Annual Catch Limit (ACL)

A harvest specification set equal to or below acceptable biological catch in consideration of conservation objectives, socioeconomic concerns, management uncertainty, ecological concerns, and other factors. The ACL is a harvest limit that includes all sources of fishing-related mortality including landings, discard mortality, research catches, and catches in exempted fishing permit activities. Sector-specific ACLs can be used, especially in cases where a sector has a formal, long-term allocation of the harvestable surplus of a stock or stock complex.