Overfishing is taking place all over the world threatening marine ecosystems’ health and associated livelihoods. Correctly identifying the drivers of overexploitation are crucial to guide effective fishery measures. In the present study the distinct contribution to overfishing of large-scale fisheries (LSF) and small-scale fisheries (SSF) in the Gulf of California and in the Mediterranean Sea has been compared. To accomplish the task, a weight of evidence approach has been applied based on a thorough literature review documenting overfishing. Results showed that both SSF and LSF shared responsibilities in overfishing in the two geographical locations considered, albeit with different contributions. In the Gulf of California, the weight of evidence revealed that overfishing was mainly driven by fishers engaged in SSF whereas in the Mediterranean, overfishing was mainly driven by LSF. In the Mediterranean, bycatch by LSF played a greater role than in the Gulf of California where, instead, a higher number of endemic overfished species were recorded. In order to attain fisheries sustainability some recommendations are given. In the Mediterranean, selective fishing practices and fishery policies that include input controls and catch limits are highly desirable. In the Gulf of California, the presence of governmental agencies and their services together with participatory management schemes should be reinforced in the region.

世界各地都在发生过度捕捞，威胁着海洋生态系统的健康和相关生计。正确识别过度开发的驱动因素对于指导有效的渔业措施至关重要。在本研究中，比较了加利福尼亚湾和地中海对大型渔业 (LSF) 和小型渔业 (SSF) 过度捕捞的不同贡献。为完成这项任务，基于记录过度捕捞的全面文献回顾，采用了一种权重的证据方法。结果表明，SSF 和 LSF 在所考虑的两个地理位置共同承担过度捕捞的责任，尽管贡献不同。在加利福尼亚湾，大量证据表明过度捕捞主要是由从事小规模渔业的渔民造成的，而在地中海，过度捕捞主要是由 LSF 驱动的。在地中海，LSF 的兼捕比在加利福尼亚湾发挥了更大的作用，相反，记录到的地方性过度捕捞物种数量更多。为了实现渔业可持续性，提出了一些建议。在地中海，包括投入控制和捕捞限制在内的选择性捕捞做法和渔业政策是非常可取的。在加利福尼亚湾，该地区应加强政府机构的存在及其服务以及参与式管理计划。为了实现渔业可持续性，提出了一些建议。在地中海，包括投入控制和捕捞限制在内的选择性捕捞做法和渔业政策是非常可取的。在加利福尼亚湾，该地区应加强政府机构的存在及其服务以及参与式管理计划。为了实现渔业可持续性，提出了一些建议。在地中海，包括投入控制和捕捞限制在内的选择性捕捞做法和渔业政策是非常可取的。在加利福尼亚湾，应该在该地区加强政府机构的存在及其服务以及参与式管理计划。