The World Bank/FAO report, The Sunken Billions, argues that world capture fishery resources are performing far below their economic potential. The cost to the world economy is in the order of US$ 50 billion per annum in forgone resource rent. This document presents a synthesis of case studies commissioned by World Bank and FAO that support these conclusions, and show that the economic overexploitation of capture fishery resources is spread throughout the world. The question now to be addressed is what needs to be done to reverse the situation.