Around 177 AD, the Greek poet Oppian of Cilicia composed the 'Halieutica,' a didactic poem in five books on the subject of fishing. The work, dedicated to Emperor Marcus Aurelius, provides a detailed account of the habits and characteristics of fish, as well as practical instructions for fishing techniques. It is one of the few surviving ancient texts that treat fishing as a serious subject, blending scientific observation with poetic description. The 'Halieutica' became a key source of knowledge about marine life for later Byzantine and European scholars.

Oppian's 'Halieutica' is the earliest surviving Greek poem devoted entirely to fishing, and it influenced later Roman and Byzantine writers. The poem's blend of natural history and verse inspired the development of the didactic poetry genre, and its descriptions of marine life were quoted by Pliny the Elder and others. The 'Halieutica' also served as a source for medieval bestiaries and early modern angling manuals.