Final answer:
The theory of maximum sustainable yield incorrectly suggests harvesting at carrying capacity is ideal, which is false. The carrying capacity is the population size an environment can sustain, and harvesting at this point could be unsustainable. Sustainable resource management involves harvesting below carrying capacity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The theory of maximum sustainable yield is false in stating that a renewable resource that grows logistically should be harvested at the carrying capacity. Carrying capacity is defined as the maximum population size of a species that an environment can sustain indefinitely given the food, habitat, water, and other necessities available in the environment. The logistic model of population growth suggests that population growth will slow and stabilize at carrying capacity, which does not imply that this is the moment when harvesting should occur.
Harvesting at carrying capacity could potentially deplete the population, leading to unsustainability.
The principle of maximum sustainable yield is more accurately associated with harvesting below the carrying capacity to ensure that the population remains stable and that resources are not overexploited. Effective resource management aims to keep the population size at a level where it can reproduce and replace what has been harvested without causing long-term depletion of the resource.