Reference Terms

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Overfishing

Overfishing is a situation where one or more fish stocks are reduced below predefined levels of acceptance by fishing activities.

More precise definitions are provided in biology and bioeconomics.

Biological overfishing occurs when fishing mortality has reached a level where the stock biomass has negative marginal growth (slowing down biomass growth).

Ultimately overfishing may lead to depletion in cases of subsidised fishing, low biological growth rates and critical low biomass levels.

The ability for nature to restore the fisheries is also dependent on whether the ecosystems are still in a state to allow fish numbers to build again.

Dramatic changes in species composition may establish other equilibrium energy flows which involve other species compositions than before (ecosystem shift).

Note: The above text is excerpted from the Wikipedia article "Overfishing", which has been released under the GNU Free Documentation License.

For more information, see the following related content on ScienceDaily:

Swordfish, Three Other Stocks Rebuilt to Healthy Levels, NOAA Reports

May 17, 2010 — Four fisheries stocks, including Atlantic swordfish, have now been rebuilt to healthy levels, according to a new ... read more

EU Ban on Ditching Unwanted Fish 'Will Be Difficult for Industry to Comply With'

Mar. 18, 2015 — The fishing industry will have difficulty complying with new EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) rules banning the throwing away of unwanted fish, according to ... read more

Global Fisheries Research Finds Promise and Peril: While Industry Contributes $240B Annually, Overfishing Takes Toll on People and Revenue

Sep. 14, 2010 — Global fisheries, a vital source of food and revenue throughout the world, contribute between $225-$240 billion per year to the worldwide economy, according to four new studies. Researchers also ... read more

Slipped Through the Net: Europe Misses by More Than 30 Years the International Goal of Rebuilding Its Fish Stocks

Jan. 21, 2010 — At the Development Summit in Johannesburg in 2002, the European countries agreed to rebuild their fish stocks to levels that can produce the maximum sustainable yield, no later than 2015. According ... read more

Are Our Fisheries Laws Working? Just Ask About Gag Grouper

Apr. 23, 2015 — "Gag grouper? That's our money fish," said a charter boat captain out of Clearwater, Florida, on the state's western shore. "That's what brings customers to the ... read more

Turning A Blind Eye To Bigeye Tuna

Dec. 3, 2007 — Bigeye tuna are under threat because authorities are failing to recognize the dire extent of overfishing. If protection measures are not put in place, says WWF and TRAFFIC, the tuna stocks are at ... read more

Boom in Jellyfish: Overfishing Called Into Question

May 3, 2013 — Will we soon be forced to eat jellyfish? Since the beginning of the 2000s, these gelatinous creatures have invaded many of the world's seas, like the Japan Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean ... read more

Projects for Sustainable Fishing Not Effective Enough

May 13, 2015 — Projects that stimulate sustainable fishing in developing countries often get no further than good intentions. Thus, some of the imported fish sold in European and North American shops may be less ... read more

Overfishing And Evolution: Fish Fear Their Census-Takers

July 21, 2009 — Using snorkelers and SCUBA divers is not the best way to monitor fish populations, if we want to know the evolutionary effects of overfishing. The fish population in coral reef areas is often ... read more

Strong Economic Gains from Fishing, Continued Improvement in Fish Stocks, Report Shows

Apr. 29, 2014 — Positive trends have continued in the steady rebuilding of the USA's federally managed fisheries off its coasts, and the important role fisheries contribute to the United State economy has been ... read more

Share This Page:

Plants & Animals News

October 1, 2016

Deep-Sea Animals Ingesting Microplastics

Feral Chickens Shed Light On Evolution

How to Be a Male Without the Y Chromosome

Good Food Puts Bees in Good Mood

Latest Headlines

updated 12:56 pm ET

With Worrisome Animal Research, More Focus Needed on Effects of Cannabis on Human Development

Sep. 30, 2016 — In this new era of legalized marijuana, far too little research has been conducted on the effect of cannabis on the development of human embryos, say ... read more

New Way to Open Insects' Exoskeletons for Study

Sep. 28, 2016 — Insects are tough animals to study. One reason is their armor-like coating, called an exoskeleton, which protects their organs. Researchers have discovered a technique to ... read more

CDC Urging Men at Risk of Zika to Postpone Fatherhood

Sep. 30, 2016 — CDC today announced updates to its interim guidance for pre-pregnancy counseling and prevention of sexual transmission of Zika based on ongoing assessment of available data, primarily extending the ... read more

Lake Brownification, Eutrophication Decrease the Content of Essential Fatty Acids in Fish Used in Human Diets

Sep. 30, 2016 — Eutrophication and brownification change phytoplankton community structure and decrease the production of essential omega-3 fatty acids in lakes. ... read more

Plants: Defying Frost and the Cold With Hormones

Sep. 28, 2016 — Plants cannot simply relocate to better surroundings when their environmental conditions are no longer suitable. Instead, they have developed sophisticated molecular adaptation mechanisms. Scientists ... read more

Genetically Engineered Crops Are Safe, Review of Studies Finds

Sep. 30, 2016 — Genetically engineered crops are no different from conventional crops in terms of their risks to human health and the environment, according to a new ... read more

Vitamin D Could Help Control TB in Animals, New Study Shows

Sep. 28, 2016 — Vitamin D supplementation can reduce the severity of tuberculosis (TB) in wild boar and red deer, new research shows. Wild boar and red deer are key hosts of TB and transmit the disease to cattle and ... read more

Ancient Reptile Fossils Claw for More Attention

Sep. 29, 2016 — Newly recovered fossils confirm that Drepanosaurus, a prehistoric cross between a chameleon and an anteater, was a small reptile with a fearsome finger. The second digit of its forelimb sported a ... read more

Wind Turbines Killing More Than Just Local Birds

Sep. 29, 2016 — Wind turbines are known to kill large birds, such as golden eagles, that live nearby. Now there is evidence that birds from up to hundreds of miles away make up a significant portion of the raptors ... read more

Are Suburban Garden Ponds Spreading Lethal Frog Disease?

Sep. 29, 2016 — Keen gardeners stocking their domestic ponds with exotic or wild aquatic species could be inadvertently fueling the rapid spread of the lethally infectious frog disease ranavirus in England, ... read more