Atlantic cod has been the basis of a major fishing industry in the Gulf of Maine for centuries and is a key species in the local ecosystem. Overfishing decimated the population of cod and in 2010, fisheries managers imposed a series of restrictions on harvesting the fish in order to try to help the species to rebound.
Many ecologists believe that the sixth mass extinction is underway. Whereas previous mass extinctions have been associated with cataclysmic events like asteroid strikes, this one is said to be associated with the impact of humanity on nature.