History, Archeology and Ethnography of the Caucasus

The article is devoted to the study of one of the branches of subsidiary farming of the peoples of Dagestan - fishing. The methods used were problem-technological, historical-comparative and historical-systemic methods, as well as the method of historical analysis. The sources for the study were the author’s field material, archival and literary sources. In the process of working on the article, we analyzed the available scientific literature on the problem, unpublished archival and field data of the author. The article examines the main stages of the origin, formation and development of fisheries in Dagestan. It should be noted that fishing is a rather complex area to study, requiring consideration of a wide range of issues relating to various aspects of the life of the peoples of Dagestan. Hence the versatility and multifaceted nature of this topic. The most scientifically productive and fruitful aspects of its research at present are, in our opinion, such as natural-geographical, socio-economic, cultural-historical. Consideration of fishing as a branch of secondary occupation within the framework of these aspects will give an idea of the structure of the variety of occupations, its characteristic features that have developed under the influence of the whole, cultural and historical connections, as well as depending on the specifics of other aspects of the material and spiritual culture of peoples. In the pre-revolutionary period, fishing occupied one of the leading places in the economy of Dagestan, thanks to which the infrastructure of this industry developed, trading companies and associations appeared that established connections not only with the cities of the Russian Empire, but also with foreign countries.