Maritime Lingo
All areas of the law, have their own lingo and their own insider ‘speak’. The following is a list, of common fisheries acronyms, more on what they mean later, in a different post.
ABC—acceptable biological catch
ACL—annual catch limit
ACT—annual catch target
AM—accountability measures
CCF—capital construction fund
CFQ—community fishing quota
EEZ—Exclusive Economic Zone
FMP—fishery management plan
GRT—Gross registered tonnage
IBQ—individual bycatch quota
IFQ—individual fishing quota
IMO—International Maritime Organization
MARAD—US Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration
MSA—Magnuson-Stevens Act
MSRA—Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act
NOAA—US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
OFL—Overfishing limit
QS—quota share
SFA—Sustainable Fisheries Act
TAC—total allowable catch
USCG—United States Coast Guard
VMS—vessel monitoring system
WTO—world trade organization
