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Bycatch
 A key threat to Gulf fisheries is the unintended taking of marine life in the process of catching a target species. Often, this "bycatch" is thrown back overboard dead or dying. While the most widely known example of bycatch in the Gulf is the shrimp fishery, bycatch exists in all Gulf fisheries leading to significant conservation and management problems.
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Habitat Loss
 Over 50 percent of the Gulf region's wetlands have been lost since 1790. Furthermore, the Gulf ranked as one of the worst regions in the country for coastal water pollution and toxicity in a recent Environmental Protection Agency report. Coastal wetlands are extremely important to the majority of the Gulf's fish species.
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Depletion & Exploitation
 The process of taking more fish from the sea than the population is able to handle is called "overfishing." Heavy fishing pressure can disrupt predator/prey relationships, alter marine habitats, and impact the growth and mortality rates of both predator and prey species. If left unchecked, overfishing can deplete a fish population, leading to what scientists refer to as an "overfished" or depleted condition.
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