Fishing is one of humanity’s oldest and most enduring activities, tracing back at least 40,000 years through archaeological evidence of fishhooks, nets, and cave paintings. Long before written records, coastal and riverine communities relied on fishing not only for sustenance but as a foundation for settlement, trade, and cultural identity. From the stone-tipped spears of prehistoric hunters to the engineered lures of today, fishing technology has evolved in tandem with human innovation, shaping economies and traditions that persist across millennia.