Fisheries-induced Evolution

Fisheries-induced Evolution (FIE) is the evolutionary change that occurs in wild fish stocks as a result of fisheries harvesting. It is a type of artificial selection that takes place in wild fish populations and aims to improve the yield of the fishery. FIE can occur on a range of traits such as body size, age and growth rates, which can cause changes in the population size and structure of fish stocks. As harvesting has increased, the selective pressure on wild fish stocks has increased, leading to a faster rate of evolutionary change than in the past. FIE can have profound effects on the sustainability of wild fish stocks and ecosystems, and understanding it is key to the management and conservation of these resources.