Optimum Yield

Optimum yield (OY) is the United States legal harvest target defined by the Magnuson-Stevens Act as the maximum sustainable yield reduced by relevant economic, social, or ecological factors. It is the amount of fish providing the greatest overall benefit to the Nation, with food production, recreation, and ecosystem protection weighed against pure biological yield. OY can never exceed MSY and is usually set below it; for an overfished stock OY provides for rebuilding to B_MSY. National Standard 1 ties OY to the annual catch limit framework, where OY anchors the catch specifications that prevent overfishing while achieving optimum benefit.