Overfishing is a topic in fisheries science and marine ecology referring to the exploitation of fish stocks at rates exceeding their capacity to replenish through recruitment and growth, thereby reducing biomass below biologically sustainable thresholds. It is quantitatively assessed using reference points such as maximum sustainable yield (MSY), fishing mortality (F), and spawning stock biomass (SSB), with overfishing indicated when F exceeds target or limit reference points or when SSB falls below critical levels. Overfishing alters age and size structure, disrupts trophic interactions, diminishes genetic diversity, and compromises ecosystem resilience, with management responses involving harvest control rules, catch limits, effort restrictions, and spatial or temporal closures.
Green sawfish, distinguished by their long, sharklike bodies and tooth-lined "saw" on the front of their heads, are on the verge of extinction, largely due to overfishing and habitat loss.
Plants & Animals
Oct 20, 2026
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Preliminary results from an ongoing long-term survey conducted by William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) suggest that an average year class of young-of-year striped bass was produced in the Virginia ...
Ecology
Oct 19, 2026
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From a humble mayonnaise-laden sandwich to an expensive piece of sashimi, tuna is a prized source of food for people around the world. Once an inexpensive, easily shipped canned protein source, today's bluefin tunas can fetch ...
Ecology
Oct 13, 2026
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From the 13th to the 16th century, herring from the Sound—the strait in the Baltic Sea between Denmark and Sweden—was one of northern Europe's most important trade goods. Salted herring from the so-called Skanör-Falsterbo ...
Ecology
Sep 28, 2026
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153
Marine scientists have been amazed to discover an endangered sea cucumber can live for decades, with some animals living more than 100 years, in a first-of-its-kind genetic mark-recapture study. Australian Institute of Marine ...
Ecology
Sep 21, 2026
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Understanding the migration pathways of sharks and rays is key to conserving some of the world's most endangered marine species, according to new University of Queensland research.
Ecology
Sep 16, 2026
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Not so long ago, we thought the ocean was an inexhaustible resource. There would always be plenty more fish in the sea.
Ecology
Sep 8, 2026
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The reproductive life of sea cucumbers has come under the microscope as University of the Sunshine Coast researchers battle overfishing of the marine creatures. Sea cucumbers—which can spawn by wobbling their heads and ejecting ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 19, 2026
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The global community should work to establish an array of new international legal rules to protect the health of fish stocks, new research says. Rather than one set of laws covering all possible maritime sustainability issues, ...
Ecology
Aug 18, 2026
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How many sharks should a coral reef have? It sounds like a simple question, but almost nowhere on Earth is there a reef that has not at some time been fished or otherwise affected by humans, so there is no yardstick against ...
Ecology
Aug 13, 2026
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