overfish

American  

[oh-ver-fish] / ˌoʊ vərˈfɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to fish (an area or a marine organism) excessively, or to exhaust the supply of usable fish in (certain waters).

   Scientists are concerned that commercial fishing fleets may overfish our coastal waters.

   A long history of overfishing parrotfish, which help maintain a healthy balance between living coral and plants, has led to significant reef damage.

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verb (used without object)

1. to fish so as to deplete the supply of fish in certain waters.

   If the trawlers are going to overfish here, we'll need legislation to restrict their hauls.

Etymology

Origin of overfish

First recorded in 1865–70; over- + fish

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

overfish

Currently the resurgence is fuelled locally by anger over foreign trawlers which overfish in Somali waters, damaging the fishing industry that sustains communities in Puntland.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Ensconced on the ice, emperor penguins have largely avoided human efforts to hunt them, overfish their prey or encroach on their territory.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2023

Residents say international trawlers overfish and the small Senegalese boats can't compete.

From Reuters ● Aug. 18, 2023

“It got people thinking very negatively about sharks, which just made it so much easier to overfish them.”

From Washington Post ● Dec. 19, 2022

Traditionally, economics taught that common ownership of resources results in excessive exploitation, as when fishermen overfish a common pond.

From New York Times ● Jun. 13, 2012

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