Overfishing has significantly affected many fisheries around the world. As much as 85% of the words fisheries may be over-exploited, depleted, fully exploited or in recovery from exploitation.[2] Significant overfishing has been observed in pre-industrial times. In particular, the overfishing of the west Atlantic Ocean from the earliest days of Eurpoean setlement has been well documented.[3] Following World War Two, industrial fishing rapidly expanded with rapid increases in worldwide fishing catches. However, many fisheries have either collapsed or degraded to a point where increased catches are no longer possible.