overharvest

American  

[oh-ver-hahr-vist] / ˌoʊ vərˈhɑr vɪst /

noun

1. Also overharvesting the excessive harvest of animals, plants, or other organisms, especially harvesting beyond a species’ capacity for population replacement, causing population decline and sometimes extinction.

   Shovelnose sturgeon are long-lived, slow-growing fish that do not spawn every year, making them vulnerable to overharvesting.

   Having survived for more than 400 million years, the horseshoe crab is now under threat primarily due to overharvest and habitat destruction.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to excessively harvest animals, plants, or other organisms, especially to harvest to an extent beyond a species’ capacity for population replacement, causing population decline and sometimes extinction.

   Be careful not to overharvest wild onions—you want to be sure the patch can regrow next year.

   Fishing fleets overharvested off the Grand Banks for decades, eventually causing the cod population to crash.

Etymology

Origin of overharvest

First recorded in 1935–40; over- ( def. ) + harvest ( def. )

Example Sentences

In each instance, the overharvest of forage fish led to the mass die-off of local colony-nesting seabirds.

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2024

Salmon populations in the region have been in decline for decades, largely due to habitat loss and overharvest since white settlers’ arrival to the region.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 15, 2024

In a scramble to gather ramps to sell to distributors, West Virginians sometimes overharvest their patches.

From New York Times • Dec. 3, 2019

Traditionally, when it comes to overharvest, fingers are usually pointed at commercial fishermen.

From Forbes • Jun. 18, 2015

"If they overharvest or destroy habitat today, they will have a less vibrant stock in the future, and thus lower future profits."

From Time Magazine Archive