Prehistoric Fishing Gear Recovered in South Korea

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA—According to an AFP report, 14 small fishing net sinkers were discovered in northeast South Korea’s Maedun Cave. The limestone sinkers, carved with distinctive grooves so that they could be tied to the bottoms of nets, range in age from 28,550 to 29,460 years old, based upon radiocarbon dating of charcoal that was also recovered from the cave’s four layers dating to the Paleolithic era. Yonsei University Museum director Han Chang-gyun said the net sinkers push back the use of fishing with nets by about 19,000 years. To read more about Paleolithic fishing in Asia, go to "Japan's Early Anglers."