Fishing - Sport or Survival?

In today's modern world, where the average worker is behind a desk, a register, or in a warehouse for eight hours or more a day, the outdoor beckons as a way to refresh, rejuvenate, plus get fresh air and sunshine. Many seek to get away to lakes in the summer to fish or swim. This shows the people's reactions to the sedentary lifestyle of their jobs.
Historically, men started as hunters, then moved to agriculture to bring in the food supply. The commonality with both hunting and agriculture is that man had a lot of physical activity with both activities. With the modern lifestyle, people can go to the store or restaurant to obtain food. While that makes it easier, it also takes away all the inherent exercise there used to be in obtaining a food supply.

A modern way of both getting fresh air and exercise, plus bring in some fresh food, is fishing. Fishing is a popular sport no matter where you live in the country. Depending on your geographical location, different types of fish may be fished at different times of the year. Whether catfish or walleye, bass or trout, bluegills or sturgeons, there is some type of fish in every part of the country. People like to go out on weekends and the summer to test their skills and to bring some home to eat.

Earlier in the development of the nation, fishing was a survival skill, along with hunting and agriculture. Now it has developed into a sport and hobby. While there are remote areas where people's very survival depends on their skills to obtain food from nature, the majority of people in western countries are located near enough to urban centers that they can obtain their food from the grocery store. Therefore, in modern times, fishing skill is often part of a sport, rather than a necessity.