Overfishing

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Overfishing is the removal of aquatic animals—primarily fish—from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e., the overexploitation of a region's existing fish stocks), resulting in the species becoming increasingly underpopulated in that area. Excessive fishing practices can occur in water bodies of any size, from ponds, wetlands, rivers, and lakes to seas and oceans, and can result in resource depletion, reduced biological growth rates, and low biomass levels. Sustained overfishing, especially industrial-scale commercial fishing, can lead to critical depensation, where the fish population is no longer able to sustain itself, resulting in extirpation or even extinction of species. Some forms of overfishing, such as the overfishing of sharks, have led to the disruption of entire marine ecosystems. Types of overfishing include growth overfishing, recruitment overfishing, and ecosystem overfishing. Overfishing not only causes negative...

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