Short answers, pulled from the story.
A moratorium in law is a delay or suspension of an activity or a law. It may refer to the temporary suspension of a law to allow a legal challenge to be carried out, or to the deferral of a legal obligation such as debt repayment.
A debt moratorium is a legally ordered delay of payment granted due to extenuating circumstances that render one party incapable of paying another. A legal official issues the order, which extends the timeline for repayment without canceling the underlying obligation.
Conservation authorities and animal rights activists request fishing or hunting moratoria to protect endangered or threatened animal species. The suspension prevents those animals from being hunted or fished for an indeterminate period until the population is no longer at risk.
A moratorium on capital punishment is a temporary suspension of executions or of verdicts resulting in execution. It is typically imposed to allow a legal challenge to the practice to be resolved before any irreversible action is taken.
The duration of a moratorium is not fixed by definition. In conservation contexts, suspensions are described as lasting for an indeterminate amount of time. In debt and capital punishment contexts, the moratorium holds until the underlying legal or financial circumstances are resolved.
A moratorium is a temporary suspension, not a permanent prohibition. The underlying activity or obligation remains legally recognized; only its enforcement or exercise is paused. A permanent ban removes the activity from legal permissibility entirely.