One of our best early economic writers, the old Johannes Colerus, recounts under the heading "Who First Invented Fishing" the following: "Fishing, bird catching, and game hunting have undoubtedly existed since the beginning of the world. Zabulon still boasts that he was the first shipman and fisherman, in the Jewish book of the Testaments of the Children of Jacob." As far as historical records go, we are repeatedly confirmed in the great economic significance of fishing not only along the sea coast but also in the rivers and lakes of the inland. A comparison with the present shows that fishing has hardly changed in its importance as an economic factor from ancient history to today and that it is still more than just a trade wherever there are fishing waters.