Does the rapid spread of a culture of over-exploitation intensify our impact on wild food sources?

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment “Contagious exploitation of marine resources”

This seems like a really great case study for cultural evolution: the authors describe the spread of sea cucumber fishing as an “epidemic”, but what they really mean is that the idea of economically exploiting this marine food source spread rapidly and in a geographical manner. But why? It is critical that we understand what drives these rapid cultural expansions, especially when they can have serious impacts on ecosystems.