Introduction

The harvest rate that provides the greatest yield without jeopardizing the population is the maximum sustainable yield. This value must be calculated from detailed demographic information, including the intrinsic rate of growth and age-specific birth and death rates. In a fixed-quota harvest, the harvest is limited to a certain number of individuals by establishing catch limits. When the quota is reached, no more harvest is allowed. The alternative is a fixed-effort harvest, in which managers limit the harvest by regulating the length of the harvest season, type of gear allowed, and so forth.

Learning Goals

After reading your text and completing this exercise, you should be able to:

• Understand the demographic principles behind Maximum Sustainable Yield.
• Analyze the change in the population over time under different harvest regimes.

Please use the next button in the progress bar to continue