Modern fishing vessels include fishing trawlers with a small crewModern fishing vessels include fishing trawlers with a small crew

Coastal countries have an exclusive economic zone extending 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres; 230 miles) from their shores in which they have rights to the marine resources including the fish stocks and may regulate the species, size and total weight of catch permitted. About 87 percent of fish are caught in these zones, but fishing vessels are increasingly venturing further afield to exploit stocks in international waters.[82] In 2011, total world production of fish, including aquaculture, was estimated to be 154 million tonnes (152 million long tons; 170 million short tons) of which 131 million tonnes (129 million long tons; 144 million short tons) was for human consumption. The harvesting of wild fish accounted for 90 million tonnes (89 million long tons; 99 million short tons) while annually increasing aquacultural production contributed about one-third of the world trade.[82] The north west Pacific is the most productive area while fish catches in most of the other ocean areas peaked in earlier years. Fish stocks are being fully exploited in some areas while in others, more fish are being removed than can be replenished by natural means. The number of vessels employed in sea fishing is over 3 million.[82]

Modern fishing vessels include fishing trawlers with a small crew, stern trawlers, purse seiners, long-line factory vessels and large factory ships which are designed to stay at sea for weeks, catching, processing and freezing great quantities of fish. The equipment used to capture the fish may be purse seines, other seines, trawls, dredges, gillnets and long-lines and the fish species most frequently targeted are herring, cod, anchovy, tuna, flounder, mullet, squid and salmon. Fishing methods vary between species, and many countries have introduced quotas in their own waters