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The Church and Change in the Structure of Fishing

The fishing industry includes fishing businesses located on costal waters, those located on inland lakes and rivers, and the growing number of aquaculture firms. The data that is available to analyze the number of firms and employees combines fishing, hunting, and trapping companies. In 1980, there were 12,552 people employed in the fishing, hunting, and trapping industries nationwide. By 1990, that number had fallen by over 20 percent to 10,555 employees. During the same decade, the number of firms in this set of industries slipped from 1,961 in 1980 to 1,609 in 1990, an drop of 18 percent. Most of the fishing firms are small (less than 10 employees), and unlike the situation in mining and forestry, a substantial number of all employees in this set of industries work for smaller firms. In 1990, 1,368 of the businesses (85 percent) had less than 10 employees, and only 12 (less than 1 percent) had 100 or more employees. However, 2,867 employees (27 percent) worked for firms of 10 or less employees, while 2,126 (20 percent) worked for firms of 100 or more(5).

Linda Petruceli's "Fishermen as Victims" (article 5-19), examined how fishing companies control the fishing industry and the lives of fishers in Taiwan. She discussed ways the Presbyterian's Fishermen's Service Center has aided this group of fishers. In "Burning with the Fire of God: Calvinism and Community in a Scottish Fishing Village" (article 5-20), Jane Nadel described the role that the town's two churches have played in the life of the community over the past couple of centuries. The article offers insights into how a "dissenting Evangelical" Presbyterian congregation and a "dominant Moderate" Presbyterian congregation have helped to shape the daily experiences of these fishermen and their families. What have been the needs of fishers and their families in your community? In what ways has your church aided them?

Craig Palmer in "When to Bear False Witness" (article 5-21) examined the honesty of information given out in radio communications for two groups of commercial lobster fishers from Maine. Despite the two groups' religious and occupational similarities, Palmer found differences in the amount of honest and deceitful information each group communicated to their competitors. Fishers whose competitors had been lifelong friends were more likely to convey honest information than were those fishers who had fewer social relationships with their competitors. Whether farming, fishing, mining, or logging, rural people often are entrepreneurs who compete with each other and who may or may not have social relationships with each other. What implications do Schuh's findings have for communications and the moral fabric of your rural community?