Quota

A quota is an allocated share of an allowable catch, the output-control entitlement assigned to a country, fleet, vessel, or individual. It is the unit that splits a total allowable catch into enforceable pieces: national quotas under an allocation key, then vessel or company shares such as individual transferable quotas. A quota names how much of a stock its holder may take, so it caps removals directly rather than capping effort. Holders may be allowed to lease or trade quota, which moves catching opportunity to the most efficient operators and prices the resource.