Silver medal Fishing stand

There are hundreds of thousands of fishermen in the Czech Republic, who catch one and a half million fish annually. This silver commemorative medal from the Czech Mint will delight not only them.

Fishing is one of the oldest human activities. It provided our ancient ancestors with a valuable source of animal protein and fat, the abundance of which in prehistoric times meant the difference between life and death. Archaeological finds show that spears or bows, bone hooks, and simple nets woven from plant fibers were initially used for fishing. However, with the growth of human society, fishing developed rapidly. In ancient Rome, fishing rods with lines were already common, and the ancient Thracians used artificial flies. Medieval fishermen then perfected techniques for catching fish using traps, weirs, and intricate nets. In Japan, fishing was not only a means of livelihood but also part of religious rituals, while in England it became a hobby, with the first book on sport fishing being published there in 1496. In modern times, especially with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, fishing expanded to a massive commercial level. Since then, larger and more modern ships have been sailing the seas. This intensive form of industrial fishing, which uses trawl nets and sonar technology, is capable of supplying markets around the world, but it has serious environmental impacts. It may not seem like it, but fish stocks are declining – overfishing, climate change, and water pollution are threatening their natural habitat. Sustainable fishing and a respectful approach to nature are therefore key to the future not only of fishing itself, but also of life on Earth...

The rich relief of the commemorative medal is the work of the medallist Jiří Hanuš, DiS. The obverse side is dominated by the world above the water surface – a crescent moon illuminates a fisherman with a rod sitting in a boat and a frog trying to catch a bumblebee. The clouds in the sky resemble fish scales, which also blend into the world below the surface found on the reverse side of the medal. Thanks to the moonbeams, you can see not only carp, trout, and a fishing hook in the dark depths, but also a crayfish. The silver relief is complemented by selective coloring.

The previous issue in this thematic series was dedicated to beekeeping. The next commemorative medal will focus on hunting.