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Shavua Tov chevra,
The third perek is mainly concerned with three things:
(1) That when we do food preparation on Yom Tov, we don't "overdue" it in the sense that we are generating a volume that well exceeds the needs of the day itself. The main mechanism the Mishna employs to this end is to prohibit food-preparation activities that are generally performed in order to produce long-term supply. Things like the grinding of grain or the harvesting of anything (picking a fruit off the tree in the backyard or some herbs from the garden get swept up in this too). This is what is behind the discussion in the first couple of Mishnayot, of setting out nets in which to catch fish.
(2) Mishna 3 is about balancing the values of (a) only doing activities that are actually going to service dining on Yom Tov, and (b) avoiding significant financial loss. The Mishna really stretches the definition of "needed for eating purposes on Yom Tov" in order to permit the shechitah of an animal that would become a significant loss if the shechitah were delayed to the next day. The next couple of Mishnayot follow this general theme into the how we treat animals that are possibly kodesh (e.g. a first born animal which needs to be sacrificed if it has no blemishes), and animals which are definitely kodesh.
(3) The final three Mishnayot of the perek are also interested in striking a balance, this time between the value of being able to acquire fresh food on Yom Tov, and the value of not appearing to be engaged in commercial transactions on Yom Tov. The general solution the Mishna devises is that on Yom Tov we avoid the monetization and precise measurement practices that characterize commercial activity.
Along the way, Mishna 8 meanders its way toward the general ethical business practice of selling pre-measured quantities of liquid merchandise, which eliminates the problem of the marginal shortchanging that can occur when - in the rush of the actual business day - not enough time is allotted for every drip of the purchased item to make its way into the customer's receptacle.
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