| Summary/Abstract |
The last two centuries have brought dramatic changes to the Persian/Arabian Gulf. Yet while imperial politics and newfound wealth altered much about coastal Gulf societies, fishing remained a remarkably steady enterprise. Rather than immediately changing alongside regionally altering events, fishing provided a stable livelihood for many Gulf coast residents throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and even beyond the first half of the twentieth century. The main contention of this paper is that due to environmental limitations, the Gulf provided enough resources for local consumption, but not enough to justify large investment by foreign powers, such as the British Empire. This fact left local fishermen and political leaders in control of fishing. It also enabled fishermen to adapt to new technologies and markets at their own pace, rather than being compelled to do so by imperial powers. Even the twentieth century oil economy initially provided new markets for traditional fisheries rather than replacing them with industrial fishing fleets.
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