Historically, the waters of Ontario were extensively fished by First Nations people. Spring and fall, as the fish spawning runs occurred, were ideal times for communities to gather and harvest fish. Indigenous peoples used a variety of means to catch fish including spears, angling and a number of netting techniques. Fish were caught for subsistence and intertribal trade. Despite thousands of years of subsistence fishing, the lakes and rivers still teemed with fish upon the arrival of Europeans in the 17th century.