The ocean is the biggest connected ecosystem on Earth. In the geologically short history of the Blue Planet, modern humans, Homo sapiens, have evolved from prey to the most formidable predator, appropriating a still increasing share of renewable and non-renewable material and energy resources. Here, we summarise how the expansion of industrial fisheries driven by subsidies and market globalisation progressively replaces small-scale, typically selective and low-impact fisheries as a major food and feed production force. The resulting overexploitation undermines the viability of marine ecosystems, including their climate-regulating function in the Anthropocene. Resonating with several other chapters, we argue that conventional fisheries management would benefit from widening perspectives. Notably, the policy preference for centralised forms of industrial exploitation leading to high CO2 emissions for decreasing outputs should be re-developed into more inclusive governance that is able to harness the site-specific patterns by smaller-scale and indigenous resource users. It is worth testing how the principles of landmark global agreements, e.g. Law of the Sea and Biodiversity, can be made to work at smaller scales to continue providing the many services human societies need to navigate the Anthropocene thanks to more cooperation and mutual learning.