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Overfishing

Overfishing occurs when fish are caught faster than they can reproduce. Many marine scientists now believe that overfishing is the biggest human impact on the world's oceans. A recent study in the prestigious journal Science showed that overfishing makes ocean ecosystems more vulnerable to harm from other human impacts like pollution.

Evidence of overfishing abounds throughout U.S. waters, including the near-disappearance of fish that were once abundant, and the shrinking sizes of average-sized fish. Today, many fish are caught before they are old enough to reproduce.

Overfishing probably contributes to declines of marine birds and mammals by reducing their food supplies. Depletion of fish populations is actually an accepted goal for most fishery managers. Fishermen are encouraged to achieve maximum exploitation by "fishing down" populations to about half their original size. Such goals ignore the role of fish as an integral part of marine food webs.

What We're Doing to Help

Ocean Conservancy works to end overfishing through a variety of approaches:

• Research on ocean ecosystems and sustainable fisheries management.
• Promoting legislation that requires sustainable fishing.
• Helping managers implement existing laws that govern fishing.
• Legal action to enforce laws that protect fish and ocean ecosystems.

Passage and implementation of the U. S. Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996 is a good example of how we combine these approaches. Our research and advocacy helped shape this law, and we continue to promote implementation and enforcement through our advocacy with managers and through lawsuits when managers fail.

Much work remains in our efforts to end overfishing. For example, Ocean Conservancy is actively promoting the "precautionary principle" as part of fisheries management. The precautionary principle emphasizes a "go slow when you don't know" approach, akin to driving slowly on fog-covered highways. This is critically important since the status of more than 2/3 of our fished stocks is unknown, yet fishing proceeds with few limits.

Learn more about our work in the Gulf of Mexico.

© Copyright 2010 Ocean Conservancy
The Ocean Conservancy, International Coastal Cleanup and Ocean Action Network are registered trademarks of Ocean Conservancy.

Visit www.oceanconservancy.org/contactus for regional office addresses and email information.

Printed on , © Copyright 2010 Ocean Conservancy
The Ocean Conservancy, International Coastal Cleanup and Ocean Action Network are registered trademarks of Ocean Conservancy.

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