- 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.
- 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.
