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International Journal Of Forest, Animal And Fisheries Research(IJFAF)

Ecological and Socioeconomic Consequences of Overfishing for Fish Stocks and Human Livelihoods

Anwita Bhattacharya

Article Info: Received: 15 Aug 2025; Received in revised form: 11 Sep 2025; Accepted: 19 Sep 2025; Available online: 29 Sep 2025

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DOI: 10.22161/ijfaf.9.3.2

Journal : International Journal Of Forest, Animal And Fisheries Research(IJFAF)

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Overfishing has emerged as one of the most pressing anthropogenic threats to marine ecosystems and global food security. Despite decades of scientific warnings, international agreements, and management reforms, the trajectory of global fish stocks continues to deteriorate in many regions. This review synthesises the multifaceted consequences of overfishing, examining both the ecological unravelling of marine food webs and the profound socioeconomic disruptions visited upon coastal communities. We critically analyse the mechanisms driving stock collapse, including the perverse incentives of capacity-enhancing subsidies, the systematic underestimation of fishing mortality in stock assessments, and the accelerating synergistic pressures of climate change. Drawing on recent FAO data, regional case studies, and emerging stock assessment methodologies, this review argues that the current crisis is not merely a failure of fisheries science but a fundamental governance failure rooted in short-term economic priorities and institutional inertia. We examine promising pathways forward, including ecosystem-based fisheries management, rights-based approaches, marine protected areas, and community-led governance, while acknowledging the persistent implementation gaps that have stymied progress. The conclusion situates overfishing within the broader blue economy discourse and calls for a paradigm shift from extraction-oriented management to a truly precautionary, justice-centred approach that prioritises long-term ecological resilience and human well-being.

Overfishing, fish stock collapse, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, fisheries management, coastal livelihoods, food security, marine conservation, blue economy.

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