Bananas are deemed unlucky by recreational fishermen and those catering to that trade. We can't say how far back the superstition goes, but at least among sport fishermen there exists a belief that bananas on a boat are unlucky.
Usually this rumour takes the form of the fish not biting
on the day when bananas were discovered onboard, but mechanical breakdowns and other mishaps are also pointed to. Some in the fishing charters business extend their distaste for the fruit to include not only actual banana but anything banana flavoured) but even to items bearing the word "banana" like Banana Boat sunscreen.
When the fishing starts out bad and stays that way, charter boat captains are likely to interrogate their clients of the day as to whether any of them might have brought a banana aboard. When the offending item is found — be it the fruit itself, a banana muffin, or a tube of Banana Boat sunscreen — it is quickly flung overboard. Almost immediately, say those who have performed such exorcisms, the boat's luck turns around — the fish begin biting and a good day at sea is enjoyed by all. No clear reason exists as to how this superstition came to be.
Common explanations include: When top-heavy ships of earlier eras would sink, precious little other than the bananas they'd carried would be found floating on the surface, thereby leaving some to conclude conveyance of the fruit itself had led to these naval mishaps. Another was that other fruits would spoil more quickly when bananas were being shipped along with them, causing folks to point the finger at bananas being bad luck instead the ethylene gas emitted by bananas as they ripen. (Via Snopes)
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