overfishing
Harvesting beyond replenishment
Overfishing is harvesting fish faster than populations can reproduce, depleting stocks to unsustainable levels.
The practice threatens marine ecosystems and the fishing industries that depend on them: Overfishing has collapsed the Atlantic cod population.
Regulations like catch limits and seasonal closures attempt to prevent it.
Cold-water food fish
- tunaLarge edible ocean fish
- salmonPink-fleshed migratory fish
- bluefinLarge migratory tuna species
- halibutLarge edible flatfish
swordfish · anchovy · sardine · mackerel · haddock · flounder · pollock · Chilean sea bass
Net-dragging fishing method
- bycatchNon-target species caught accidentally
- driftnetsFloating commercial fishing mesh
- longliningMulti-hook commercial fishing method
- purse-seineEncircling net with drawstring
gillnets · bottom trawling · dragnet · factory ships · sonar · electroshocking · ghost nets
Ownership stakes or inventory
- collapseSudden structural failure
- biomassLiving material in aggregate
- decimationNear-total destruction
- exhaustionState of utter depletion
scarcity · dwindling · reduction · decline · crash · disappearance · population crash · stock collapse
Fixed assigned amount
- illegalForbidden by statute
- unreportedNot officially documented
- unregulatedNot controlled by rules
- enforcementCompelling compliance with rules
moratorium · catch limits · seasonal closures · licensing · monitoring · international treaties · subsidies · traceability
Range of life forms
- ecosystemsInterdependent organism-environment systems
- food webInterconnected predator-prey relationships
- keystone speciesOutsized ecological impact organism
- marine reservesProtected ocean areas
ecological balance · apex predators · ecosystem collapse · predator-prey · marine sanctuaries · habitat destruction · coral bleaching · dead zones
Guaranteed adequate nutrition access
- coastal communitiesSettlements along the shore
- economic collapseCatastrophic failure of finances
- hungerNeed for nourishment
- malnutritionDisease from dietary inadequacy
cod
Cold-water food fish
halibut · swordfish · anchovy · sardine · mackerel · haddock · flounder · pollock · Chilean sea bass · shark
trawling
Net-dragging fishing method
- bycatchNon-target species caught accidentally
- driftnetsFloating commercial fishing mesh
- longliningMulti-hook commercial fishing method
purse-seine · gillnets · bottom trawling · dragnet · factory ships · sonar · electroshocking · ghost nets
stocks
Ownership stakes or inventory
- collapseSudden structural failure
- biomassLiving material in aggregate
- decimationNear-total destruction
exhaustion · scarcity · dwindling · reduction · decline · crash · disappearance · population crash · stock collapse · vanishing
quota
Fixed assigned amount
- illegalForbidden by statute
- unreportedNot officially documented
- unregulatedNot controlled by rules
enforcement · moratorium · catch limits · seasonal closures · licensing · monitoring · international treaties · subsidies · traceability · certification
biodiversity
Range of life forms
- ecosystemsInterdependent organism-environment systems
- food webInterconnected predator-prey relationships
- keystone speciesOutsized ecological impact organism
marine reserves · ecological balance · apex predators · ecosystem collapse · predator-prey · marine sanctuaries · habitat destruction · coral bleaching · dead zones · algal blooms
food security
Guaranteed adequate nutrition access
- coastal communitiesSettlements along the shore
- economic collapseCatastrophic failure of finances
- hungerNeed for nourishment
- environmental harmair pollution, water pollution, pollution, oil spills, acid rain
- fishing harmbycatch, stock collapse, ghost nets, bottom trawling, shark finning
- ocean healthocean acidification, coral bleaching, marine pollution, plastic pollution, dead zones
- Sustainable Seafoodeco-labels, dolphin-safe, reef-safe, traceability, bycatch
- fisheries sciencebiomass, abundance, quota, sustainable yield, mortality
- environmental issuesair pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, global warming, habitat loss
overfishingsustainable fishing
Harvesting that preserves populations
sustainable harvesting · sustainable fisheries · subsistence fishing · catch-and-release · catch limits
fish, fishing, fisherman, fishermen, fishery, fishtail, fisheye, overfish, overfished