Page 65 - wmo-51st-magazine

to turn brownish or grayish in color, fishermen, using intricate nets and traps
which is a sign of deterioration. to capture these elusive fish. They salted
the tuna and transported it to Greece
7. Tuna fishing is ancient. in special vessels called amphorae, which
A recent discovery in East Timor of
42,000-year-old bones of tuna that were Archaeological evidence suggests that
clearly brought there by human hands tuna and other marine resources were
provides the earliest possible evidence
that people were deep-sea fishing long utilized during the Stone Age.
ago. 20,000 year old fish hooks were
also found in the same area.
essentially were the first known “cans”
The most certain evidence of early tuna of tuna fish. The Greeks and Romans
fishing comes from cave paintings near later refined the fishing methods, devel-
Sicily. The paintings feature bluefin tuna oping more advanced techniques such as
and are thought to be over 10,000 years the use of large boats and coordinated
old. They are the oldest known repre- fishing efforts. Historians have noted
sentations of marine life in Europe. that the Greek philosopher, Aristotle,

mentioned bluefin tuna in his “History of
Greek philosopher, Aristotle, men- Animals” written in 350 BC.

tioned bluefin tuna in his “History of Of course tuna fishing has long been as-

Animals” written in 350 BC. sociated with Hawaii. Ahi, pronounced
(ah-hee) is a word now used to describe
yellowfin and bigeye tuna but Ahi actually
In the Mediterranean, the Phoenicians, means “fire” in Hawaiian. Legend has it
Greeks, and Romans not only caught and that the powerful tuna fish would drag
consumed tuna but also revered it as a the handlines of ancient Hawaiian fisher-
symbol of prosperity and abundance. The man over the side of the canoe so fast
Phoenicians, known for their seafaring that smoke would rise and burn marks
prowess, were some of the earliest tuna would be left on the gunwales.

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