Answer:
A population managed for MSY is kept below its carrying capacity so it can thrive without impacting an entire ecosystem.
Explanation:
In population ecology and economics, maximum sustainable yield (MSY) is theoretically, the largest yield (or catch) that can be taken from a species stock in an indefinite period. Based on the notion of sustainable harvesting, the MSY concept aims to maintain population size at the point of maximum growth rate by harvesting individuals that would normally be added to the population, allowing the population to remain productive indefinitely. Under the assumption of logistical growth, resource limits do not constrain individual reproductive rates when the population is small, but because there are few individuals, the overall yield is small. At moderate population densities, also represented by half of the carrying capacity, individuals are able to reproduce at their maximum rate. At this point, called maximum sustainable yield, there is a surplus of individuals that can be harvested because population growth is at a maximum level due to the large number of individuals breeding. Above this level, density -dependent factors increasingly limit reproduction until the population reaches carrying capacity. At this point, there is no individual surplus to be harvested and yields drop to zero. Maximum sustainable results are usually higher than optimum sustainable results and maximum economic results.
MSY is widely used for fisheries management. Unlike the logistics model (Schaefer), [1] MSY has been refined in most modern fisheries models and occurs in about 30% of the unexploited population size. [2] [3] This breakdown varies between populations depending on the life history of the species and the age -specific selectivity of the fishing method.
