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There was a custom that if a fisherman went fishing when his wife was pregnant, it would bring misfortune.
No fish would be caught, or the size or quality of the catch would be poor. If the fish could be sold, it wouldn't cover the cost of the fishing trip.
This superstition assumes that fish have the ability to understand that the floating lump above their heads was carrying a man who was out to catch them. And that man had a wife, and the wife was pregnant. If that was the case, then obviously just having the ability to know there was somebody out to catch them would be enough to know they should swim away.
If there was a record of poor catches by fathers-to-be, it's more likely a result of the fishermen being anxious about their wives, not concentrating on their jobs, and returning to port early to take care of them.
Other superstitions exist refer to the opposite - a pregnant wife ensures a good catch because the fish (somehow) know the family needs support.
No record or research is known to support either case.