Collecting the Bounty of the Seas

Fishing

Fishing is an age old way of extracting edible fish from the sea. Fishing is a very diverse art, and a fisherman has many options as to how to apply his trade. Different methods have different requirements and results. Some are better than others in different situations and a table below will help you figure out about what to expect if all other situations are equal. Fishermen will have to make some choices about how they will conduct their business based on a number of factors, the least of which is how much fishing can various areas support and what implements are available.

The first choice fisherman has is where to fish. There general options are on the cost of a lake or ocean, On a river bank, or far out in a boat on a lake or ocean. Of course these options can be limited by what is geographically available. Also being out on a lake or ocean also requires a boat of some kind.

Next, a method will have to be chosen. Here is some detailed information about options.

• Using a spear- This most ancient method is simple, easy, requires only a sharp stick any moron can make in 5 minutes and is dreadfully inefficient.

• Using a Pole- This method requires a fisherman to make his own pole from a stick, hooks from bone and wood, and to acquire twine. Fisherman using a pole need to be supplied 20 ft of twine per month.

• Using a Net- Using a net is by far the most efficient way, but also the most costly. Each fisherman net fishing must obtain a small fishing net made by a ropeworker. These last only a year. If a fisherman is net fishing from a boat, he requires a small net rigging made by a carpenter.

This table represents how many units worth of edible meat a fisherman can produce in a month of fishing full time ( ie. eight hours a day). Note that results should be applied against the Sum and Replacement rates of any fish resource present. Even if an area does not have a fish resource, it has "Inconsequential" fish as a resource as described in a table further below. Please also note that Fisherman are able to work less in winter months due to cold and frozen waters. Expect less yield.

Sea Diving is another ancient method of relieving the sea of her bounty. Sea divers make a living swimming down and collecting resources at the floor of a lake or ocean. When the resources are there, a diver can collect very competitive quantities of food as well as other items such as pearl, coral, and sponge. Sea divers stuck working in a area lacking resources appropriate for them often come up very empty handed. Also note that sea divers spend their working day in next to no clothing going in and out or water. Sea divers only ply this trade in later spring, summer and early fall.

• Sea Divers are adept at collecting the following resources: Kelp, Crab, Lobster, Shrimp, Clams, Sponges, Coral, Scallops, Oysters and Mussels

This table gives data about how many units of a resource a diver can collect in a month working full time. Foods quantities are given in units. This table assumes the resource in question is available in that area. If it is not, the diver may find a very small Inconsequential quantity at most. (Not to be confused with relatively large amounts of Inconsequential fish that can be found in bodies of water).

Sea trappers construct underwater trap like cages of their own design for obtaining fish and other crustaceans. Sea trappers are known to be very ingenious in making of their traps from nearly anything. Trappers are always improving on their trap designs, throwing out old ones and fabricating new traps from scratch. Fortunately they manage to make most of them in the same way a normal trapper builds snares and such; from what materials they have available. A Sea trapper's traps allow him to "work" at catching their prey even when they are resting, or fiddling with a new trap. This allows them to gather some animals much more efficiently than a Fisherman or a Sea Diver. Unlike a fisherman however they are generally bound to more shallow water, and can collect a more limited assortment of resources than a diver.

• Sea Trappers are good at taking advantage of the following resources: Crabs, Lobster, Fish, and Shrimp.

The Following table indicates how many units of edible food a sea trapper can harvest in a month working full time. This amount is only the edible part, and does not include all of the waste matter. Numbers on this chart assume that the trapper is going for animals that are a resource in the area. Sea trappers have no luck attempting to trap animals that are not a resource. This does not apply for fish. Fish are an incidental resource available in nearly all bodies of water. Be sure to remember that trapping of fish does count against the quantities of that incidental resource.

Nearly all bodies of water produce some fish that can be caught and eaten regardless of if the area has a fish as a resource. These fish will be of various sorts, and can be fished using the values just as if there was a fish resource there, but using the table below for SUM and Replacement. Note that some SUM scores are marked with an asterisk * . These can not be forever depleted of the fish Inconsequential resource. You can only fish out that much fish per month, but next month more will be there from elsewhere.

Commercial fishing is far more than a few guys with little nets on a boat. It implies a very large vessel crewed by many men dragging massive nets. More details on commercial fishing will be provided later.

Fish Weir

Whaling is a massive undertaking in the medieval time period. It required large sea going vessels and truly impressive harpoons, ropes, and pulleys. It required a considerable investment of time for many men. It however is worth it some say. Whales provide emence amounts of meat, blubber for oil and perfume, leather skin, and whalebone for many other uses. Whaling is complicated enough as to be left for later work.