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commercial fishing
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
A worker in dark clothing inspects large frozen tuna lined up on the floor at Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, Japan, using a tool to check the fish. sturgeon fishing Fishermen in yellow rain gear working on a boat to haul in anchovies as seagulls fly around them. lobster fishing, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada A bigeye thresher shark (Alopias superciliosus) with its mouth open is hooked on a fishing longline, partially out of the water next to a boat in the ocean.
Overfishing: A threat to the oceans and marine life
Illustration of a haddock fish, Melanogrammus aeglefinus, showing its elongated body, dark upper coloring, lighter underside, and prominent fins. Illustration of a halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus), a large flatfish with both eyes on one side of its brown, oval-shaped body and a broad tail fin. Illustration of a jack mackerel fish, Trachurus symmetricus, showing its elongated body, pointed head, large eye, and two dorsal fins with a dark upper body and silvery underside. Illustration of an Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda), showing a streamlined fish with a pointed snout, silver body, and dark horizontal stripes along its back.
At a Glance
sturgeon fishing
fishing industry summary
Related Questions

commercial fishing: References & Edit History

Additional Reading

Commercial fishing

The productivity of the seas and the exploitation of the living resources in the world’s oceans are illustrated in Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Atlas of the Living Resources of the Seas, 4th ed. (1981). Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Multilingual Dictionary of Fish and Fish Products, 2nd ed. (1978, reprinted with corrections, 1984), provides comprehensive information on fish, fish products, and other marine life used commercially. Scientific research supporting commercial fishing is discussed in Taivo Laevastu and Murray L. Hayes, Fisheries Oceanography and Ecology (1981); Tony J. Pitcher and Paul J.B. Hart, Fisheries Ecology (1982); and Maurice E. Stansby, Industrial Fishery Technology, 2nd ed. (1976). Developments in commercial fishing are detailed in studies of local areas, such as Peter Pownall, Fisheries of Australia (1979); and Peter R. Sinclair, State Intervention and the Newfoundland Fisheries (1987). C.R.P.C. Branson (ed.), Fishermen’s Handbook, 2nd ed. (1987), explains and illustrates many situations occurring in commercial fishing.

Equipment, facilities, and methods

John C. Sainsbury, Commercial Fishing Methods: An Introduction to Vessels and Gears, 2nd ed. (1986), describes the basics of the fishing industry. Andres von Brandt, Fish Catching Methods of the World, 3rd rev. ed. (1984), surveys fishing methods and equipment, from the simplest and most basic to the totally computerized and automated. Dag Pike, Fishing Boats and Their Equipment (1979), examines the design factors of boats and their effect on fishing productivity. Jan-Olof Traung (ed.), Fishing Boats of the World, 3 vol. (1955–67), provides excellent basic information on boats for various fishing methods. Specific methods and technologies are discussed in Echo Sounding and Sonar for Fishing (1980), a Food and Agriculture Organization fishing manual; David B. Thomson, Seine Fishing: Bottom Fishing with Rope Warps and Wing Trawls, rev. ed. (1981), and Pair Trawling and Pair Seining: The Technology of Two-Boat Fishing (1978); J.H. Merritt, Refrigeration on Fishing Vessels, rev. ed. (1978); and J.J. Connell (ed.), Advances in Fish Science and Technology (1980). Fishing Ports and Markets (1970) is a collection of papers from a conference held under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Fisheries

The resources, ecology, and management of marine and freshwater fisheries are discussed in Robert J. Browning, Fisheries of the North Pacific: History, Species, Gear, & Processes, rev. ed. (1980); Robert T. Lackey and Larry A. Nielsen (eds.), Fisheries Management (1980); Frederick W. Bell, Food from the Sea: The Economics and Politics of Ocean Fisheries (1978); Stephen Cunningham, Michael R. Dunn, and David Whitmarsh, Fisheries Economics (1985); G.C. Eddie, Engineering, Economics, and Fisheries Management (1983); Toivo Laevastu and Herbert A. Larkins, Marine Fisheries Ecosystem: Its Quantitative Evaluation and Management (1981); Robin L. Welcomme, Fisheries Ecology of Floodplain Rivers (1979); Robin G. Templeton (ed.), Freshwater Fisheries Management (1984); and Shelby D. Gerking (ed.), Ecology of Freshwater Fish Production (1978). Ongoing research and developments in the field are reported in Fisheries of the United States (annual); and Ocean Yearbook.

John C. Sainsbury Dag Pike

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Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Added cross-references. Jan 17, 2025
Mentioned that overharvesting, pollution, and ocean acidification are major threats to marine fisheries. Removed the section on aquaculture. Feb 01, 2022
Removed media. Nov 17, 2021
Added information on the regulation of international waters. Mentioned that an estimated one-third of fisheries are over-exploited. Mar 25, 2019
Media added. Mar 31, 2017
Media added. Mar 03, 2017
Added video. Apr 03, 2015
Added video. Feb 11, 2015
Deleted Web site: National Fisherman magazine. Jul 24, 2013
Changed "The Netherlands" to "the Netherlands." Jun 30, 2010
Added image of Atlantic bonito. Dec 14, 2009
Media added. Nov 13, 2008
Added new Web site: Fishing Hurts. May 26, 2006
Article added to new online database. Jul 26, 1999
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