Introduction
Overfishing is the taking of wildlife from the sea at rates higher than the species can replace themselves. This has been linked to the decline of ocean wildlife around the globe. These losses are mainly caused through bycatch of species which are not the target of the fishermen. Another fishing strategy contributing to the overall trend is trawling: the practice of scraping the ocean floor to prevent fish from escaping nets and scooping up everything in reach of the nets. Predators such as sharks and tuna are especially susceptible to overfishing as the removal of these predators causes mass dying from overpopulation of smaller fish.
Many countries have developed their own fishing standards to prevent fish depletion in their own waters. These include standards such as optimum yield and bycatch mitigation. Still, some nations have received criticism for their lack of standards around overfishing. Bipartisan anger in the United States was cast towards Chinese fishermen who have continued to overfish outside of their own waters. Both Republicans and Democrats have condemned the actions of Chinese fishermen in the Galapagos.