Module 3: Articles on Overfishing

Overfishing occurs when fish and other marine species are caught faster than they can reproduce.

If left unchecked, it will destroy the marine ecosystem and jeopardize the food security of more than a billion people for whom fish are a primary source of protein.

If left unchecked, it will destroy the marine ecosystem and jeopardize the food security of more than a billion people for whom fish are a primary source of protein.

Eighty percent are already fully exploited or in decline.

As fish populations closer to shore dwindle, commercial fishing operations have shifted their focus to largely unregulated deep-sea fisheries—as much as 40 percent of the world's trawling grounds are now in waters deeper than 200 meters.

As fish populations closer to shore dwindle, commercial fishing operations have shifted their focus to largely unregulated deep-sea fisheries—as much as 40 percent of the world's trawling grounds are now in waters deeper than 200 meters.

Its low fecundity means populations become depleted more quickly than inshore species when they are overfished, and take much longer to recover.

The good news is that areas with competent fisheries management and coast guard policing, mainly in the developed world, have experienced some dramatic recoveries of fish populations.

It's estimated that anywhere from 8 to 25 percent of the total global catch is discarded, cast overboard either dead or dying.

Certain fishing methods are notorious for catching large amounts of by-catch—fish, sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals—that are unintentionally caught and often incidentally killed in fishing operations.

Certain fishing methods are notorious for catching large amounts of by-catch—fish, sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals—that are unintentionally caught and often incidentally killed in fishing operations.

The net indiscriminately catches every life and object it encounters.

This collateral damage, called by-catch, can amount to 90 percent of a trawl’s total catch.

In some cases, the damage could be irreparable.

On the high seas, unregulated bottom trawlers operating in waters well off the coast are laying waste to huge swaths of the ocean floor.

They accelerate as fast as a sports car and reach speeds of 70 km/h, propelled by a rapidly vibrating, whip-thin tail.

They even raise their body temperature far above that of the surrounding water in order to traverse frigid arctic waters.

They even raise their body temperature far above that of the surrounding water in order to traverse frigid arctic waters.

Coveted for their dense, dark red meat used in sushi (where it is known as “toro”), bluefin support an unsustainable $7.2 billion industry that has driven tuna stocks to the brink of collapse.