There were limestone mines at the junction of Fishing Creek and Little Fishing Creek, but these have not been used since at least 1887. During the Great Depression, a beach was constructed on the creek near Fernville by the Works Progress Administration. After the creek flooded in 1972 from Hurricane Agnes, a flash flood warning system was installed there. In 2002, a tract of land from the Custer/Kocher homestead on Fishing Creek near Lightstreet was converted into a park called the Frank W. Kocher Memorial Park, which was later expanded to cover . In the 21st century, the only significant industry in the watershed is the Benton Foundry.