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Photo Gallery: Overfishing

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Dead guitarfish, rays, and other species are tossed from a shrimp boat in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Tons of fish are thrown back to sea every year. International attention to wasteful fishing methods have resulted in relatively new net and hook designs, which prevent some bycatch. "Overfishing has been historically [the] oldest and [most] major threat to ocean life today," says National Geographic fellow Enric Sala. "And because of the mismanagement [and inefficiencies] of fisheries, the fishing industry loses $50 billion a year," according to a 2008 World Bank report, adds Sala. Photograph by Brian Skerry