Annual Catch Limit (ACL)

An annual catch limit (ACL) is the total amount of a stock that may be removed in one year, the output-control quota at the center of US federal fisheries management. The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires each managed stock to have an ACL set at or below the acceptable biological catch, with accountability measures that trigger if the limit is exceeded. The ACL sits below the overfishing limit and is reduced by scientific and management uncertainty buffers. It functions like a total allowable catch and is split into sector or vessel allocations such as catch shares.