Artisanal fisheries are extremely diverse when considered on a worldwide basis, although less so within particular countries. As a general case, artisanal fisheries are those in which fishermen operate from vessels of relatively modest size, using relatively inexpensive fishing gear and personally sell their catches to purchasers who might be consumers or middlemen trading on the local market. In virtually all parts of the world where coastal fish populations have expanded to densities which are far above the carrying capacities of the adjacent lands, artisanal fisheries have witnessed steadily increasing fishing effort. The results in all areas where this has happened have been a declining catch per unit of effort and, in a great number of areas, a declining total catch.