Blonde Girl Reveals Her Shell Necklace And Fishing Net On The Rocky Coast At The Sea

Boat-shaped pot from the Ancient China Yangshao neolithic period (ca. 5000-3000 BC). The black fishnet design on this vessel, which was used to draw water, suggests that the Neolithic Chinese were already using nets to catch fish.
Pictorial evidence of Roman fishing comes from mosaics which show nets. In a parody of fishing, a type of gladiator called retiarius was armed with a trident and a casting-net. He would fight against the murmillo, who carried a short sword and a helmet with the image of a fish on the front.
In Norse mythology the sea giantess Rán uses a fishing net to trap lost sailors.