Magdala

Before New Testament times, few Israelites were fishermen. Remember, Israel came out of the wilderness. They were shepherdic/nomads. But by Jesus' day, a flourishing fishing industry had already developed around the Sea of Galilee. 

The town of Magdala (in Greek, Tarichaeae, "the place where fish are salted") was a sardine-pickling center. It was famous for the fish caught locally salted, dried, and sent throughout the Roman world. Many of the images Jesus used indicated that he was familiar with fishing and the sea.

As her name suggests, Mary Magdalene came from here—Mary of/from Magdala—(Mark 16:1; Luke 8:2). It stood at a junction of the Via Mares (the International Highway linking Egypt with Asia Minor), where one branch turns west toward the Jezreel Valley (the route Jesus took to Nazareth) and the other continues south. 

Magdala was also a Zealot base during the First Jewish Revolt.