Fishing

Fishing. . The Powhatan Indians of Virginia used a variety of methods in fishing - hook and line, nets, traps, and spears. Fishing with fire, a means of attracting fish in order to spear them, was sometimes done at night. , Upon arrival in Virginia, the English colonists expected to tap the rich resources offered by land and water. The variety of fresh and saltwater fish and shellfish supplemented food rations sent to settlers by the Virginia Company. Fish served as one of the main food sources for their Powhatan neighbors, especially in the spring. , Englishmen fished with hook and line as well as with nets. The Powhatan people used similar methods, but also caught fish with spears in shallow water and set up large weirs in creeks and rivers to trap great numbers of fish. Some Africans who arrived later had lived along river banks or near lakes in their homeland and were familiar with fishing from canoes using techniques similar to those used by the Powhatan people. Coastal fishing was important to the West African economy. In the colonies, fishing supplemented the diet of African servants and slaves. , "For fish the Rivers are plentifully stored, with Sturgion...Shad...Crabbles, Oisters and diverse other kindes, of all which, my selfe have scene great quantity taken." Ralph Hamor, 1614