Quota Restoration

Quota restoration is the conservation-driven rebuilding of a depleted stock by cutting or closing the harvest quota until biomass recovers, then phasing catch back up. It sits inside a rebuilding plan that sets a biomass target, usually the level supporting maximum sustainable yield, and a timeline, with the total allowable catch held below replacement so the spawning stock grows. The US Magnuson-Stevens Act requires rebuilding plans for overfished stocks, generally within ten years, and the EU Common Fisheries Policy targets fishing mortality at FMSY. Recovery of slow-growing, late-maturing species can take decades.