The maximum yield or crop which may be harvested year after year without damage to the system, or the theoretical point at which the size of a population is such as to produce a maximum rate of increase. The concept has been applied widely to commercial fisheries, forming the basis for models that predict stocking density required to maintain optimum fish production and the harvest methods and food supply required to maintain production at that level. [Go to source
The maximum crop or yield that can be removed repeatedly from a population without driving it towards extinction.
The largest average harvest of a species that can be indefinitely sustained under existing environmental conditions.
the maximum quantity of a natural resource that can be harvested annually without depleting the resource stock or population.
The highest theoretical equilibrium yield that can be continuously taken (on average) from a stock under existing (average) environmental conditions without affecting significantly the reproduction process.
the greatest number of fish that can be taken without reducing the number of individuals necessary to propagate the species.
(King, 1995). The largest annual catch that may be taken from a stock continuously without affecting the catch of future years; a constant long-term MSY is not a reality in most fisheries, where stock sizes vary with the strength of year classes moving through the fishery.
The maximum number of a food or game population that can be harvested without harming the population's ability to grow back.
The maximum amount of a species that can be taken without diminishing the future take.
can be defined in various ways, but originated from surplus-production models as the maximum catch that can be removed from a stock over an indefinite period without affecting sustainability. MSY defined in this way makes no allowance for environmental variability, and studies have demonstrated that fishing at the level of MSY is often not sustainable (cf. longterm potential yield).
This can be defined in various ways, but originated from surplus production models as the maximum catch that can be removed from a stock over an indefinite period. MSY defined in this way makes no allowance for environmental variability, and studies have demonstrated that fishing at the level of MSY without taking any other environmental effects into consideration may not be sustainable in the longer term.
The highest average yield over time that does not result in a continuing reduction in stock abundance. Determination of MSY must take into account fluctuations in abundance and environmental variability.
The largest average catch that can be taken continually (sustained) from a stock under average environmental conditions. This is often used as a management goal.
the maximum amount which can be harvested without reducing the stock which is available in subsequent years.
In population ecology, maximum sustainable yield or MSY is, theoretically, the largest yield/catch that can be taken from a species' stock over an indefinite period. Under the assumption of logistic growth, the MSY will be exactly half the carrying capacity of a species, as this is the stage at when population growth is highest. The maximum sustainable yield is usually higher than the optimum sustainable yield.