science

Human uses of fish

Human uses of fish is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Human uses of fish rather than just read about it. In short: People interact with fish in multiple ways, whether practically, in folklore and religion, or in art. They have economic importance in the fishing industry and fish farming; these industries provide some people with an income, and the general population with fish as food.

Key takeaways

Human uses of fish belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Human uses of fish to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Human uses of fish from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

People interact with fish in multiple ways, whether practically, in folklore and religion, or in art. They have economic importance in the fishing industry and fish farming; these industries provide some people with an income, and the general population with fish as food. Other practical uses of fish include recreational fishing and their use in biological research. Fish play symbolic roles in religion, mythology, folklore, and fairy tale, where stories about fish have been told in cultures around the world for thousands of years. Fish have similarly been depicted in art, literature, film, and music in many cultures. Academic study of fish in culture is called ethnoichthyology. Both academically and in practice, all these aspects of fish in people's lives are interrelated.

Scope Fish provide people with food and recreation, support a wide range of industrial processes, and contribute to human society in many ways such as through health care, jewellery, tools, weapons, items of clothing, and musical instruments. These many uses contribute to people's nutritional and economic security and to social cohesion. In addition, fish contribute important advantages to ecosystems, not least serving as "canaries" indicating the presence of ecological threats, and support sustainable forms of aquaculture. Among traditional peoples, fish both contribute an important part of the diet and economy, and figure in rituals and beliefs. Fishing for food can influence aspects of practical culture including clothing, food culture, and architecture; spiritual aspects including customs, art, faith, and cultural attitudes; and social elements including a people's social system, norms, and the structure of society. There is a two-way interplay between human attitudes, beliefs, and symbols concerning fish, such as in Christianity, and people's practical use of and dependency on fish: "Fish not only guarantee the necessities of human life as food for the world, but they also establish human and fish relationships that link social, cultural, traditional, and religious life to every human being."

Practical uses

For food

Throughout history, humans have utilized fish as a food source. Historically, most fish protein has come by means of catching wild fish. However, fish farming, which has been practiced since about 3,500 BC in China, is becoming increasingly important in many nations, and by 2016, more than 50% of the seafood brought to market was produced by aquaculture (of fish and shellfish). Overall, about one-sixth of the world's protein is estimated to be provided by fish. Fisheries provide income for millions of people.

For materials

Fish have been used to provide a wide range of materials other than food, both by indigenous peoples and in modern industrial production. Peoples of the Arctic such as the Nivkh people of Northern Russia have used fish skins to make clothing. Fish bones have been used to bioremediate heavy metals such as lead from contaminated soil. In Tasmania, indigenous people used fishbones as tools to pierce holes in shells, to allow these to be strung and worn as jewellery.

In recreation

Fish have been recognized as a source of beauty for almost as long as used for food, appearing in cave art, being raised as ornamental fish in ponds, and displayed in aquariums in homes, offices, or public settings. Some smaller and more colourful species, and sometimes painted fish, serve as ornamental fish in ponds and aquariums, and as pets. Angling is fishing for pleasure or competition, with a rod, reel, line, hooks and bait. It has been practised for centuries, providing pleasure and employment.

In science

Medaka and zebrafish are used as research models for studies in genetics and developmental biology. The zebrafish is the most commonly used laboratory vertebrate, offering the advantages of similar genetics to mammals, small size, simple environmental needs, transparent larvae permitting non-invasive imaging, plentiful offspring, rapid growth, and the ability to absorb mutagens added to their water.

Religion and folklore

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Human uses of fish

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Human uses of fish claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Human uses of fish before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Human uses of fish ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Human uses of fish

In research: Human uses of fish appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Human uses of fish in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Human uses of fish is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fish and humans, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Human uses of fish outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Human uses of fish in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Human uses of fish means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Human uses of fish out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Human uses of fish in simple terms?

Why does Human uses of fish matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Human uses of fish?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Human uses of fish.