When European explorers landed in the New World, they reported codfish so numerous, you could dip them from the sea with a basket. Today, on Newfoundland's Grand Banks, cod are on the brink of extinction. For most of human history, anglers caught fish a few at a time, with a hook and line or a net. That changed in the 20th century. Motorized boats ranged farther from shore, to fish deeper waters.
Refrigeration units let boats stay out longer and catch more fish.
Fishing gear changed, too. Or take the case of the boccacio. Experts say, overfishing has reduced boccacio populations to just three percent of their former size. And the problem isn't simply that fishermen took too many. Trawlers that go after other fish accidentally catch and kill young boccacio.