Fishing is a major form of ecological disturbance to marine communities throughout the world. In the past, fisheries biologists have concentrated on the studying of the direct effects of fishing on stocks of target species and understanding the processes of recruitment. There is now a growing appreciation of the ecological implications of the wider effects of fishing activities on marine organisms and their habitats. Contributions include articles that consider the physical effects of fishing gears on the seabed; distribution of, and trends in fishing effort; ecological effects on benthic fauna; long-term community changes; the effects of food subsidies in the marine environment; interactions between fisheries and marine mammals; technical measures to reduce impacts of fisheries; conservation issues and priorities; socio-economic implications of wider fisheries impacts.