overfish

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o·ver·fish

(ō′vər-fĭsh′)

v. o·ver·fished, o·ver·fish·ing, o·ver·fish·es

v.tr.

1. To fish (a body of water) to such a degree as to deplete or exhaust the supply of fish or shellfish.

2. To deplete or exhaust (a stock of fish or shellfish) by excessive fishing.

v.intr.

1. To overfish a body of water.

2. To overfish a stock of fish or shellfish.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

overfish

(ˌəʊvəˈfɪʃ)

vb (tr)

(Fishing) to fish excessively, thus reducing fish species, etc

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

o•ver•fish

(ˌoʊ vərˈfɪʃ)

v.t.

to fish (an area) excessively; exhaust the supply of usable fish in (a body of water).

[1865]

overfish

Past participle: overfished
Gerund: overfishing

Imperative
overfish
overfish

Present
I overfish
you overfish
he/she/it overfishes
we overfish
you overfish
they overfish

Preterite
I overfished
you overfished
he/she/it overfished
we overfished
you overfished
they overfished

Present Continuous
I am overfishing
you are overfishing
he/she/it is overfishing
we are overfishing
you are overfishing
they are overfishing

Present Perfect
I have overfished
you have overfished
he/she/it has overfished
we have overfished
you have overfished
they have overfished

Past Continuous
I was overfishing
you were overfishing
he/she/it was overfishing
we were overfishing
you were overfishing
they were overfishing

Past Perfect
I had overfished
you had overfished
he/she/it had overfished
we had overfished
you had overfished
they had overfished

Future
I will overfish
you will overfish
he/she/it will overfish
we will overfish
you will overfish
they will overfish

Future Perfect
I will have overfished
you will have overfished
he/she/it will have overfished
we will have overfished
you will have overfished
they will have overfished

Future Continuous
I will be overfishing
you will be overfishing
he/she/it will be overfishing
we will be overfishing
you will be overfishing
they will be overfishing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been overfishing
you have been overfishing
he/she/it has been overfishing
we have been overfishing
you have been overfishing
they have been overfishing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been overfishing
you will have been overfishing
he/she/it will have been overfishing
we will have been overfishing
you will have been overfishing
they will have been overfishing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been overfishing
you had been overfishing
he/she/it had been overfishing
we had been overfishing
you had been overfishing
they had been overfishing

Conditional
I would overfish
you would overfish
he/she/it would overfish
we would overfish
you would overfish
they would overfish

Past Conditional
I would have overfished
you would have overfished
he/she/it would have overfished
we would have overfished
you would have overfished
they would have overfished

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

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References in periodicals archive ?

Scientists have determined that if we continue to overfish our oceans and fresh water sources, there will be no seafood left by the year 2048.

Prairie Grass Cafe Aims to Promote Sustainable Fishing, One Fish Fry at a Time

The trend to overfish slowed down this year compared to the previous year, said Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

EU reduces Cyprus' bluefin tuna quotas

It could be argued that the EU, having overfished its own waters, is now prepared to overfish other countries' waters wherever it is able to do so - and this raises the issue of the escalating struggle for world resources.

EU big fish threaten industry

"We want to encourage these communities to be a part of ecotourist growth instead of continuing to overfish sharks," says Mohajerani.

Saving sharks in Baja California?

But some fisheries overfish to the point of devastating ocean ecosystems (communities of diverse organisms).

Fried fish?

Fishers typically rotate among a number of reefs so that they do not overfish any one of them.

Reef Madness

By-kill can produce extraordinary waste and even overfish species.

Where have all the fishes gone?

overfish the ocean to the point of endangering many species' survival.

Science in the news

"These ships are literally designed to overfish the world's seas, to deplete one fishery, and then move on to another ocean," says Fred Munson, Greenpeace's fisheries campaigner in the Northwest.

Full nets empty seas

Steps would include cracking down on illegal fishing, reeling in those operations that overfish waters far from their home bases, and reducing the scale of fishing fleets, perhaps by buying and destroying vessels or providing fishers with tax breaks or other incentives to take boats out of the water.