The early Jewish people do not seem to have been very good in boats although they liked fish (Numbers 11:5). The only navy they had was sunk in port in a storm at Ezion Geber (1 Kings 22:48). The Philistines came by sea from Cyprus, and the Phoenicians were a seafaring nation, but little is heard about fishing.

It was not until New Testament times that fishing developed, and then on the Sea of Galilee. Magdala was one of the centres of the fishing industry; the name Magdala actually means “fish salting,” There was a larger market around Galilee itself.

It is hard to realize when one sees pictures of rural Galilee today that the lake was surrounded with large cities with ribbon development between, and that it was not at all easy for Jesus to find a deserted place round the lake where he could have a rest away from the crowds. Peter, Andrew, James, and John, partners in a fishing business, were not poor men but were sharing in a valuable industry.

Fishing never developed in the Dead Sea. At 1300 feet (400 meters) below sea level, the evaporation of water kept pace with the inflow, and the water became more and more impregnated with chemical salts. Only in the very limited area where the fresh water streams enter the Dead Sea can any fish be found. There were a number of ways of catching the fish, as follows.

ROD AND LIND FISHING

Isaiah tells how the river Nile will dry up as part of the judgment of God (Isaiah 19:5-8) and refers to “all who cast hooks into the Nile.” When Jesus told Peter to use a hook to catch a fish with a shekel coin in its mouth to pay the Temple tax, we have a New Testament example (Matthew 17:24-27): “Go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch . . . .”

SPEAR FISHING

Job was asked by God which means he would use to catch Leviathan, the great sea creature. “Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?” he asks (Job 41;7). Men would go out in a boat at night with a lantern held over the prow of the boat. As the fish rose, attracted by the light, they would be speared from the boat.

CAST NET FISHING

The cast net was a circular net about fifteen feet (five meters) in diameter, weighted at the edges. A long rope was attached to the center. When a shoal or school of fishes was seen in the shallows, the net was dropped over them. The weights carried the net down, and the fish were trapped underneath. The net was then pulled into the shore.

Peter and Andrew were using their cast net when they were called by Jesus (Mark 1:16-17). Cast nets were also used from boats and were then pulled to the shore through the shallow water. When a person stands above the shoreline it is often easy to see shoal of fish that at shore-level are difficult to see.

It is therefore possible for someone higher up the shore to tell a fisherman where to cast his net. This may be what happened when Jesus told the disciples from which side of the boat to cast their net (John 21:4-6). They were fishing in the shallows, because Peter was able to wade ashore to meet Jesus, and they were within calling distance.

The cast net brought in everything from the bed of the lake, so that when it was hauled ashore it was necessary to separate the good fish from the rubbish, which was then thrown back into the water (Matthew 13:47-48).