John J. Pilch's article on the Historical Cultural Context of Matthew 14:22-33 includes insights about the economic situation of fishermen in the Mediterranean in the first century.
"Mediterranean fishermen were far from middle class. They were ever at the mercy of the brokers (toll collectors) who capitalized their fishing venture and to whom they were ever in debt. They had no control at all over their activities.
The fishermen also realized that they had no control over nature. Even though they were very familiar with the Sea of Galilee, no one among them was capable of predicting the storms that broke out unexpectedly, almost suddenly. They were at the mercy of the sea to provide a livelihood, and in the case of a storm like this, to spare their lives."
