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overfished

American  
[oh-ver-fisht] / ˌoʊ vərˈfɪʃt /

adjective

  1. (of a body of water) having its supply of fish or other marine life severely depleted by fishing.

  2. (of a type of fish or other marine animal) severely reduced in numbers by fishing.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The toothless bottom-feeder, which looks like a prehistoric catfish and can weigh over 200 pounds, has been overfished globally.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 20, 2026

Using statistical models, the team estimated current fish populations and projected how much they could increase if overfished reefs were managed more effectively.

From Science Daily Jan. 4, 2026

For instance, one major US seafood trade association has called for a tariff exemption, highlighting that the US seafood market is dominated by imports and American waters are already overfished.

From BBC Sep. 4, 2025

With near-shore stocks overfished in Thailand and Sri Lanka, vessel owners send their crews farther and farther from shore in search of a worthwhile catch.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 28, 2025

The Coquitlam, Capillano, and other rivers have been much overfished by legal and probably by illegal means.

From Fishing in British Columbia With a Chapter on Tuna Fishing at Santa Catalina by Lambert, Thomas Wilson

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