
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HUMAN AND FISH
Tracing back the evolution of human beings will lead the lineage back to fishes since
they were one of the very first evidences of life on the planet. The evidence of human evolution
from fish is observed not only in fossils but also in the very structure and genetics of our bodies.
The philtrum, which is the opening on the upper lip lying exactly beneath the nose is an indicator
of human being’s fishy past. If an early human embryo is observed developing into fully grown
human parts, it will show resemblances with that of an amphibian (Campbell, 2017). There are
several features in human beings that correspond with fishes. Like sharks, humans too have their
gonads located high up near the liver. Although unlike the case for sharks, they need to descend
down within the human body. Human beings have further inherited the condition of hiccups
from their fishy ancestors.
Fishes have traditionally played a prominent role in human life. They continue to exhibit
economic, environmental and social importance in modern times as well. Though marine
production dominates most fisheries, inland fisheries make considerable contribution in
subsidizing the individual challenges faced by local communities in an evolving global
backdrop. Aquaculture and inland fisheries contribute to about 35% of the world’s reported
production in the fish industry (Bartley et al., 2015). These fisheries additionally provide food
and livelihood for billions of people all over the world. The relationship between humans and
fishes dates back to prehistoric times when hominins developed the capacity to utilize aquatic
resources. The impacts of fishing in olden times were minimal since the aboriginal techniques
employed for fish harvesting was solely for consumption purpose. With modifications in fishing
technology and dispersion of human population, economies transitioned to more complex, barter
trade from traditional hunter-gatherer sustenance (Sala et al., 2015). This initiated the
commoditization and mercentalization of fish in the modern world of industrialization. The

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HUMAN AND FISH
increased multiplicity of fishing gears is implicative of the historical developments in fishing
expertise and trade network expansions led by early civilization these changes in technology has
not only depleted fish stocks and water resources but has also caused the emergence of
commercial trade and mercantilization of fish. Although it must be stated that trade does not
compulsively cause fish depletions, since preservation methods like salting and wind drying
practiced still is some rural areas, does not cause serious damage to fish stock. The industrial era
of the Victorian age revolutionized the market of fish industry with the advent of cold storage
and new railways. The ethnic fishery management suffered disruptions following the colonial
disputes of the 1800. The strategies employed by colonial merchants controlled access to the
resources that provided material for fish business. By the 1900, the age of modernization and
maximized profit accumulation, fish wasidentified as a vital commodity making major
contributions to commercial revenue (Hadi et al., 2018). In addition, later in the 1950s the
inshore fisheries and fish stock in the northern latitude suffered serial depletion with the dawn of
species catches that were so long considered inedible. The expansion of hake fisheries was
witnessed in the late 1970s initiated by the advent of frozen blocks through which seafood could
be imported global ports with international reach (Wetzel and Methot, 2013). The history of
fishing has kept changing with the developments in human civilization and it has greatly affected
the ways humans interact with fish; both in terms of consumption and other interaction.
According to some studies, the social context and ambience greatly influencesfish
personalities. Contrary to what is generally believed, fishes have a well-developed cognitive
ability and a complex neurological structure (Costas et al., 2013). Fishes have so long been
believed to be the least sentient of all existences on the planet. The popular and so far
acknowledged notions of fishes and their intelligence are highly at fault. The fact that a school of