Book excerpt: The Worldwide review of bottom fisheries in the high seas in 2016 is an update to the first Worldwide review of bottom fisheries in the high seas, published in 2009 based on information from 2003 to 2006. It provides states and other interested parties with a summary of the current status of high seas bottom fisheries worldwide. The present, updated review begins with a description of the demersal finfish and shellfish resources, before offering a global perspective on fisheries and management; it then provides specific, regional information over eleven chapters covering the high seas of the world’s oceans, by region. Drawing on data up to and including 2016, it provides a survey of the current state of bottom fisheries since the original Worldwide review, considering these fisheries in the context of their historical evolution.