A fishing vessel is a ship or boat used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. There are many different kinds of vessels used in both commercial fishing and in recreational fishing.
The earliest fishing vessels were presumably craft such as rafts, dugout canoes, and coracles, and not intended for use any great distance from the shoreline.
Prior to the 1950s there was little standardisation of fishing boats. Designs could vary between ports and boatyards.
Traditionally boats were built out of wood, but wood is not often used now because of cost and the difficulty in obtaining suitable timber. Fibreglass is used increasingly in smaller fishing vessels up to 25 metres (100 tons), while steel is usually used on vessels above 25 metres.
According to the FAO, there are currently (2004) about four million commercial fishing vessels. About 40,000 of these are greater than 100 tons. It is difficult to estimate the number of recreational fishing boats. They range in size from small dingies to large charter cruisers, and unlike commercial fishing vessels, are often not dedicated just to fishing.
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