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To make dwarves fish in a particular place, mark a Fishing zone on walkable land beside fish-bearing water. Zones are a preference by default, not a restriction; to keep fishers at assigned spots, enable zone-only fishing under Labor → Standing Orders.
Mark shore tiles as a Fishing zone
- Find fish-bearing water. Choose shoreline near a water source that supports fishing. A zone drawn only over ordinary water will not designate the intended fishing spot.
- Open the zone designation controls and select Fishing. Mark one or more walkable ground tiles next to the water. Several adjacent shore tiles can make a practical fishing area.
- Consider safety and distance. If a shore is dangerous or far from the fortress, choose a safer nearby area where possible; zone-only fishing can keep fishers from using other locations.
Choose whether the zone is a preference or a restriction
By default, dwarves prefer designated Fishing zones but may fish at other qualifying waters. If you want fishing labor confined to the places you marked, go to Labor → Standing Orders and set fishing to zone-only. Menu wording can vary by game release, so check the in-game labels if they differ.
| Setting | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Prefer zones (default) | Favors designated Fishing zones while leaving other fishable water available. | Use when you want a preferred spot but do not need to restrict access elsewhere. |
| Zone-only | Limits fishing labor to designated locations. | Use to control where fishers go, such as avoiding a dangerous or distant shore. |
If the zone reports no fishing
- Check that the designation covers walkable shoreline tiles, not just the water surface.
- Confirm the nearby water supports fishing. In a region without fish, the game can report “nothing to catch” or show zero fishing availability.
Fishing labor and the Fishery are separate considerations
Ordinary fishing uses fishing labor and a suitable fishing location. If you are assigning the Fishery workshop task Catch Live Fish, make sure fishing labor is enabled and an active Fishing zone exists. The workshop task has these requirements; simply having fishing labor enabled is not enough.
For procedural reference, see the Dwarf Fortress Wiki pages on fishing, zones, and the fishing industry. The fishing guidance identifies coverage for v53.16 and v0.47.05 and notes that some content may need updating, so use the current in-game labels if a later release changes the menu.
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