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How did Stone Age people catch fish?
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Stone Age
Stone tool flaked on one surface only, known as a uniface blade, and three end scrapers.
During the Stone Age, people utilized a variety of resourceful methods and tools to catch fish, adapting their techniques to their specific environments. These methods included:1
- Hand Collection: The simplest and oldest form of fishing involved collecting fish by hand in shallow water, particularly during ebb tide.2
- Gorges: One of the earliest specialized tools was the gorgeāa piece of wood, bone, or stone pointed at both ends and baited. When a fish swallowed the gorge, it would wedge across the fish's gullet, allowing it to be pulled in by a line.34
- Wounding Gear: Hunters used various long-handled tools to extend their reach, including spears and harpoons, which could be thrust or thrown to strike fish.12
- Traps and Nets: Stone Age communities also developed various fish traps and nets to capture their prey.1
These tools were not uniform across all groups; rather, each community developed the instruments most suitable for its specific needs and local conditions.1