No Tech Magazine

Low-Tech Whale Hunting in Japan, pre-1900s

"Pêcherie de baleines (départ des canots) à Ikézouki, Nagasaki". Source: Histoire de l'industrie de la pêche maritime et fluviale au Japon, 1900.

Historical Fish Landing Statistics

"Increases in fishing power, as Britain's fishing boats transformed from a fleet of sailing boats to one made up of technologically sophisticated trawlers, did little to increase the ability to catch large amounts of fish. In 1889, a largely sail-powered fleet landed twice as much fish into Britain as the present-day fleet, the study found". Read. Via.

Automatic Line Fishing in River Volga, Russia (1861)

To fish for the white sheatfish in winter on the River Volga, a fishing hook was fastened to the end of a long lever by means of a short line. The lever rested with its centre on a block and had a counterweight on the other end. The gear was so arranged that the lever arm carrying the fish hook was pulled downwards and fastened to a support frozen in the ice. If the fish took the hook, it released the support by its movements and was then tossed by the counterweight onto the ice. Quoted from "Fish Catching Methods of the World", Otto Gabriel, 2005. Excerpts.