<p>Current fisheries studies focus on monitoring, controlling, and surveillance technologies, reviving the theme of fleet dynamics. As an interdisciplinary study, fleet dynamics requires the examination of various aspects. The study elements in question are closely related to the paradigm of development fisheries studies: conservation, rationalization, social/community, and institutional paradigms. Through this division of paradigms, we assess how fleet dynamics research has changed, especially the tendency towards certain paradigms. This study analyzes fleet dynamics research’s evolving trends, key drivers, and implications through a systematic literature review. By examining 95 peer-reviewed research papers (1993–2025) from the Web of Science and SCOPUS databases, we identify a declining volume of fleet dynamics studies alongside a diminishing emphasis on social/community aspects over the past three years. Our findings show that the economic paradigm still dominates fleet dynamics studies, although the conservation focus was once a special orientation. Researchers paid special attention to the disappearance of social/community studies, associating the fleet dynamics theme with vessel movement models. This vessel movement model ultimately resulted in a simplification of social factors in fleet dynamics studies. Fleet dynamics studies need to increase social/community complexity. Social/community issues need to be developed, such as transitioning from traditional to industrial communities, fisheries in marginalized communities, and socio-ecological network studies in fisheries.</p>