What do you think this is?

Where do you think it came from?

Who would have used it?

This is a glass fishing float, used to keep fishing nets afloat in open water! Even though they are relatively old, their widespread use has ensured that even these days they are somewhat common to find in collections. This one was made in Japan in or before the 1930s, and was donated to the Karshner Center in 1943.

This float was used by professional Japanese fishermen. Interestingly, glass fishing floats have been used in other areas of the world by commercial fishermen before plastics became widely available.

For more information, visit:

• This artifact in the Karshner Digital Collections
• Artifact Worksheets you can use in your classroom or for homeschool
• The Glass Fishing Floats of Japan And Norway
• Fishing in Japan