Fishing Heritage Gallery

The Fishing Heritage Gallery tells the story of 6,000 years of fishing.

This artifact-rich gallery highlights 6,000 years of fishing along Florida's Gulf coast. Displays focus on the fishing industry of the Calusa, their predecessors, and traditions that carried into the 20th century. We explore the significance of maritime adaptation as a basis for social and political complexity. Included are topics such as fish, nets, native and post-contact fishing techniques, watercraft, and waterworks. Visitors will learn about the remarkable engineering endeavors of the Calusa, who constructed large canals across southwest Florida; and the long-lived net-fishing tradition. Interactive multimedia stations illustrate topics such as net making and cordage manufacture, and a miniature diorama of a fishing village captures the essence of Calusa fishing. Artifacts include 1,000-year-old palm-fiber fishing nets, Calusa net-making tools, a wide range of shell tools, and an ancient wooden canoe paddle.

A sculpture of a Calusa man in a canoe chasing mullet becomes an unusual overhead light for the Fishing Gallery.	Seminole William Cypress poses with a fishing spear during a reenactment of a Calusa fishing scene, used in a multimedia exhibit interactive.
Cuban Spaniards established fishing ranches in Southwest Florida in the 1700s, leaving behind objects such as these glass beads from Useppa Island, which will be displayed in the gallery. (Photo by Pat Payne)	The Calusa ate a lot of shellfish and then used the shells for many of their tools. These are a few that will be displayed in the Fishing Heritage gallery. (Photo by Scott Mitchell)
Conservator Kate Singley preserves and prepares this 1,000-year-old palm-fiber fishing net for exhibit. (Photo by Scott Mitchell)	The Fishing Gallery features a diorama of a Calusa fishing village. In the background are carved glass windows with a Calusa dolphin design and the entry to the next gallery.

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Exhibit Walk-Through

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