What was the primary cause of depletion Atlantic cod fishery?

The primary cause of the depletion of the Atlantic cod fishery was overfishing. Overfishing occurs when fish are harvested faster than the population can reproduce. In the case of the Atlantic cod, this was due to a combination of factors, including the use of large fishing vessels that could catch large amounts of fish, the demand for cod as a food source, and the lack of regulations to protect the cod population. As a result of overfishing, the Atlantic cod population declined dramatically, and the fishery collapsed in 1992.