Fishermen (Article in Progress)

Fishermen 

Dr Abe V Rotor

A School of Fish, painted by the author (left) for Fr. George Tabancura (right) 2025.  Dr Abe V Rotor is a former professor at UST, DLSU-D, SPU-QC; Fr George Tabancura is presently the parish priest of Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

Fishermen in the bible refers to Peter and Andrew, anointed by Christ as fishers of men, to spread the Word, the foundation of the church mission carried out by Paul of Tarsus, Vincent Ferrer, Schweitzer et al;

Fishermen in Moby Dick, The Old Man and the Sea, The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish, and others, create imageries of reality and fantasy, including horror in Jaws and Open Water; 

Fishermen, millions of them throughout the world earn their living from the sea, lakes and rivers, counterpart of farmers tilling the land, herding cattle on pasture, raising farm animals and poultry; 

Fishermen, through science and technology, have commercialized fishing as big time industry, to provide fast growing needs and affluence of the world's population, soon to reach ten billion; 

Fishermen, having virtually exhausted the rich fishing grounds, now convert shorelines and waterways into fishponds, build massive fish cages, cast miles-long seine nets in open sea;  

Fishermen, through genetic engineering, have tamed the salmon by eliminating its migratory and homing instinct to be raised in captivity, so with the carp, trout and other transgenic or GMO fish;*

Fishermen may have discovered the lost Coelacanth, Jules Verne's giant squid, sunfish (Mola mola), kugtong or giant lapu-lapu, among others -yet humbled by the immense diversity of life;

Fishermen have reached the boundaries of production on one hand, and ecology on the other, giving priority on short term huge gains at the expense of long term productivity for future generations.

* Almost 35 species of fish have been genetically modified, e.g., trout, catfish, tilapia, and salmon. These are genetically engineered to grow fast, develop larger muscles, and tolerate temperature changes. These fish are being engineered to be better suited for industrial aquaculture.