Why Fish are Important
Now that you have some understanding of the general features of fish, you might come up
with some ways in how fish are important. Of course, what comes to mind right away is their
use for food (Figure13.13). In fact, people from around the world either fish them from
the wild or farm them in much the same way as cattle or chickens (aquaculture). Fish are
also exploited for recreation, through angling and fishkeeping, and are commonly exhibited
in public aquaria.
Figure 13.13: Workers harvest catfish from the Delta Pride Catfish farms in Mississippi. ( 25 )
Fishalsohaveanimportantroleinmanyculturesandartthroughtheages, rangingaswidely
as deities and religious symbols to subjects of books and popular movies(Figure13.14). For
example, such deities that take the form of a fish are Ikee-Roa of the Polynesians, Dagon
of various ancient Semitic peoples, and Matsya of the Dravidas of India. Fish have been
used figuratively in many different ways, for example the ichthys used by early Christians to
identify themselves and the fish as a symbol of fertility among Bengalis.
In literature, legends of half-human, half-fish mermaids are featured in stories of Hans Chris-
tian Anderson and fish feature prominently inThe Old Man and the Sea. Fish and other
fanciful fish also play a major role in such movies asSplash, Jaws, Shark Tale,andFinding
Nemo.