Overfishing

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, resulting in the species becoming increasingly underpopulated in that area. Excessive fishing practices can occur in water bodies of any sizes, from ponds, wetlands, rivers, 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, has led to the upset of entire marine ecosystems.
Types of overfishing include growth overfishing, recruitment overfishing, and ecosystem overfishing.
Overfishing not only causes negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, but also reduces fish production, which subsequently leads to negative social and economic consequences.

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Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain