1. A biological benchmark against which the abundance of the stock or the fishing mortality rate can be measured in order to determine its status. These reference points can be used as limits or targets, depending on their intended usage; 2. Specific values for the variables that describe the state of a fishery system which are used to evaluate its status. Reference points are most often specified in terms of fishing mortality rate and/or spawning stock biomass. These may indicate (a) a desired state of the fishery, such as a fishing mortality rate that will achieve a high level of sustainable yield, or (b) a state of the fishery that should be avoided, such as a high fishing mortality rate which risks a stock collapse and long-term loss of potential yield. The former are referred to as "target reference points", and the latter are referred to as "limit reference points" or "thresholds". Some common examples are F0. 1, FMAX, and FMSY.