Marine fisheries

Marine fisheries capture wild fish and other aquatic organisms in saltwater, using methods that range from small-scale coastal fishing to industrial fleets. Their management sets rules for harvest, access, and conservation.

Fishing gear: Equipment used to capture fish and other aquatic organisms. Gear type shapes which species, sizes, and habitats marine fisheries affect.
Catch share: A fisheries management system that allocates a defined share of the total allowable catch to participants. Catch shares aim to align fishing incentives with limits on total harvest.
Overfishing: Fishing at a rate that depletes a population faster than it can replenish. Excessive harvest can shrink stocks and reduce future catches.
Aquaculture: The farming of aquatic organisms under managed conditions. Unlike capture fisheries, aquaculture raises organisms rather than harvesting them from wild populations.
Trawling: A fishing method that drags a net through water or along the seabed. Trawling is a major industrial method, with effects that vary by gear and habitat.
Individual transferable quota: A catch share that assigns transferable portions of a fishery's total allowable catch. This market-based form of allocation is used in some marine fisheries.
Overfished stock: A fish stock whose abundance has fallen below a defined management threshold. It describes depleted population status, distinct from the excessive fishing rate that may cause it.
Inland fisheries: The capture and management of aquatic organisms in freshwater or inland waters. The marine setting distinguishes these fisheries from river and lake harvests.
Bycatch: Organisms caught unintentionally while fishing for other species. Marine fisheries can kill non-target species alongside their intended catch.
Marine protected area: A geographically defined marine area where activities are regulated to conserve nature. Fishing restrictions in protected areas can safeguard habitats and breeding populations.

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