It may be very difficult to quantify sustainable yield, because dynamic ecological conditions and other factors not related to harvesting induce changes and fluctuations in both the natural capital and its productivity.
Originally developed and popularized by Fedor Baranov early in the 1900s as the "theory of fishing," it is often credited with laying the foundation for the modern understanding of the population dynamics of fisheries.
Once it reaches a foothold population it will go through a rapid growth rate that will start to level off once the species approaches carrying capacity.
Unfortunately errors in estimating the population dynamics of a species can lead to setting the maximum sustainable yield too high (or too low).
Early quotas were based on an assumption that the orange roughy had a fairly short lifespan and bred relatively quickly.
Annual Sustainable Yield (ASY) is defined as biomass that can be harvested from a fish population each year without resulting in a decline.