© Brian W. Coad (www.briancoad.com)

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Introduction

The following dictionary defines terms used in the study of fishes (= ichthyology in its widest sense). It includes terms not specific to that discipline but commonly used by it.

There seems to be various ways of presenting words in an alphabetical sequence. A consistent style is followed here and is fairly obvious. Abbreviations appear as though they were words, e.g. TAC (total allowable catch) appears before tackle, not at the beginning of the letter T. Abbreviations are also gathered together in a separate section. Hyphenated words precede non-hyphenated words. In the latter case, some sources hyphenate words while others combine two words as one. If a term comprising two words is not found it may be lower down in the Dictionary as a hyphenated word or a single word. Note also that many terms may be preceded by the word "fish", e.g. fish gig can appear as such or under gig; most such terms occur in both forms.

The urge to link all terms within definitions was resisted as broken links are frustrating to the reader and tedious for the lexicographer. Similarly, extensive links to websites are not given (the URLs change frequently); various search engines can give access to sites with more information than the definitions here.

Generally, terms that are defined by another term have a definition in parentheses copied from the other term to save the need to scroll tediously. Some terms may have q.v. after them, indicating that this term is related to another term but implying this is too long or distracting to insert here. Occasionally, related terms are indicated by See...., compare...., or cf.... for compare.

Words in italic are from the Latin (or Latinised Greek) and generally are scientific names of species, terms used in nomenclature, or some Latin words and phrases commonly used in English and scientific works, for example et alii meaning "and others". Latin names of bones and muscles are not italicised (usage differs and there is a trend not to use italics, except of course for scientific names). Here italics are used (other than in scientific names) to separate terms and their meanings more clearly without having to state repeatedly that the terms are in Latin. Note that many anatomical terms have both English and Latin versions, the latter less used today but appearing in older works and in some comprehensive studies. Not all Latin versions of terms are included here but most are easily translatable although grammar differs, e.g. ductus endolymphaticus is endolymphatic duct. Plurals are given of Latin and Greek based words as these may not be intuitively familiar to readers of a non-European background or to younger European readers (!).

Spellings of words vary between American and English English. The latter may favour (favor) the letter "s" over the letter "z" and the "ae" combination over the simpler "e". Readers should be aware of these possible variant spellings. English spellings are followed here with some variant forms in American English included as an aid to the British and those whose first language is neither form of English. Note that the æ and œ formats are variably used for ae and oe throughout this work. Latin words often use the more archaic form unless they are in common ichthyological use in English.

A number of terms are simply English words, used in a special sense in ichthyology, but having another meaning; in some cases both definitions are given for clarity. Sometimes they are compounded from correct but obscure English words, prefixes and suffixes, e.g. obbasal. Some words have common roots in Latin or Greek and can easily be understood by those with some familiarity with these languages, e.g. vermiform, vermifuge, vermivore - for non-Eurocentric readers such similar words are defined here although not unique to the study of fishes.

Some entries have fish examples cited, given as the Latin name. The names are either the scientific name (in italics; taxonomy may be dated is some cases - see "Catalog of Fishes" for name changes), the family name (ending in -idae) or the order name (ending in -iformes) (the latter two not in italics). A few other higher groupings are mentioned, particularly Amphioxi (Cephalochordata or lancelets, which are not "fishes" but share some anatomical characters), Myxini (the hagfishes), Petromyzontiformes (lampreys), Holocephali (chimaeras), Elasmobranchii (sharks, skates and relatives), Teleostomi (all the bony fishes), Dipnoi or Dipneusti (lungfishes), Actinopterygii (the ray-finned bony fishes), Teleostei (or teleosts, all the ray-finned bony fishes except Polypteriformes, Acipenseriformes and Amiiformes), and Ostariophysi (usually in the old sense of Cypriniformes, Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes; now including Gonorynchiformes). Nelson (2006) and earlier editions of his work can be consulted for those unfamiliar with fish diversity, as well as web sites such as www.fishbase.org.

Families and species of fishes are not described in this Dictionary. Scientific names of fishes are best accessed through the website of the "Catalog of Fishes" at the California Academy of Sciences while common names are best found in regional works (see Coad (1995) in the References, for example). Some unusual common and scientific names may be included in the Dictionary for reasons of clarification and education.

Illustrations of certain terms will be added over the long term. They are linked through the term and are highlighted and underlined in blue. Illustrations are not included in the text file so that it loads more quickly. Images taken from older works have an abbreviated author and title, e.g. Boulenger's "Fishes of the Nile", and, as a complete citation, can be found in the "Catalog of Fishes".

Some terms cited here are also used, or originate, in genetics, marine biology, oceanography, limnology, systematics, palaeontology, parasitology, ecology, hydrology, fisheries, museum studies, angling, aquaculture, slang, dialects of English, folklore, etymology, literature, fish processing, fish technology, fishing vessels, cooking, veterinary science, popular culture, etc., and the choice of terms to include from such diverse fields is eclectic. Since it could be argued that a Dictionary of Ichthyology is not needed by a competent ichthyologist, terms from neighbouring disciplines are included for such exemplary people. These are necessarily selective, for example structures associated with nets on fishing vessels are listed but not structures that are found generally on ships. Further entry into these fields may be found through the References herein and Wikipedia.

Certain areas of the English-speaking world were famous for their fisheries and these have contributed many words, e.g. Newfoundland. Other areas also have extensive vocabularies but these are in languages other than English and have not, generally, become familiar to, or used in, English, with some exceptions, e.g. Japan.

Many terms refer to a fisherman or fishermen as, at the time these terms were in common use, the industry at sea was almost entirely carried out by men. The politically correct fisher is then anachronistic and incorrect.

A list of references referred to in the text is given. Most terms are widely used and do not require documentation. This reference list is not meant to be exhaustive, nor does it track terms to their origin.

A book by S. D. Nandy and S. N. M. Kazmi (Eds.) published in 2009 (Technical Encyclopaedia of Ichthyology. Dominant Publishers, New Delhi. xxxii + 845 pp., in three volumes) is copied from this Dictionary, without permission, when it had about 14,000 entries.

The entries are continually being refined and corrected. Corrections and new terms are welcome. A literature source for any new term is requested as documentation. Refer to www.briancoad.com for contact information.

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^† Don E. McAllister (1934-2001) - see Cook et al. (2001; 2002), Cook and Coad (2002), Coad (2011) and Cook et al. (2011) for obituaries.
 

A

A = abbreviation for acre.

A = abbreviation for anal fin (rays).

A = annual total mortality rate (the number of fish which die during a year divided by the initial number. Also called actual mortality rate, coefficient of mortality (Ricker, 1975)).

a or a = abbreviation for annum, meaning year. Usually used in combination, e.g. Ma, meaning million years.

A1 = abbreviation for first anal fin (rays).

A2 = abbreviation for second anal fin (rays).

A30 = number of anal fin rays anterior to the 31st vertebra, e.g. in Carapidae.

A100 = number of anal fin rays anterior to the 201st vertebra, e.g. in Nemichthyidae.

a posteriori classification = a classification made based on the results of experimentation.

a priori classification = a classification made prior to experimentation.

a- (prefix) = lacking, absence of, not, without; but see below, a-fishing.

A-B direction = in net making, the direction parallel to a rectilinear sequence of mesh bars, each from adjacent meshes.

a-fishing = in the act or process of fishing; gone fishing.

A-ft = acre-foot (one acre of surface covered with 1 foot of water (1,233,500 L, 1233.5 m³, 325,850 gal).

A-grade = a freshness grade for fish used in the European community.

a.k.a. = also known as.

aalpricken = a small eel, gutted, fried and packed in a fine edible oil (Germany).

aav(e) = the small round net by which boys pick up herrings that fall from the nets as these are being hauled in (Scottish dialect).

ab = abbreviation for aberration.

ab- (prefix) = from, away from.

Abaia = a large and mythic eel that lives at the bottom of lakes in the Fiji, Solomon and Vanuatu islands. The Abaia protects all other creatures in the lakes. Anyone trying to catch fish is overwhelmed with a large wave caused by its thrashing tail.

abaxial = at a point away from, or distant from, the axis; opposite of adaxial.

abbreviate heterocercal = type of caudal fin in which the vertebral column extends only a short way into the upper lobe of the fin (which is longer than the lower lobe); a heterocercal caudal fin approaching the homocercal type, e.g. Lepisosteidae, Amiidae.

abbreviation = a shortened form of a word or title. In zoological works genus-group names cited in binomial names of species are often abbreviated to one or two letters for convenience, e.g. Salmo trutta may be abbreviated to S. trutta, the abbreviation always being followed by a full stop (or period). The abbreviation should not be used on the first mention of a name. Similarly specific names cited in trinomial names of subspecies may be abbreviated.

ABC = allowable biological catch (a term used by a management agency which refers to the range of allowable catch for a species or species group. It is set each year by a scientific group created by the management agency and is the subjectively estimated amount of catch of a given species from a given region. The agency then takes the ABC estimate and sets the annual total allowable catch (TAC)).

abdomen = 1) the part of the body containing the viscera (intestine, liver, kidney, reproductive organs, etc).

abdomen = 2) the lower part of the body of fish, the belly.

abdominal = pertaining to the abdomen. Pelvic fins are said to be abdominal when they lie behind the posterior tip of normally developed pectoral fins.

abdominal cavity = the part of the body containing the viscera or guts, liver, ovaries, testes, kidneys, etc.

abdominal dropsy = oedema, an accumulation of excess fluid in the abdomen, causing abdominal swelling and marked protrusion of scales. Also called pinecone disease, q.v.

abdominal fishes = those bony fishes having pelvic fins in the abdominal position.

abdominal pore = an external aperture near the vent communicating with the abdominal cavity. Found in Cyclostomata, Elasmobranchii, and in some Teleostomi, e.g. Salmonidae.

abdominal ridge = paired dermal ridges running from pectoral to pelvic fin bases in sharks.

abdominal serra = an abdominal spine, formed from a scale in the ventral region of the fish body. A series of these serrae form a saw-like edge and their numbers can be used in identification of some Clupeidae and Serrasalmidae.

abdominal vertebra = one of the anterior vertebrae bearing ribs but lacking the haemal arch, canal and spine of caudal vertebrae, q.v.

abducens nerve = cranial nerve VI, innervating the lateral rectus eye muscle which rotates the eyeball laterally and the retractor bulbi muscles in part. See cranial nerves.

abduction = movement away from the medial axis of the body, or of two parts away from each other, cf. adduction.

abductor = a muscle that draws a part away from the axis of the body, or separates two parts.

Aberdeen cut = a cut of fish from a frozen block, rhombus-shaped with the sides often squared off or cut with a tapered edge. Usually breaded and battered. Also called diamond cut and French cut.

Aberdeen hook = a hook shape characterised by a slightly-squared round bend and a wide gape used for baiting with minnows

aberrant = adjective for aberration.

aberration = 1) a term used to denote a class of individuals within a species. A name which explicitly refers to an aberration unequivocally treated as an infrasubspecific entity is unavailable.

aberration = 2) an aberrant fish, deviating from the usual or natural type in colour, form, behaviour, etc.

abioseston = non-living components of the seston, q.v.

abio- = without a living, starving.

abiotic = referring to non-living structures, substances, factors, environments, etc.

abnormal = not normal; contrary to the usual structure, position, behaviour or rule.

abnormal host = accidental host.

abnormality = any condition not found naturally in most fishes. Unusual conditions arising during processing fish as food are called defects, q.v.

aboral = opposite or away from the oral or mouth area/cavity. May be used in the sense of opposite to a biting tooth surface where this aboral end of a tooth is not a root, e.g. tooth plates in Chimaeriformes and pavement teeth, q.v., in some rays, skates and sharks.

aboriginal fishery = a fishery by native peoples for food, commercial, social and ceremonial purposes.

aborted name = nomen abortivum (a name contrary to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature as the Code existed at the time of publication. Abbreviated asnom. abort.).

abortive = remaining or becoming imperfect.

abraded = worn or frayed, e.g. fins of fish after spawning.

Abramis brama = 1) the common bream, a cyprinid found from the British Isles across Europe north of the Pyrenees and Alps eastwards to the Black, Caspian and Aral sea basins.

Abramis brama = 2) a Swedish rock band that even a had an album with a line drawing of the fish on it.

abruptotype = an unofficial and joke name for the type of a taxon described in haste to meet some deadline such as for a grant or project.

absolute abundance = the total number of a kind of fish in the population. Usually estimated from relative abundance as it is rarely known.

absolute conversion rate of food = an index calculated by dividing the quantity of food distributed by the extra growth believed to have been obtained only from that food.

absolute fecundity = total number of eggs in a female.

absolute growth rate = the actual increase in size of an individual, stock or population over a given time span and under specified conditions.

absolute recruitment = the number of fish which grow into the catchable size range in a unit of time (usually a year) (Ricker, 1975).

absolute synonym = homotypic synonym (a synonym based on the same nomenclatural type).

absolute tautonym = the identical spelling of a generic or subgeneric name and the specific or subspecific name of one of its originally included nominal species or subspecies.

absolute tautonymy = the action of producing an absolute tautonym.

absorptive feeding = nutrient acquisition during fish ontogeny from an ovarian secretion via flaps, trophotaenia, or trophonemata, or from the environment via body surfaces or special external gut and finfold structures.

abstracting journal = a journal which gives abstracts or summaries of scientific papers, books, theses, etc. published elsewhere.

abundance = degree of plentifulness. The total number of fish in a population, stock, other group or on a fishing ground. Can be measured in absolute or relative terms and may be number per area or per unit fishing effort.

abundance index = data obtained from samples or observations and used as a measure of the weight or number of fish which make up a stock, a segment of a stock such as spawners or in a given area. Most indices are relative units (as opposed to measuring absolute abundance), and simply indicate relative changes in abundance over time. The data is obtained from scientific surveys or inferred from fisheries data.

abyss = water below 4000 metres or 2000 fathoms (= 3660 metres), down to 6000 metres, where light does not penetrate. Occasionally used for depths below 2000 metres. A constant environment with temperatures usually 0-2°C or temperatures are uniform. From the Sumerian abzu, meaning primordial sea.

abyssal = adjective for abyss.

abyssal benthic = pertaining to the ocean floor below 400-600 fathoms (730-1100 metres).

abyssal depth = see abyssal for oceans; in fresh water it may mean the maximum depth or the depth at which water temperature remains uniform.

abyssal floor = abyssal plain.

abyssal plain = the area of the generally flat ocean floor excluding ocean trenches below 2000 fathoms (3660 metres, presumably an older version based on fathoms) or 4000 metres.

abyssal zone = the middle zone of the deep sea between 3700 and 6000 metres.

abyss- (prefix) = bottomless.

abyssalpelagic zone = the abyssopelagic area of the ocean.

abyssobenthic = the depth zone of the ocean floor between 4000 and 6000 metres, or from about 3700 m downward, or below the 4°C isotherm.

abyssopelagic = living in the water column at 4000 to 6000 metres (or 2500-4000 metres, or 4000-7000 metres, sources differ), seaward of the continental shelf-slope break. See also abyssalpelagic zone.

AC = a series of ventro-lateral photophores extending between a vertical at the anal fin origin and the end on the caudal peduncle. The AC row may begin posterior to the anal fin origin if it is offset from other ventro-lateral photophores.

ac = abbreviation for acre.

ac ft = acre-foot.

acantho- (prefix) = with spines.

acanthoid = spiny or spine-like.

acanthotrich = a spiny dorsal or anal fin ray.

acanthotrichia = plural of acanthotrichium.

acanthotrichium (plural acanthotrichia) = acanthotrich.

acanthostedion = postlarval stage of the Peristediidae characterized by long parietal spines and development of rostral exsertions.

acaudal = lacking a tail.

acceptable biological catch = subjectively estimated amount of catch of a given species from a given region. The sustainable harvest used to set the upper limit of the range of potential annual total allowable catch. Also called allowable biological catch.

acceptable catch estimate = an approximate estimate of the catch of a given species that could be taken from a stock in a given region. Also called allowable catch estimate.

acceptable impact = a negative, or potentially negative, alteration of the fishery resulting from human activities. The impact is acceptable since it represents a low risk to the resource. As it is under continuous review, it may be revoked.

acceptable name = 1) a name in accordance with the Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

acceptable name = 2) an established name that is not a (non-conserved) later homonym and thus may potentially be an accepted name (q.v.).

accepted = a scientific manuscript that has been through the peer review process, revised, approved for publication by the editor of the journal, and is ready to be sent to the printer or website. The date when the manuscript was accepted often appears in the printed or online version.

accepted name = 1) a name adopted by an author as the correct name for a taxon where names are in dispute.

accepted name = 2) the acceptable name (q.v.) that must be adopted under the rules of the Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

access = 1) the means by which a person enters a water body, usually with a boat.

access = 2) access right.

access right = the authorisation given to a user, e.g. a vessel owner, by a fishery management authority or by legislation, to exploit a resource, a particular species, or a share of a total allowable catch. Access rights may be free of charge or require payment and are usually conditional and used under constraints specified in a management plan.

accessibility = the condition of fish occupying a locality where they can be caught using the appropriate gear.

accession = 1) the formal acceptance into museum custody of a specimen or a collection of fishes, and the recording of such.

accession = 2) a specimen(s) acquired by a museum for its permanent collection.

accession = 3) the act of recording and processing an addition to a permanent collection.

accession list = a document in which accessions are recorded, usually chronologically by date of receipt; may be a bound volume and/or a computer file.

accession number = a unique number assigned to an accession, usually sequentially in chronological order of receipt.

accessioning = accepting legally a fish collection, containing one to many specimens and species, with date of receipt, ownership, donor, etc.

accessory breathing organ = labyrinth organ (a much folded suprabranchial accessory breathing organ found in Anabantoidei. Formed by vascularised expansion of the epibranchial of the first gill arch. Used for respiration in air).

accessory caudal ray = one of a series of short, procurrent rays on the upper and lower margins of the of the caudal peduncle.

accessory dorsal branch = a lateral line branch found in some flatfishes, running from the head for varying lengths below the base of the dorsal fin.

accessory growth centre = a growth centre outside the core of the fish otolith from which new growth may occur. May result from metamorphosis. Also incorrectly called accessory primordia.

accessory lateral line = accessory dorsal branch.

accessory male = a male fish which attempts to fertilise eggs of a breeding female at the expense of a dominant male.

accessory olfactory sac = olfactory ventilation sac (an extension of the olfactory cavity, often characteristic of inactive bottom dwellers living in still water such as flatfishes, dipnoans, and eels but also found in clupeids, salmonids, mugilids and scombrids. Primarily used for ventilation but also produce mucus. There may be up to four sacs, usually the additional sacs are smaller but in Osmeridae the sole accessory sac is larger than the main sac).

accessory pectoral scale = accessory scale.

accessory pelvic appendage = a tapered fleshy lobe above the base of the pelvic fin. May be covered by a scale.

accessory primordium = an additional growth centre outside the otolith core but lacking primordial granules. Accessory growth centre is preferred.

accessory respiratory organ = a superficial or internal organ which complements the gills in exchange of gases with the environment when the fish is in poorly oxygenated water or in air. In some cases it may also function as a hydrostatic organ.

accessory scale = axillary scale (a small triangular appendage or a modified scale at the upper or anterior base of a paired fin. Also called fleshy appendage and inguinal process. Functions apparently to streamline the fin when held against the body while swimming).

accidental catch = other fishes caught during a fishery directed to a target species. The fish may be taking bait meant for other fish, chasing the target species or are swept up by the gear used. Also called incidental catch or by-catch.

accidental host = a fish serving as a host for a variable length of time for a parasite of another animal. Also called abnormal host.

accidental parasite = a parasite which has infected an unusual host.

accidental species = normally marine species occasionally found in fresh waters but not in any regular or predictable manner. Records are usually few.

acclimation = the process by which fish become used to new circumstances. Often used in adjusting to changes in temperature, water quality, lighting regimes, being netted, etc. in aquaculture or aquaria. Fish may be more susceptible to pathogens and eat poorly while acclimating.

acclimation pond = a pond or temporary structure used for rearing juvenile fish, acclimating them to specific conditions and, for migratory fish, imprinting the water of a particular stream.

acclimatisation = adaptation to a new environment by a population by selection.

Acclimatisation Society = an organisation in Australia in the mid-nineteenth century set up to introduce familiar European species, e.g. roach, Rutilus rutilus, a cyprinid.

acclivous = having a gentle upward slope.

accommodation = changing the focus of the eye; in fishes the lens moves back and forth in relation to the retina like a camera.

accumulated lethality = F-value (in food inspection, the total lethal effect of heat applied; the time/temperature process at the cold spot of the product. The value is expressed as equivalent minutes at a specific reference temperature (Tref) and a specific z-value, e.g. F (Tref = 65°C, z = 6.7 C°) = 5.9 minutes).

acentrous = without vertebral centra, with persistent notochord, e.g. Dipnoi, Holocephali.

acequia = an irrigation ditch or canal, often community run (southwest United States).

acetic acid = an organic acid, CH₃COOH, used in diluted form in preparation of fish marinades, q.v.

achondral bone = dermal bone (any of the superficial bones in Teleostomi derived from the dermis and overlying the deeper elements of the skull. Primitive fishes have more dermal bones than higher ones, e.g. the armour of Ostracodermi. Dermal bones are a form of membrane bones, i.e. they arose directly from connective tissue membranes without the cartilaginous precursors which precede endochondral bones. They may be divided into laterosensory canal bones that develop in relation to the sensory canals, bones derived from mesenchymous tissue and anamestic bones (q.v.). Also called covering, membrane and investing bones).

achyliasis = an external fungal infection of fishes, genus Achyla.

acicular = needle-shaped.

aciculate = needle-like.

acid curing = marinating or preparing a marinade (a marinade is acidified brine, acetic acid, olive oil or vinegar with or without spices in barrels or special containers in which fish are soaked. The cured fish are packed in mild acidified brine variously with spices, sugar, wine, vegetables and flavourings, e.g. rollmops, Bismarck herring. Salt helps firm the flesh. Chilled marinades have a shelf life of 1-2 months, canned marinades much longer. The pH must not exceed 4.5 as below this spoilage does not occur and food poisoning bacteria do not grow. However some bacteria and enzymes are active and aid ripening, contributing to texture and flavour. Cold marinades are preserved by their acid and salt content, cooked marinades by this and by heat or pasteurisation).

acid death point = the pH at which fish die from acidity of water, usually about pH 4.0.

acid deposition = the addition of acidic material to the ground or water, usually from sulphur and nitrogen compounds emitted by factories and deposited far from this source. Wet deposition is also called acid rain, q.v., and is the result of rain, snow or fog while dry deposition results from particle fallout or acidic gases.

acid detergent fibre = the carbohydrates in an aquaculture feed that are not solubilised by acid detergent. This plant material is not easily used by fish. Abbreviated as ADF.

acid lake = any lake with a pH less than 6.0.

acid neutralising capacity = the property of water that reacts with an acid; formerly alkalinity. Abbreviated as ANC.

acid pickle = an acid solution for curing or marinating fish.

acid rain = rain falling through an atmosphere containing sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide pollutants thus making the rain acidic (pH less than 7.0); in lakes without the ability to neutralise the acid survival of fish eggs and young is compromised. Also referred to as acid deposition and wet deposition.

acid-cured fish = fish preserved or marinated in acidified brine with or without spices.

acidic stress index = a function of pH, calcium and inorganic monomeric aluminium conditions in natural waters; used in fish toxicity models.

acidity = a measure of the hydrogen ion concentration, a pH less than 7.0, or the quantitative capacity to neutralise a base to a designated pH.

acidophile = fish from acid waters, like the Amazon and forest pools in West Africa, preferring a pH below 7.

acidophilous = having an affinity for or thriving in acidic conditions, e.g. in a bog or marsh. Also called acidophilic.

acidotrophy = waters where the hydrogen ion concentration is high, producing highly acidic reactions, and in which humic material is lacking.

acinaciform = slender sword, of scimitar-like form, e.g. acinaciform branchiostegal rays in Perciformes.

acini = plural of acinus.

acinus (plural acini) = a lobule of a secretory gland formed by a group of exocrine glandular cells, e.g. in the pancreas.

acipenserin = a toxic substance reputedly obtained from the gonads of sturgeon, Acipenser.

acker = the break or movement made by a fish in the water (English dialect).

acmic = referring to periods of seasonal change in an aquatic population.

acoustic = concerned with hearing or sound.

acoustic bait = a device making sounds or vibrations used to attract fish, e.g. shark rattles, q.v., beating the water surface, spraying the water surface with hoses in the tuna line fishery, croakwood, q.v., bells, etc.

acoustic device = 1) an acoustic harassment device.

acoustic device = 2) a pinger (a sound-emitting device. Attached to static nets to discourage dolphins and porpoises from their vicinity so that the mammals do not become entangled).

acoustic fish tag = a transmitter implanted or attached to a fish to monitor fish movement.

acoustic harassment device = an underwater device that generates sounds to deter marine mammal predators from salmon farms.

acoustic survey = a method of gathering information on fish availability and abundance by using echo sounders and sonar.

acoustic tag = a sound transmitter attached to a fish.

acoustico-lateralis system = the sensory system consisting of the lateral line and the inner ear.

acquisition = transfer of title for a specimen(s) to a museum. Acquisitions may be gifts, purchases, bequests, exchanges or the results of field work.

acre = 4046.9 m², 0.405 ha, 43,560 ft², 4840 yd², 0.00156 mi². There are 640 acres in a square mile. The metric version is the hectare, q.v.

acre-foot = one acre of surface covered with 1 foot of water (1,233,500 L, 1233.5 m³, 325,851 gal.). Used to measure volumes of water used or stored, such as in reservoirs. Abbreviated as ac ft or af in the U.S.A.

acriflavin = a chemical used in aquaria to combat protozoan and fungal infections and to disinfect fish eggs. It is orange or brown in colour and is a dye which stains the skin. Also spelled acriflavine.

acrodin = tissue forming a cap on teeth found in ray-finned fishes.

acrodont = type of tooth ankylosed to the jaw along the midline of the jawbone, rather than to the inner edge, the condition in most fishes. Attachment is by connective collagenous tissue with impregnated calcium salts and, in maxillary and mandibular teeth, by a bony piece between the tooth and the bone.

acronurus = postlarval stage of Acanthuridae.

acronym = any abbreviation using the initial letters of the words abbreviated. Museum collections of fishes are catalogued with an acronym and a number; these acronyms are listed in Leviton et al. (1985) and Leviton and Gibbs (1988).

acrosome = a cap over the nucleus of spermatozoan heads having enzymes involved in sperm penetration of the egg and possibly fusion of egg and sperm. Absent in most Teleostei.

acrylic = a plastic material used in aquaria construction and for aquarium accessories such as filters.

act, nomenclatural = a published act which affects the nomenclatural status of a scientific name or the typification of a nominal taxon; available nomenclatural act is one that is published in an available work; invalid nomenclatural act is any nomenclatural act which is not valid under the provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature; unavailable nomenclatural act is one published in an unavailable work; valid nomenclatural act is one that is accepted under the provisions of the Code, i.e. the earliest available act not contravening any provision of the Code.

actiniariophil = a reproductive guild (q.v.) where adhesive eggs are deposited in a cluster at the base of a sea anemone. Parents guard the eggs and coat them with mucus as protection against nematocysts. Free embryos are phototactic, planktonic and early juveniles select the host anemone, e.g. Amphiprion allardi.

actic = pertaining to rocky shores; between the low and high tides; intertidal; littoral.

actinic = a type of lighting used in aquaria. It provides the blue end of the spectrum for photosynthesis.

actinophore = the pterygiophore(s) and the associated fin ray.

actinost = one of a series of endochondral bones in the pectoral and pelvic girdle on which the fin rays insert. Most teleosts lack or have greatly reduced pelvic actinosts. Teleosts have one row of actinosts between the fin rays and supporting skeleton (coracoid and scapula for the pectoral, basipterygia for the pelvic) while other fishes may have more rows, referred to as radials.

actinotrich = a slender, horny, flexible, unsegmented fibril which strengthens the embryonic fin fold and which may persist in the outer edge of the adult fin membrane or in the adipose fin. It develops intercellularly rather than cellularly. Persists in fins of Elasmobranchii, Holocephali, and sometimes in Teleostomi distal to the lepidotrichia that replace them. Actinotrichia are translucent, exhibit birefringence (double refraction) and are composed of a scleroprotein called elastoidine. They may be homologous with ceratotrichs found in cartilaginous fishes because of their horny or keratinous nature.

actinotrichia = plural of actinotrichium.

actinotrichium (plural actinotrichia) = actinotrich.

action = 1) the performance of a fishing rod while fighting a fish. Measured as the time elapsed between flexion and a return to a straight configuration. Action can be slow (the most flexion, 90% of the rod bends) to fast (30% of the rod bends); also referred to as stiff, parabolic, etc. May also refer to the rod strength, a light rod being limber and a heavy rod stout.

action = 2) the gear of fishing reels.

action = 3) the movement and performance of a fishing lure in the water.

action = 4) when fish are biting.

action = 5) dragging a fishing fly across the current resulting in an unnatural drift.

activated carbon = pure carbon in porous form used in aquaria to adsorb dissolved organic matter, chlorine, and yellowing compounds (and hence in the latter case keeps water clear). Must be changed regularly as it clogs and can release phosphates into the water which promote algal growth.

activated charcoal = activated carbon.

active = fish intent on feeding. Also called positive.

active capture gear = equipment used in active fishing, such as trawls.

active fishing = fishing with gear that is not stationary, e.g. trawls.

active forager = a predator that actively seeks its prey, cf. ambush predator.

activity coefficient = ratio of the metabolic activity of a fish at rest with that at maximum activity.

actomysin = a combination of actin and myosin, the two main proteins in all fish muscles.

actophilous = thriving on rocky shores.

actual mesh size = stretched mesh size of a net as determined by a standard process such as use of a mesh gauge, q.v.

actual mortality rate = annual mortality rate.

aculeate = bearing a sharp point.

aculeiform = needle-shaped, e.g. pipefishes.

acuminate = tapering gradually to a point, e.g. the tail of Anguilliformes.

acute = 1) ending in a sharp point

acute = 2) running a short and intense course as in toxicity or inflammation.

acyprinid zone = those regions lacking Cyprinidae - South America and the tropical Pacific Islands approximately east and south of Wallace's Line including Australia.

A.D. or AD = abbreviation for anno domini, or Year of the Lord, the Christian dating system. Common era or CE is used as a neutral version.

ad. = abbreviation for adult.

ad hoc = for the specific purpose, case or situation at hand and for no other.

ad int. = ad interim, meaning for the present, provisionally.

ad libitum = to the limit; often meaning fed until satiated.

ad muraenas = ponds for the culture of moray eels were common in Roman times and a punishment for recalcitrant slaves was throwing them in these pools as food for the morays.

ad- (prefix) = to, on the side of, toward.

Adam's special = an artificial dry fly used to imitate an adult mayfly.

adaptation = the process (or its results, e.g. a structure) wherein individuals, populations or species change to cope with their environment or changes in that environment.

adaptive management = a management process involving feedback to test performance and perhaps deliberate intervention to test the fishery system's response.

adaptive radiation = speciation of a taxonomic group to fill numerous previously vacant ecological niches, e.g. Cichlidae in the Great Rift Lakes of Africa, Cottidae in Lake Baikal of Russia.

adaxial = 1) towards the axis; opposite of abaxial.

adaxial = 2) the paraxial mesoderm subregion developing just adjacent to the chorda mesoderm or notochord rudiment.

added-value = processing of fish before export.

addersteean = adderstone.

adderstone = a stone (grey alum shale) with a hole through it, hung on fishing boats as a charm. Old spindle-whorls, reputedly made by adders (an English venomous snake).

adderstyen = adderstone.

additional catch = supplementary catch obtained either on purpose or by accident.

additional material = specimens other than those in the type series; these may be used to describe a new species but have no nomenclatural significance.

additive = any chemical added to fish for stability during storage, prevention of bacterial growth and toxin production, for colour and appearance to consumers, retention of moisture, prevention of off-flavours, etc. Additives include salt and ascorbic acid which are naturally present in foods and also other chemicals whose use is regulated.

adduction = movement towards the medial axis of the body, or of two parts together, cf. abduction.

adductor (plural adductores) = a muscle that brings one body part towards another.

adductor mandibulae = a muscle of the cheek area which acts to close the mouth and compress the lips. It is divided into four parts in the perch (Perca flavescens): part 1 has its origin on the dorsal half of the vertical arm of the preopercle and inserts at the centre of the maxillo-mandibular ligament (q.v.). It is a large muscle below the eye. A third part of the ligament serves as an origin for the fourth part of the muscle. Part 3 originates on the pterygoid bone and inserts with part 2 on the maxillo-mandibular ligament beneath the insertion of part 1. Part 2 is a large muscle below part 1. Part 4 originates on the internal portion of the maxillo-mandibular ligament and inserts on the ventral, internal part of the dentary and so is on the lower jaw.

adductor operculi = a muscle originating from the pterotic bone posterior and medial to the origin of the elevator operculi and inserting on the dorso-medial surface of the operculum ventral to the insertion of the levator operculi.

adductores = plural of adductor.

adelph- (prefix) = brother.

adelfophagy = feeding on retarded siblings within the uterus, e.g. Lamna nasus, Odontaspis taurus, Latimeria chalumnae, a form of uterine cannibalism. Also spelled adelphophagy.

adelfotype = an unofficial term in nomenclature referring to a topotype (q.v.) collected by the original collector of a taxon but one not forming part of the type series.

adelphophagy = adelfophagy.

adelphotaxa = sister taxa.

adeno- (prefix) = gland.

adenohypophysis = part of the pituitary organ of the lower brain involved in hormone control.

adenoid organ = a lymphoid structure in the lining of the oesophagus of Elasmobranchii.

adequate diet = balanced and fully sufficient feed in aquaculture or nature.

ADF = acid detergent fibre.

adfluvial = 1) living in lakes and migrating into streams to spawn; juveniles feed in streams but migrate to lakes as subadults for feeding.

adfluvial = 2) pertaining to flowing water.

adherent = attached (firmly); sticking; connected with. Strictly, means sticking to another organ, cf. coherent. Said of scales that do not detach easily, for example.

adhesion = connective tissue growth within and around an organ causing it to attach to the peritoneal or pericardial walls. Usually results from inflammation or parasite infestation.

adhesive = 1) sticking, as in eggs to the substrate or to other eggs.

adhesive = 2) sticking, as in structures used in attachment by fishes.

adhesive disc = adhesive disk.

adhesive disk = a sucker-like organ for clinging to various surfaces, e.g. the modified pelvic fins in Gobiesocidae and Liparidae, and the dorsal fin in Echeneidae. Also spelt adhesive disc and used for the adhesive organ.

adhesive egg = a fish egg that is deposited on sand, gravel, plants, etc. to which it sticks by means of the egg's sticky surface. In aquaculture situations this is inconvenient and the adhesiveness can be removed by milk or tannin.

adhesive head gland = adhesive organ.

adhesive organ = transient larval organs near the mouth used to attach the larvae to the substrate, e.g.in Protopterus, Lepidosiren, Acipenser, Esox, Macropodus.

adipocyte = a fat cell.

adipose = fat.

adipose clip = removal of the adipose fin in a hatchery-reared fish, indicating that it contains a coded-wire tag, q.v.

adipose eyelid = transparent membrane(s) over the anterior and posterior regions of the eye, e.g. in Scombridae, Clupeidae, Albulidae, Mugilidae. It serves for streamlining and protection and may cover much of the eye except for a small central opening.

adipose fin = a small fleshy fin lacking rays or spines but reinforced by actinotrichs posterior to the soft dorsal fins (rarely a hard ray or a few soft rays may be developed in the adipose fin of certain catfishes), e.g. in Salmonidae, Osmeridae, Argentinidae, Myctophidae, Ictaluridae, Percopsidae.

adit = a near horizontal shaft as a mine or for removing water from a mine. See also qanat for an adit fish habitat.

adjuvant = material added to a vaccine to enhance the immunological response.

admiral = 1) the master of the first English fishing vessel to reach a cove or harbour in Newfoundland, exercising certain privileges for the season.

admiral = 2) the master of an English fishing vessel, chosen weekly to exercise jurisdiction over European fishermen in a Newfoundland harbour.

admiral = 3) the fisherman who is in charge of the herring fleet (Manx).

Admiralty pattern anchor = the standard pattern of anchor, q.v., comprising two flukes (which dug into the sea bed), a shank and stock. In the eighteenth century a collapsible stock was introduced for easier storage.

admissible = the form of a name which can be validly published and the use of a name or epithet in accordance with the provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

adnasal bone = a small dermal bone in front of the nasal bone in some fishes, e.g. the middle bone of three in the nasal region of Lepisosteus. Also called nasal bone.

adnate = closely attached to, joined along whole length without a free tip; conjoined; adhering, e.g. adipose fin in Noturus (Ictaluridae).

adnate eye = an eye joined by a membrane to the orbit.

adnexed = unattached, with a free edge, not united, flag-like e.g. the adipose fin in salmonids. Opposite of adnate.

adopt = to use an unavailable name as the valid name of a taxon in a way which establishes it as a new name with its own authorship and date.

adoral = close to the mouth.

adpressed = pressed flat against the body; appressed.

adrenal gland = absent in fishes but said to be present in sculpins (Cottidae). Interrenal cells associated with major blood vessels in the anterior kidney represent adrenal cortical tissue in fishes. Adrenal medullary cells are associated with sympathetic ganglia in clumps between the anterior kidney and spine or in the interrenal tissues.

adrenalin = a hormone causing the flight or fight behaviour in response to a sudden stress.

adrenaline = adrenalin.

adspersed = widely scattered or distributed.

adtidal = living immediately below the low tide level.

adult = a sexually mature animal; a fish that has reached the length or age of first maturity.

adult equivalent population = the number of fish that would have returned to an area, such as an estuary, in the absence of any prior harvest.

adult fish count = a count of adult fishes passing by a fish-viewing window. Such windows can be placed at the upstream end of fish ladders on dams. Observers count the number of fish according to pre-set criteria, e.g. by species and size, for 50 minutes of every hour for 16 hours per day. Extrapolations can then be made for times when fish are not observed. Separate counts can be made for adults and jacks (precocious male salmonids that can be identified by their smaller size).

adult habitat = an area that provides the necessities of life for an adult fish (angling).

adult period = this period begins with the first maturation of gametes and is characterised by spawning, either annually or only once, and by a slowed or arrested growth rate.

adult stage = attainment of full growth or sexual maturity.

adult stock = spawning stock (the mature part of the stock that is able to spawn; the number or biomass of all fish beyond the age or size class in which 50% of the individuals are mature).

adv. = advena, alien, introduced.

advanced = derived (a character or character state not present in the ancestral stock; apomorphic. The term should not be applied to organisms or taxa since they are a mix of plesiomorphic and derived character states).

advanced fry = a larval fish that has absorbed the yolk, correctly postlarva.

advena = alien, introduced. Abbreviated as adv.

adventitious = 1) accidental, occurring at an unusual locality, as in an adventitious visitor.

adventitious = 2) of or pertaining to a small stream entering directly into the main stem of a river.

adventive = an introduced species not yet established in the wild.

adventure = a commercial fishing enterprise. Also called venture.

adventurer = 1) a migratory English fisherman operating seasonally in Newfoundland (archaic).

adventurer = 2) a resident fisherman who fishes seasonally in coastal waters distant from his home port in Newfoundland.

advertisement = bright colours and conspicuous patterns shown by fishes. Used to indicate unpleasant taste, venom, sex and mood (paling when frightened, darkening when sexually excited).

advisory = a note addressed to the public when high concentrations of chemical contaminants have been found in local fish.

aeration = introduction of air into water.

aerator = 1) an air pump used to oxygenate aquaria.

aerator = 2) a battery-operated pump used to oxygenate water in a bait bucket by anglers.

aerator = 3) a device to oxygenate water in an aquaculture facility.

aerial fishing = the use of aerial traps (q.v.) to catch fish.

aerial redd survey = a method used to estimate numbers of spawners in a river by counting the number of redds visible from an airplane.

aerial stocking = releasing fish into a water body from a plane or helicopter. Usually fry are stocked in this way.

aerial survey = a method of gathering information on fish shoal movement and density by visual observation and photography from low-flying aircraft.

aerial trap = a trap used to take jumping fish, e.g. mullets and flyingfish. Fish are caught on the surface in boxes, rafts, boats and in such nets as veranda nets. The fish may be frightened into jumping out of the water.

aero- (prefix) = air.

aerobi- (prefix) = living in air.

aerobic pond = a shallow pond, 0.3 m deep, in which photosynthesis is at a maximum, aerobic conditions are maintained and wastes are processed by microorganisms.

aerofoil = modified pectoral and pelvic fins used for gliding.

aerophil = 1) a reproductive guild (q.v.) of a terrestrial spawner characterised by small adhesive eggs scattered over damp sod, by not being photophobic and having moderately developed respiratory networks, e.g. Brycon petrosus.

aerophil = 2) a reproductive guild (q.v.) of a terrestrial spawner where adhesive eggs are tended after deposition on the underside of structures above the water surface by the male splashing them. The embryos have cement glands, e.g. Copeina arnoldi.

aeropsammophil = a reproductive guild (q.v.) where eggs are hidden on a beach. Spawning occurs above the high tide mark and eggs and embryos hatch at the next high tide when surf action gives the cue, e.g. Leuresthes tenuis.

aesthetic fishing = capturing fish for display or other appreciation, not for food, sport or industrial reasons, cf. anaesthetic fishing.

aestival = of or pertaining to the early summer.

aestival pond = 1) a pond containing some water throughout the year but freezing to the bottom in winter, thus supporting only a temporary fish fauna.

aestival pond = 2) a pond existing only in summer.

aestivation = dormancy during the dry season or summer, e.g. in Dipnoi. Also spelled estivation.

af = acre-foot.

aff. = abbreviation for affinis (related to but not identical with, affinity, relationship, sometimes misleadingly employed as a synonym for phenetic similarity (or akin to)).

afferent = leading towards.

afferent branchial arteries = those arteries that receive blood from the ventral aorta, extending along the gill arches and sending capillaries into the gill filaments where they join branches which become the efferent branchial arches and so are involved in gaseous exchange.

affinis = related to but not identical with, affinity, relationship, sometimes misleadingly employed as a synonym for phenetic similarity (or akin to).

affluent = a stream or river that flows into a larger one or to a standing water body; a tributary; influent, although this may be restricted to a lake having a single inflowing stream (or influent).

afin = affinis.

aflaj = plural of falaj, a term for a qanat in the Arabian Peninsula (an underground water channel constructed in alluvial fan material to tap the water table and provide a constant flow of water. Mostly found in the Middle East and a habitat there for fishes. Called karez in central Asia and Afghanistan and foggara in North Africa).

aflatoxin poisoning = a mould-based poison or mycotoxin found in some dried aquaria foods kept under warm and damp conditions. Fish exhibit poor growth and anaemia and may die. The mould species involved are Aspergillus spp.

affluvial = adfluvial.

AFO = number of vertebrae anterior to the anal fin origin, e.g. in larval fishes.

after gibb = to gibb (q.v.) herring after they have been salted in the round.

afterbay = the tail race or reservoir of a hydroelectric power plant at the turbine outlets.

agamy = the condition where no lasting bond is formed between a spawning pair, the male and female separating after spawning, e.g. in some Cichlidae.

agape = with jaws open; gaping.

agastric = lacking a stomach. Some fishes, such as herbivorous Cyprinidae, lack a true stomach.

age = the number of years of life completed. In fisheries indicated by a numeral, e.g. age 5 or age V. Since any fish is only age 5 for a moment, the numeral is often followed by a plus sign to indicate the year of life, e.g. 5+ is a fish in its sixth year of life. Freshwater and saltwater age can be indicated by a period, e.g. 2.3 represents 2 winters in fresh water (not counting the incubation period for fish eggs that overwinter) and 3 years in salt water.

age at first capture = the age at which fish are first caught commercially.

age at first maturity = mean or median age at first maturity when 50% of a cohort spawn for the first time.

age at recruitment = the age at which fish are recruited to a fishable stock.

age class = individuals of a given (same) age within a population, e.g. all four-year-olds. Usually given in years but may be shorter periods, particularly in the tropics. The age class changes every year in contrast to year class which is always the same, e.g. a fish born in 1995 will always be in the 1995 year class but in 1998 will be in age class three. Also called cohort.

age composition = the proportion of different age groups of fish in a population or in a catch. A healthy population has a wide range of age groups.

age determination = the age of fish may be determined by counting the annual rings on a scale (by microscopic examination, projection of the scale or its celluloid imprint with a scale projector, or projecting a photographic negative of the scale), or in bony parts such as vertebrae, otoliths, opercular series of bones, pectoral spines; by the known age method (growing fish in ponds or tagging fish in the wild and recapturing them at intervals); by the length frequency method (the different age groups tend to be different lengths apparent when the sizes are grouped in a length frequency graph, from which age may be deduced). Age estimation is often a preferred term because of uncertainties in ageing methods.

age distribution = the number or percentage of individuals in each age class of a population; age structure.

age estimation = age determination.

age frequency = a breakdown of the different age groups of a kind of fish in a population or sample. Also called age structure.

age group = a group of fishes of a given age, e.g. a fish born on 1 May is in age group 0 until the same date in the subsequent year when it enters age group 1 (or I), a year later age 2 (or II), etc.

age of fishes = the period of time in the earth's history dominated by fishes - the Silurian and Devonian periods.

age of maturity = the age when 50% of the fish of a given sex are considered to be reproductively mature.

age of phase inequality = age of tide.

age of recruitment = the age when fish are considered to be recruited to the fishery, i.e. become vulnerable to the fishing gear. In stock assessments, this is usually the youngest age group considered in the analyses, typically age 0 or 1.

age of tide = the time interval between new or full Moon and the maximum effect of these phases upon range of tide or speed of the tidal current.

age specific = the dependence of a factor, such as fishing mortality, on the age of fish.

age specific fecundity = fecundity or egg potential related to age.

age specific mortality = mortality expressed as a function of age.

age specific survival rate = the average proportion of individuals in a particular age group that survive for a given period.

age structure = the number or percentage of individuals in each age class of a population.

age validation = confirming that annual growth rings on bony parts do conform to a year's growth.

age-cohort analysis = the proportion of each age-group participating in an activity currently used to predict the future sizes of each age-group.

age-group = a term denoting the age in years of a fish, or the number of calendar years in which it has existed, as O, I, II, III, etc; the cohort of fish of a given age, e.g. the five-year-old age-group. Unfortunately a standard definition has not been established.

age-length composition = age-length key.

age-length curve = a curve showing the relationship of age and length, a simplified form of an age-length key.

age-length key = a method of assigning ages to fish, given length measurements. Used to convert catch-at-size data into catch-at-age data. The keys specify the probability that fish of a given size belong to one of several age groups.

age-slicing = cohort slicing (a method used to assign ages to fish, given length measurements, e.g. used to convert catch-at-size data into catch-at-age data before the application of age-structured assessment models. Cohort slicing assumes that there is a one-to-one correspondence between length and age, i.e. the approach ignores individual variability in growth).

age-structured assessment = an assessment of the status of a fish stock, based on the relative abundances of fish of different ages in the stock.

age-structured production model = a stock assessment programme based on a deterministic form of a stock-recruitment relationship, with non-equilibrium tuning of abundance indices. Abbreviated as ASPM.

ageing = the process of determining the age of a fish or population of fishes. A fish that is less than 1 year old (counted from time of spawning by its parents) is a subyearling, or zero-age. A yearling fish is more than 1 year and less than 2 years old. Ages may be expressed as years or as year with a + sign, e.g. 3+ is a fish in its fourth year of life. Strictly, this term should be used only for the process of becoming older and the associated changes in an individual.

ageing technique = a method of determining the ages of fish, most often done by counting rings in hard parts of the fish body, such as otoliths, scales, opercula or vertebrae.

agent = the representative in a fishing settlement of a St. John's fish merchant.

agger = double tide (a high water consisting of two maxima of nearly the same height separated by a relatively small depression, or a low water consisting of two minima separated by a relatively small elevation).

aggregate = a group of species, other than a subgenus, within a genus, or a group of species within a subgenus, or a group of subspecies within a species. The aggregate can be indicated by a species-group name interpolated in parentheses.

aggregated fishery data = pooled data. Such data is compiled so that confidential or proprietary data, e.g. on detailed fishing activities of individual fishers or vessels, cannot be determined either from the present release of the data or in combination with other releases.

aggregating device = artificial or natural floating objects placed on the ocean surface, often anchored to the bottom, to attract several schooling fish species underneath, thus increasing their catchability. Used with tuna, for example. Also called fish attracting device. Abbreviated as FAD for fish aggregating device.

aggregation = 1) a group of fishes in close proximity, usually of the same species, most of which are not oriented or moving in the same direction, usually responding independently to a common stimulus, e.g. food; as opposed to a school, q.v.

aggregation = 2) a group of populations that make up a stock for management purposes.

aggression = behaviour meant to intimidate or damage another fish or other organism. Aggression is used to protect territory, young or to establish dominance. Predatory behaviour is not aggression.

aggressive mimicry = mimicry involving at least three species. A predator resembles a non-aggressive species such as a cleaner (q.v.) and thus can attack misled clients who think they are about to be cleaned.

aggressor = in aquaria, a fish which attacks others as food or in defence of territory.

aglomerular = without glomeruli (q.v.). An aglomerular kidney lacks capillaries which filter water and waste from the bloodstream. Found in some Gasterosteiformes.

agonistic behaviour = interactions between members of the same species involving threat, aggression, appeasement, avoidance and retreat; social interactions.

agreement = in taxonomy referring to gender between a generic name and a species or species-group name combined with it, e.g. Nemacheilus rhadinaeus becomes Paracobitis rhadinaea as the genus changes from masculine to feminine.

agriotype = 1) an unofficial term in nomenclature for an ancestral type.

agriotype = 2) an unofficial term in nomenclature for a wild taxon thought to be the ancestor of a domesticated one.

"Ah fishsticks!" = an expression used on the TV cartoon South Park in place of swear words by Leopold "Butters" Stotch, the most innocent and gullible character.

aiker = 1) acker.

aiker = 2) chopped shellfish and other bait thrown into the water to attract fish when fishing from a pier or rock (Scottish dialect).

aimed fishing = fishing directed at a particular, identified group of fishes, such as a school located by sonar.

Ainu dog = the Ainu of northern Japan taught their dogs to catch migrating salmon. The dogs are also called Hokkaido inu.

air bladder = gas bladder, the preferable term since the composition of gases may not be identical to that of air (a thin membranous, sometimes alveolated sac in the dorsal portion of the abdominal cavity. Composed of three layers, the tunica externa, the submucosa or middle layer and the tunica interna, all q.v. Contains a varying mixture of gases, not identical to the composition of air. May be one, two or three chambered. May be connected to the gut by a tube, the ductus pneumaticus (then called physostomous) or unconnected (then called physoclistous). May function as one or more of:- hydrostatic organ, sound producing organ, sound receptor, respiratory organ. Often lacking in bottom fishes. Sometimes called swim bladder, also a less appropriate term. An item in Chinese cuisine. Used to make isinglass, q.v.).

air blast chilling = cooling fish product with a blast of cool air to a temperature just above 0°C.

air blast freezing = freezing fish product with high velocity cold air to -35°C.

air boat = a boat with a very shallow draft, powered by an aircraft engine turning an air propeller. Used by anglers.

air breathing fishes = a general term for those fishes that can use atmospheric oxygen by means of an accessory respiratory organ, in addition to their gills. Includes fishes in the Clariidae, Channidae, Belontiidae, Osteoglossidae and the lungfishes (Dipnoi).

air bubble curtain = air curtain (1) and (2).

air curtain = 1) air bubbled through perforated pipes as a barrier to fish movement.

air curtain = 2) air bubbled through perforated pipes laid along the sea floor, forming a curtain of bubbles and a path which fish follow or are directed into a stop seine enclosure.

air embolism = gas bubble disease (supersaturated gases (>115-125%) in water entering the the body fluids of fish causing bubbles, an embolism. Often seen in gills, eyes, skin and yolk sacs where membranes are the most gas permeable. Fish often swim upside down or vertically, sometimes looking as if they are gasping for air at the surface and may have exophthalmia. Found below power plants in winter when cold water is rapidly heated by passing through condensers, in hatcheries using borehole water and in aquaria when fresh cold water is rapidly heated).

air hole = an opening in the frozen surface of a water body.

air lift = a device that inserts air into water at depth, displacing both upwards. Used in aquaculture to remove fish from cages for harvest or to lift dead fish from the bottom of cages. Also called air lift system or air water lift.

air lift system = air lift.

air miles = the straight line distance between two points used when describing a specimen collection locality. Abbreviated as ami.

air ploughing = pumping air into lower, unoxygenated layers to encourage mixing and/or oxidation of bottom sediments.

air pump = a pump which supplies air for airstones, lift tubes, under-gravel filters, skimmers, bubblers, ornamental items and other devices in an aquarium. The air bubbles serve to draw water through an under-gravel filter for example. The most common type are diaphragm pumps, though cylinder pumps are available for large installations.

air sac = gas bladder, a thin membranous, sometimes alveolated sac in the dorsal portion of the abdominal cavity. Contains a varying mixture of gases, not identical to the composition of air. May be one, two or three chambered. May be connected to the gut by a tube, the ductus pneumaticus (then called physostomous) or unconnected (then called physoclistous). May function as one or more of:- hydrostatic organ, sound producing organ, sound receptor, respiratory organ. Found in Actinopterygii. Often lacking in bottom fishes. Sometimes called swim bladder or air bladder, less appropriate terms).

air vesicle = hard, hollow spheres of bone in Clupeidae.

air water lift = air lift.

airstone = a block of porous material that is attached to the air pump, q.v., to create various bubble effects in an aquarium and to oxygenate the water.

ait = eyot (a small island in a river formed by deposition of sediment. Usually long and narrow and may become permanent but also eroded and re-formed downstream. Numerous eyots form a braided channel).

akami = lean tuna from the back of the fish as served in a sushi restaurant.

aktino- (prefix) = ray, hence Actinopterygi, the ray-finned fishes.

al. = abbreviation of alii or aliorum, meaning others, of others.

ala (plural alae) = 1) alar scale.

ala (plural alae) = 2) wing or wing-like process, e.g. a bony outgrowth.

ala laminaris = a lateral ridge on the lower part of the cleithrum, forming a site of attachment for some of the pectoral fin muscles.

alamorkret = literally eel darkness in Swedish, a season when eels are eaten smoked, fried, grilled or stuffed, in company with schnapps.

alar = wing-like.

alar scale = one of the enlarged, elongate flap-like scales at the base of the caudal fin, e.g. in Alosa, Sardina, Sardinops, Harengula. Called paracaudal organ in the anchovy. Probably related to fast swimming.

alar spine = a spine on the upper surface of the pectoral fin near the tip, in some male Rajidae.

alar thorn = alar spine.

alarmist = an individual fish which reacts by movement to alarm substances, warning other school members and drawing attention of the predator upon itself, e.g. many Cypriniformes and Gonorhynchiformes.

alarm pheromone = alarm substance.

alarm substance = a substance produced in the round or oval alarm substance cells (previously called “clubcells") in the skin of Ostariophysi (Cypriniformes, Siluriformes) and Gonorhynchiformes, and which is released upon injury of the skin. On scenting the alarm substance members of the same species, and to a lesser extent related fishes, exhibit the fright reaction (q.v.). The dispersal of the alarm substance apparently normally acts to warn of the presence of a preying predator. The alarm pheromone is hypoxanthine-3N-oxide comprising a purine skeleton with N-O functional group and sensitive to relatively weak changes in pH. Also called alarm pheromone or Schreckstoff.

Alaska Scotch cure = a modified Scotch cure, q.v., used in Alaska and British Columbia for herring processing.

alate = winged, as used in anatomical descriptions.

Albany beef = cheap sturgeon flesh marketed in nineteenth century America, in particular at Albany on the Hudson River in New York State. See also Sturgeontown.

albino = fish lacking pigmentation, having a white to cream colour with red eye (from the blood vessels of the retina being visible). Occurring naturally if rarely in nature, they are bred artificially in aquaria. Cave dwelling species are often albinos. Albinos are less hardy than normal fish, having physiological weaknesses and being sensitive to strong light.

Albright knot = an angling knot used to join two pieces of line of unequal thickness, e.g. a heavy leader to a light main line, or vice versa, or monofilament to wire. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

alcian blue = a cartilage mucopolysaccharide stain used in fish osteology along with alizarin (q.v.) for calcium phosphate in bone.

alcohol = a general term for either ethanol (ethyl alcohol) or isopropanol (iso-propyl alcohol) used to preserve fishes in museums at various concentrations in water (70-80% ethanol, 45-50% isopropanol usually). Denatured alcohol is ethanol rendered unfit for human consumption by addition of methanol (methyl alcohol or wood alcohol) or other substances and is used in some fish collections.

alcoholism = a folk medicine for this disease in North America was drinking water in which ten tiny fish had soaked.

alderling = a freshwater fish which haunts that part of the stream overhung by alder trees (English dialect).

alec = a thick sauce or pickle made from the remains of fish from which garum, q.v., has been drawn off. One kind was made from anchovies, another of small herrings. Also spelled allec, allex and hallex.

alecithal = eggs with little or no yolk.

Alee effect = the social dysfunction and failure to mate successfully when population density falls below a certain threshold.

alevin = a young fish with a yolk-sac; larva of species in which postlarval stages are not recognized; that is, in which the yolk-bearing larva transforms directly into the juvenile, e.g. in Salmonidae; the stage from hatching to end of dependence on the yolk sac as the primary source of nutrition.

alewife = Alosa pseudoharengus (Clupeidae), reputedly named after female dispensers of ale, noted for their large bellies.

alex = fish brine. Also spelled alix or ellis. See also alec.

algae = simple rootless aquatic plants growing in relative proportion to the amounts of nutrients and sunlight available. They can affect water quality adversely by lowering the dissolved oxygen and thus affecting fish populations but they are also food for fish.

algae wafer = a form of aquarium food designed to sink for bottom feeders.

algae-eating = feeding on algae, especially in reference to fish on phytoplankton.

algaecide = a chemical compound designed to kill algae or retard the growth of algae. Also spelled algicide.

algaestat = a chemical compound that inhibits algal growth and/or reproduction.

algal bloom = the rapid growth of algae on the surface of lakes, streams, or ponds; stimulated by nutrient enrichment. The water takes on a green colour. Also called water bloom.

algal crash = the sudden death of an algal bloom with build up of carbon dioxide and ammonia, and the increase of nitrogen and phosphorus from decay resulting in the removal of oxygen, all leading to fish mortality.

algal scum = a floating layer of algae, either alive or decaying.

algal toxicosis = release of toxins from such algae as Microcystis, Anabaena and Aphanizomenon causing death in fish stocks.

algavore = feeding on algae, cf. algivore.

algicide = a chemical compound designed to kill algae or retard the growth of algae. Also spelled algaecide.

algivore = feeding on algae.

alien = any species not native (indigenous) to the area under consideration, often a politically defined area (country, province, state, etc.). It includes exotic, introduced, transplanted, non-native, non-indigenous, invasive and escaped species. May be used in the sense of a species that has not become established in the wild in the new area.

aliform = wing-like, usually in reference the pectoral fin.

alii = others. Abbreviated as al.

alimentary canal = the passage through which food passes and is digested and absorbed; includes the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, intestine and anus. Also called alimentary tract, digestive tract and gut, although the latter two might be more restrictive being areas of chemical processing and absorption only and not manipulation as with mouth and oesophagus and associated structures.

alimentary tract = alimentary canal.

aliorum = others, of others.

alisphenoid = term misapplied in older literature to the pterosphenoid (q.v.) of fishes. It is not homologous with the alisphenoid of mammals and should not be used.

alive and kicking = alert and active, an eighteenth century expression of London fishmongers then referring to fresh fish flopping around on their carts.

alivotype = an unofficial term in nomenclature for a type that is alive and requires special handling and maintenance. Some fish are maintained in aquaria and are preserved on death or sacrifice for formal description as a new species.

alix = fish brine. Also spelled alex or ellis. See also alec.

alix water = the liquid residue in a cask after rendered oil from cod livers has been drawn off in the making of rotted oil.

alizarin = a bone specific stain (actually calcium phosphate in bone and scales), alizarin red S is used to highlight the osteology of a fish specimen. The viscera are often excised and the flesh macerated or cleared (rendered transparent) by enzymes or potassium hydroxide. Preparations are made according to various recipes.

alkaline death point = the pH at which fish die from alkalinity of water, usually about pH 11.0.

alkaline cure = stock fish, q.v., soaked in a solution of lime and soda and then in water for several days.

alkaline gland = a paired organ in the genito-urinary apparatus of Raja (and probably other skates and rays) whose cavity is fluid filled. Also called Marshall's gland.

alkalinity = the acid-neutralisng capacity of carbonates, bicarbonates and hydroxides in water; the power to keep pH from changing, important for fish as protection against acid rain. Total alkalinity is the total concentration of bases in water, expressed as mg/l of CaCO₃ or as microequivalents per litre (20 ueq/l = 1 mg/l CaCO₃).

alkalophile = fish from alkaline waters, e.g. Malawian or Tanganyikan cichlids, preferring a pH over 7, preferably around 8.

all quall = talis qualis (Latin for just as they come, e.g. a whole catch of dried and salted cod sold without differentiation of quality or size (Newfoundland)).

all's fish that comes to the net = you should take advantage of anything that comes your way (proverb).

all-female species = the production and survival of a clone by gynogenesis, q.v., e.g. in Poeciliidae, Cyprinidae.

alle- (prefix) = other, different.

allec = alec.

Allee effect = the benefit individuals gain from the presence of conspecifics, e.g. at low densities the per capita birth rate declines because of the difficulty of finding a member of the opposite sex. Also known in fisheries as depensation - mortality is depensatory when its rate (i.e. the proportion of population affected) increases as the size of the population decreases. Depensation may explain why marine fish populations like the Atlantic cod are slow to recover even when fishing is halted. Per capita mortality may increase because of changes in predator-prey interactions, mate availability may be reduced, fertilisation success may be lowered, operational sex ratios may change, and there may be a reduced intensity of social interactions during spawning. Compare compensatory mortality where the mortality rate decreases as the population size decreases.

Allen paradox = the observation that the quantity of benthic invertebrates in a river is insufficient to support the observed fish population.

allergy = humans can be allergic to fish (BWC, personal experience; last fish meal an uninteresting fish finger, q.v.) although not to other seafoods such as crustaceans and molluscs. Gadus morhua allergy has been studied the most and other species are believed to be similar although not all fish species may trigger a reaction. Gad c l, a parvalbumin, is the major cod allergen. Symptoms appear within minutes to a few hours of eating fish and include swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, hoarseness, cough, hives, rashes, runny nose and watering eyes, and asthma. Potentially fatal if the throat constricts. Symptoms may be limited to nausea, vomiting or cramping diarrhoea.

alley = in angling, a term for patches between emergent reeds or between reeds and the shore.

allex = alec.

alligator = slang for a herring (U.S., mid- to late-nineteenth century).

allo- (prefix) = other, different.

allocation = division of a fish resource among harvesters and those needed for reproduction. The harvester can be a person, a vessel, a fishing company, a country, etc. The allocation can be absolute, e.g. a number of tonnes per country based on the TAC, q.v., or relative, e.g. a percentage of the annual allowable catch. May be based on historical harvests.

allochronic species = those species that do not occur in the same geological Period.

allochthonous = food items, organic matter, nutrients etc. that enter an aquatic ecosystem from outside.

allochthonous drainage = a karst drainage derived from surface runoff coming from adjacent impermeable rocks. Also called allogenic drainage. See also autochthonous drainage.

allogenic drainage = a karst drainage derived from surface runoff coming from adjacent impermeable rocks. Also called allochthonous drainage. See also autochthonous drainage.

allohomoiotype= allohomotype.

allohomoitype = allohomotype.

allohomotype = an unofficial term in nomenclature for a homotype (q.v.) of the same sex as the allotype or lectoallotype. Also spelled allohomoitype and allohomoiotype.

allolectotype = an unofficial term in nomenclature for a type specimen of opposite sex to the lectotype and chosen from the type series subsequent to the original description. Also called a lectoallotype.

allometric growth = parts of the same organism growing at different rates (allometry). See also isometric growth.

allometry = the study of proportional growth rate differences, e.g. how head length changes with respect to increasing body length.

allomone = a chemical produced and released by an individual of one species that affects the behaviour of a member of another species to the benefit of the originator, e.g. a defense mechanism.

alloneotype = an unofficial term in nomenclature for a type specimen of the opposite sex to the neotype (q.v.). Also called a neallotype.

alloparalectotype = an unofficial term in nomenclature for a paralectotype, q.v., of opposite sex to the lectotype, designated later than the original publication of the species.

alloparatype = an unofficial term in nomenclature for a paratype, q.v., of the same sex as the allotype.

allopatric = refers to populations or taxa whose ranges do not overlap; geographically separated.

alloplesiotype = an unofficial term in nomenclature for a plesiotype, q.v., of the same sex as the allotype.

allostasis = the physiological and other mechanisms adopted by fish to cope with stress. These generally have a deleterious effect if prolonged.

allotopic = species with overlapping ranges not occurring together.

allotopotype = an unofficial term in nomenclature for a type specimen from the original type locality of the same sex as the allotype, q.v.

allotrop- (prefix) = strange.

allotrophic lake = a lake receiving organic matter from the surrounding land by runoff.

allotype = 1) an unofficial term in nomenclature for a paratype of opposite sex to the holotype and originally designated by the author, a term not regulated by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

allotype = 2) an obsolete term in taxonomy for a specimen of the opposite sex to the holotype chosen by a later worker.

allowable biological catch = a term used by a management agency which refers to the range of allowable catch for a species or species group. It is set each year by a scientific group created by the management agency and is the subjectively estimated amount of catch of a given species from a given region. The agency then takes the ABC estimate and sets the annual total allowable catch (TAC). Abbreviated as ABC.

allowable catch = the catch allowed by a management authority to be taken from a stock of a species or group of species, by a fishery during a specified time period. Often defined as the total allowable catch (TAC). Often allocated explicitly amongst those having a right of access to the stock.

allowable catch estimate = acceptable catch estimate.

allowable quota = a share in a total allowable quota (TAC) usually divided amongst those with a right to participate in the fishery. Also called quota.

allowance = an amount set aside from a total allowable catch to allow for the expected catch of harvesters who are not subject to quota management. The quota may too hard to enforce, e.g. in an inshore fishery, and these harvesters are free to catch more than their allowance, if they can.

alloy bobbin = a light-weight, hollow bobbin on the footrope of a bottom trawl with holes to allow flooding. Also called drilled bobbin.

alluvial = adjective for alluvium.

alluvial deposits = alluvium.

alluvion = fine sediment.

alluvium (adjective alluvial) = clay, silt, sand, gravel or other material deposited by running water. Often fossil-bearing over time.

Alm's Fb coefficient = the ratio of fish caught to total benthic biomass per hectare.

almas = golden caviar, i.e., either the eggs of an albino sturgeon with a light and delicate flavour or those of Huso huso or Acipenser gueldenstaedtii at least 60 years of age with a creamy and subtle flavour. Eggs are also described as pale amber or white. In 2007, a 1.8 kg tin cost £25,000. Almas is Russian for diamond.

almost atoll = an atoll whose circular rim is less than 75% complete at low tide.

alongshore = parallel to or near the shoreline. Also called longshore.

alpha taxonomy = the description and naming of species.

alphabet lure = alphabet plug.

alphabet plug = a plug or crankbait shaped like a letter of the alphabet (N, O, S, etc.); used primarily for bass fishing in North America.

alpine lake = a lake in a mountainous area with a cold climate, associated with snow and ice conditions.

altagongi = haltugonga (an expression meaning "stop running" used by fishermen to check the run of a halibut that has been hooked (Shetland Isles dialect)).

alternative name = two names for the same taxon, of the same rank, published simultaneously by an author.

altithermal = a warmer period than today, about 4500-7000 B.P.

altricial = young requiring care or nursing after hatching. Opposite of precocial. Also used to describe ontogeny with large numbers of ova with low energy content, poorly-developed larvae and relatively large clutches in early maturing and slow-growing fishes.

alveolar = pocketed or pitted, honeycomb-like

alveolar ridge = a bony ridge supporting teeth.

alveoli = plural of alveolus.

alveolus (plural alveoli) = a small cavity or space; socket of a tooth; air cell of the lungs.

AM, am or a.m. = abbreviation for ante meridiem or before noon; the time before 12 noon.

amarelo cure = yellow cure (Portuguese salt cod with some of the salt removed by soaking in water between stages of washing and drying, yellowish in appearance).

amateur fisher = a fisher that takes fish for fun, sport or family food and do not sell their catch. Also called recreational fisher.

ambicolouration = pigmentation of both the eyed and blind side of flatfishes (Pleuronectiformes) in which, ordinarily, only the eyed side is pigmented. Also called hypermelanosis.

ambient = surrounding on all sides, the conditions in the environment, e.g. temperature.

ambiguotype = 1) an unofficial term in nomenclature for an inadequately described type. Also called Walker type.

ambiguotype = 2) an unofficial term in nomenclature for a type specimen with poor data and/or labels. Usually applied to a primary type (q.v.).

ambiguotype = 3) an unofficial term in nomenclature for an unlabelled primary type specimen hidden amongst paratypes or syntypes. These series are usually a mixture of several closely-related species.

ambiguotype = 4) an unofficial term in nomenclature for an inadequately designated type specimen stored with other, superficially identical material.

ambiguous name = a name consistently used by different authors for different taxa; now obsolete (nomen ambiguum).

ambush predator = a predator that lies in wait for its prey rather than chasing it, cf. active forager. See also pursuing predator and tracking predator.

amelanistic = lacking melanin.

ameni = pond smelt or sand lances cooked in soya sauce with sugar and ame, a sweet millet jelly. Usually preceded by the name of the fish (Japan).

amensalism = negatively affecting one or several species; a form of symbiosis where one of the embers suffers as a result of the relationship while the other is unaffected by it.

American caviar = 1) caviar from American species of sturgeons.

American caviar = 2) caviar from non-sturgeon species in North America such as paddlefish (Polyodontidae).

American cut = fish portions or fillets with tapering or bevelled edges, rather than square-cut sides. Also called Dover cut.

American hardness = a measure of hardness used in the USA. One degree is equal to 1 mg/l.

American shore = a length of Newfoundland coast where American vessels were allowed to take bait.

ami = abbreviation for air miles, the straight line distance between two points used when describing a specimen collection locality.

amictic = lakes with a permanent ice cover and so with no circulation.

ammel = dan leno stick (a ballasted wood pole with short rigging ropes attached, functioning like the dan leno bobbin, q.v.) (northeast Scotland).

ammocoete = the larval stage of lampreys (Petromyzontiformes) which is characterized by the presence of an oral hood and the lack of a sucking disk, teeth and developed eyes. The term is derived from the genus Ammocoetes in which the larvae were placed before it was realized that they were larval lampreys.

ammonia poisoning = ammonia may build up in aquaria from fish wastes, decaying food and plant material and poison fish. Symptoms are gasping, excess mucus production, reddening skin from capillary haemorrhages, erratic behaviour. An efficient biological filtration system prevents this condition but if it does arise fish need to be moved to a mature aquarium where the nitrogen cycle, q.v., is in full operation.

ammonia tower = a type of biological filtration in aquaria which has media exposed to the air to aid in nitrification through bacterial growth. Common forms are trickle filters and rotating paddle wheel filters. The air/water mix promotes bacterial growth and the bacteria remove ammonia and nitrites. Also called a wet/dry filter.

ammonotelic = excreting nitrogenous wastes mostly as "nitrogen" (NH₃, or the ammonium ion NH₄^-). Typical of most fishes.

amnesia = a high breaking strain monofilament line used in still fishing rigs.

amnion = a fluid-filled sac in which the embryo develops in reptiles, birds and mammals. Fish are anamniotes, as are amphibians.

amniote = a classification of vertebrates to include those with an amnion.

amoc = the traditional Cambodian fish dish comprising baked fish wrapped in a banana leaf and served with coconut, chili and lemon grass.

amorphous = without a definite shape.

amphi- (prefix) = both, on both sides of, e.g. amphi-Atlantic on both sides of the Atlantic, amphi-American on both sides of America, amphi-Pacific on both sides of the Pacific (these terms may include discontinuous and continuous distributions).

amphiarthrosis = an articulation that allows limited movement, as between vertebrae; cf. diarthrosis and synarthrosis.

amphibi- (prefix) = living a double life.

amphibiont = a species requiring both surface and ground waters in its life cycle. Also called amphibite.

amphibiotic = living in water during an early stage of development and on land during the adult stage.

amphibious = able to live or operate on land and in the water, e.g. mudskippers approach this condition.

amphibite = amphibiont.

amphiboreal = pertaining to an interrupted northern circumpolar distribution.

amphicelous = amphicoelous.

amphicoelous = biconcave vertebrae, having both ends hollowed out, the condition in Elasmobranchii, Amia and most Teleostomi except Lepisosteus (also spelled amphicelous).

amphidromic point = a point of zero amplitude of the observed or a constituent tide.

amphidromic region = an area surrounding an amphidromic point from which the radiating cotidal lines progress through all hours of the tidal cycle.

amphidromous = fishes which regularly migrate between the sea and fresh water (or vice versa) at some definite stage in their life cycle but not for the purpose of reproduction, e.g. Sicydium, perhaps Megalops and Chanos, some Galaxias (Myers, 1949).

amphihaline = showing a broad salinity tolerance and capable of living in fresh or salt waters.

amphimixis = sexual reproduction involving the fusion of male and female gametes and the formation of a zygote.

amphipedal progression = locomotion using the pectoral fins in a manner similar to that used by humans on crutches, e.g. in mudskippers and frogfishes. Also called crutching.

amphistylic = attachment of the upper jaw to the skull by means of a process on the palatoquadrate and the hyomandibular bone and by a direct connection between the jaw and braincase, e.g. some Elasmobranchii; basal gnathostomes, other than placoderms).

amphithermic = having a wide tolerance of temperatures, resulting in clines or subspecies.

amphitopic = having a wide tolerance of habitats, resulting in clines or subspecies.

amphitropical = pertaining to a distribution of temperate species interrupted by the tropics.

amplitude = half of the peak-to-trough range (or height) of a wave.

ampulla = a swelling of the end of the semicircular canals.

ampullae of Lorenzini = Lorenzini's ampullae (the mucus filled canal system opening on the snout of Elasmobranchii, Polyodon spathula and Plotosus anguillaris. May be electric, pressure or temperature receptors).

ampullary organ = an electroreceptor consisting of receptor cells sunk into the epidermis or located in an epidermal cavity opening to the surface through a duct and pore. The duct may be filled with jelly, e.g. in certain Gymnotidae, Mormyridae and Siluroidei.

an- (prefix) = without, not.

ana- (prefix) = over, back, again, backward, upward.

anaba- (prefix) = to go up, hence Anabantidae.

anabiosis = inhabiting temporary water bodies and surviving drought by suspended animation, e.g. Dipnoi.

anabranch = a diverging branch of a river which re-enters the main stream.

anacanthous = lacking dorsal fin spines. Opposite of phalacanthous.

anacat = fish that live partly in fresh water and partly in the sea and vice versa (from anadromous and catadromous).

anadrom- (prefix) = running up, to go up.

anadromous = running up; said of those fishes which spend most of their life in the sea and which migrate to freshwater to reproduce, e.g. Oncorhynchus, Stenodus, Petromyzon, Roccus, Stokellia anisodon (Retropinnidae) (Myers, 1949). The opposite is catadromous.

anaemia = deficiency of red blood corpuscles or haemoglobin; in fish a dietary disease due to a vitamin deficiency.

anaemic fish = the ice fishes of Antarctica, e.g. Chaenichthyide, which lack red blood corpuscles.

anaerobic = without oxygen, either as a presence or needed as part of a process.

anaesthetic = a chemical used to reduce a fish's movements or metabolic rate prior to some procedure such as tagging or transport. Chemicals include MS-222 and clove oil and, for fry, novocaine and sodium barbitol.

anaesthetic fishing = angling while numbed under the influence of drugs or alcohol, leads to poor catches and even drowning, cf. aesthetic fishing.

anagenesis = evolutionary change along an unbranching lineage (no new species arise) or when one species transforms into another across time.

anagram = a taxonomic name formed by the rearrangement of the letters of a word or phrase, e.g. Tribolodon a genus of fishes predates Tribolodon a genus of reptiles and the anagram Bolotridon was advanced as a replacement name.

anal = pertaining to the anus.

anal fin = the median ventral fin or fins behind the anus. Abbreviated as A, or A1 and A2 if there are two. Also called proctopterygium or proctal fin, it functions to maintain equilibrium against rolling.

anal fin base length = the distance between the origin and the insertion of the anal fin, i.e. the length of that portion of the anal fin in contact with the body.

anal fin depressed length = the depressed length of the anal fin is the distance from the origin to the farthest posterior tip when the fin is flattened down.

anal fin height = the distance from the origin to the tip of the longest ray. Sometimes taken as the greatest vertical height from the base.

anal fin ray count = enumeration of the soft anal fin rays, usually. In fishes where the smaller rays in front gradually grade into larger rays, these smaller anterior rays are included in the count, e.g. Ictaluridae, Esocidae, Gadidae. Where the first small rays abruptly change to larger ones, or where the first small rays are very variable or difficult to count, these are not included; the first unbranched ray reaching nearly to the tip of the fin and the remainder of the rays are then counted - this is called the principal ray count. Where the last two rays are closely approximated at the base, some authors consider them as a branched ray counting them as one (although they are not really a single branched ray). In fishes where the last two rays are not closely placed at the base, the rays are usually both counted. However some authors again count the last two rays as one. In some studies, only the branched rays of the anal fin are counted. It may readily be seen that if published counts are to be of use to others the method of counting should be stated. Anal fin spines, when present, are usually enumerated separately from soft or branched rays.

anal gland = rectal gland (an evagination of the terminal portion of the intestine of Elasmobranchii. Function formerly thought to be related to digestion or excretion, but now considered to secrete high concentrations of excess sodium chloride. Found also in the coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae).

anal lappet = a small skin flap supported by an internal scale or scales over the anal fin base in Cetomimidae.

anal papilla = a fleshy protuberance through which the end of the digestive tract passes.

anal photophores = two rows of light organs, one above the base of the anal fin and the other along the ventrolateral surface of the caudal peduncle. Abbreviated as AO in Myctophidae.

anal ring = one of the dermal plates in members of the Syngnathidae forming a series of rings enclosing the body; the body ring immediately in front of the anus.

anal spine = a spine at the origin of the anal fin before the soft rays. In flatfishes this is not a true spine but the free end of the first distal anal pterygiophore under the skin which may protrude through the skin.

analog products = simulated crab, lobster and other shellfish and fish products made from processed fish flesh.

analogous = similar in structure or function but independently evolved, e.g. the hard ray in the dorsal fin of the carp and the spines in the first dorsal fin of the perch are analogous structures.

analytical operation = research study on a fish stock gathering data that cannot be obtained from commercial operations.

anamestic bone = one of a series of bones in the cheek region that fill in spaces left by the sensory pit-bearing bones; may be used for any bone lacking sensory canals. Often small, of irregular shape and variable between individuals.

anamniota = a classification of vertebrates without an amnion.

anamniote = fishes, including Agnatha, have an embryonic stage without an amnion, as do amphibians.

anastomosing = joining in a network, forming a network, e.g. river channels, blood vessels.

anatomy = the structure of organisms, often revealed by dissection.

anaulacorhizid = vascularisation of a tooth root through scattered foramina of equal size on both outer and inner faces, e.g. in Hexanchidae. A secondarily anaulacorhizid condition occurs where the median groove of a holaulacorhizid type of root is totally overgrown to form a closed tube internally connected or merged with the pulp cavity (Herman et al., 1994).

anazygalia = zygalia (four small cranial bones in Osteolepiformes, perhaps formed from elements of the second to the fourth vertebra, a segment of the primordial cranium. The anazygalia are located dorsal to the chorda dorsalis, the catazygalia ventral to the chorda dorsalis).

ancestor = any organism, population, or species from which some other organism, population, or species is descended by reproduction.

anchialine = anchihaline.

anchihaline = referring to an aquatic habitat with restricted open air exposure, one or more connections to the sea (but not a surface connection), and influenced by marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Found in volcanic and limestone areas, e.g. the bythitid genus Lucifuga of Cuba and the Bahamas. Also spelled anchialine.

anchor = a metal device lowered on a line or chain and used to secure a vessel to the sea bed. Also used to secure nets. Anchors have flukes (points that dig into the bottom or grab rocks; the flattened part is called a palm) connecting by arms to a crown, a shank (a vertical bar) rising from the crown, many also have a stock (a horizontal bar that prevents rolling over) which passes through an eye, and a ring (where the rope or chain is attached). There are many different type and sizes of anchors, e.g. see killick, Admiralty pattern anchor, ice anchor and trawl anchor.

anchor (verb) = to affix an object, such as a net, to the sea floor, using an anchor or similar device. An anchor is set, by which it is pulled to engage the flukes in the sea bed or against rocks. However its weight alone may prevent movement of a boat or net.

anchor buoy = a large, spherical buoy supporting and marking the various ropes connected to the main anchor used in Danish seining.

anchor ice = frazil ice that collects on the stream or lake bed, or extends down to the water bottom.

anchor net = set gillnet (a gill net fixed to the bottom or a distance above it by anchors or ballast. Also called straight net, sunk gillnet, sunken gill net, sunk net).

anchor rope = 1) a rope connected to an anchor or anchor chain.

anchor rope = 2) a cable-laid rope acting as a spring between the anchor wire and anchor buoy in a Danish seine. Also called anchor trot.

anchor seine = Danish seine (a seine or cone-shaped otter trawl which is hauled over an area of about 2 square kilometres to a stationary vessel from an anchor buoy, the very long towing ropes disturbing clouds of mud which help herd the fish into the net. Also called Danish seine trawl or Danish trawl).

anchor surface net = a set gill net fixed to fish near the surface. Also called surface gill net.

anchor tag = an alphanumeric or colour-coded tag attached through the flesh near the dorsal fin of a fish. A special injection device allows numerous fish to be tagged rapidly.

anchor trot = anchor rope (2).

anchor worm = a copepod crustacean parasite of the genus Lernaea found on fish gills. No intermediate host. Worm-like in shape and often quite large and obvious, forming ulcers at the attachment point, and inducing scratching and flashing through irritation. Heavy infestations, especially of small or larval fish, may lead to hypoxia through increased respiration. Found in freshwater fishes, particularly cyprinids in culture and as bait minnows.

anchored fish aggregating device = a fish aggregating device (q.v.) that is anchored close to the coast and used in artisanal fisheries.

anchored gillnet = bottom-set gillnet (a net anchored on or close to the bottom by anchors and ballast).

anchored line = a fishing line fixed to the sea bed at one end or at several points along its length.

anchored trap = a pound net (q.v.) or fyke net (q.v.) set in deep water and maintained in place by lines and anchors. Usually set horizontally but may be set vertically under ice, e.g. for turbot in the Baltic Sea.

anchosen = smallish sprats and herring preserved in a mixture of salt and sugar, or in starched sugar products, with or without spices, saltpetre or other flavouring agents (Germany).

anchovy = common name for various fish species in the fishes in the family Engraulidae, best known in North America for their salty and decried topping on pizzas but an important and tasty element in European cuisine. Part of caesar salad, Worcestershire sauce and often the basis for garum (q.v.). The various species occur in vast numbers as a schooling fish in waters worldwide.

anchovy butter = anchovy paste mixed with butter, used for a filling in sandwiches, savoury biscuits, etc.

anchovy cream = anchovy paste mixed with vegetable oil. Oil content in France is at least 10%.

anchovy cullice = a strong broth, boiled and strained, often used for sick people.

anchovy essence = a compound of pounded anchovies and various herbs. May be canned.

anchovy paste = ground anchovies covered with salt, saltpetre, bay salt, sal prunella and a few grains of cochineal; allowed to ripen for six months. Sold in jars or cans.

anchovy sauce = a savoury sauce made with anchovies.

anchovy toast = a toast spread with anchovy, used as a whet to appetite for wine.

anchylose = ankylose.

ancillary collection = material retained in addition to the main specimen in a collection, e.g. frozen tissue, thin sections, body parts, DNA, etc.

ancillary product = additional use, other than the primary one, of a fish, e.g. in a fish used for flesh, use of internal organs, of heads, and as fishmeal, etc.

andric = male.

andro- (prefix) = male human.

androdioecious = adjective for androdioecy.

androdioecy = possessing a single gonad that produces both eggs and sperm. Eggs are fertilised internally and most offspring are clones. Found only in the mangrove killifish (Kryptolebias marmoratus) in vertebrates. Some males exist, the numbers varying between populations, allowing greater genetic diversity, while androdioecy allows the fish to colonise new habitats.

androgamone = sperm secretions which depress the activity of sperm in the male genital duct and dissolve the egg membranes.

andropodium = a modified anal fin of Hemiramphidae used to transfer sperm to females. Also cited as being the modified anal fin in Goodeidae.

androtype = an unofficial term in nomenclature for a male specimen in the type series.

anerytheristic = lacking red pigmentation.

anesthetic = anaesthetic.

anfish = a legendary hairy fish of the lower Tigris-Euphrates basin in Iraq; possibly a marine mammal entering from the sea or the otter.

angel fillet = block fillet (a fillet comprising muscle mass from the side of the fish, usually joined at the back or belly. Also called cutlet, double fillet or when smoked golden cutlet).

angio- (prefix) = vessel.

angiogenesis = development of new blood vessels, as in embryos and tumour formation. See also shark cartilage.

angishore = 1) a man too lazy to fish (Newfoundland).

angishore = 2) a migratory fisherman from Newfoundland who conducted a summer fishery from a fixed station on the coast of Labrador.

angle = 1) the bony protuberance posterior to the jaw gape where the angular, articular and quadrate bones join. Ventrally directed and especially prominent in some larval fishes.

angle = 2) old word for a hook. Hence to angle, angler.

angle = 3) to fish with a hook, rod and bait.

angle = 4) to scheme, or to try and get something by devious or illegal means.

angle = 5) a sharp bend in a river.

angle = 6) a curved inlet of a lake or pond.

Angle = 7) a member of a Germanic people that migrated to England from a fish hook-shaped area of southern Jutland in the 5th century A.D., hence England.

angle-bow = a running noose or slip-knot, especially on the end of a stick, used to catch fish (English dialect).

angle-bowing = poaching fish by means of an angle-bow.

angle-dog = an earthworm used for freshwater fishing (Newfoundland).

angle-rod = a fishing rod.

angle iron chain = chain bracket (a chain used on an otter board in pace of a bracket. Also called back board chain, board chain, chain triangle, towing chain).

angle with a silver hook = a failed fisherman who buys his fish to take home, using silver coins in the past.

angler = 1) a person using an angle to catch fishes, and usually a rod and line too; a recreational fisher. The fish may be released or kept as food but they are not sold. Angler encompasses both sexes in contrast to fisherman.

angler = 2) a pilferer having a stick with a hook at the end to steal goods from shop windows (archaic).

angler day = one person angling for any part of one day.

angler survey = a survey of anglers and their catches either off-site by mail, email, telephone, door-to-door, etc. or on-site by access, roving, aerial, etc.

anglerfish = a member of the Order Lophiiformes, comprising over 313 species in 18 families. They have a fishing apparatus developed from the first ray of the spiny dorsal fin comprising the illicium (q.v.) or fishing rod tipped by the esca (q.v.) or bait. The apparatus is used to attract other fishes close enough to be gulped down.

anglers association = a group of individuals paying an annual fee to fish in waters owned or leased by the association. Membership may be in the many thousands and the association can set rules for fishing gear and times, angling contests, stock waters with fish, and influence national policies on fish management. Also called fishing club or fish club.

angleworm = a small earthworm used as bait in angling, usually for small stream trout and panfish, cf. night crawler.

angling = fishing with a rod and reel or a rod and line, usually for sport but also an effective way to catch some species for research purposes (or so ichthyologists maintain) and similar methods are used for some commercial fishing. Strictly uses an angle or hook but generally synonymous with sport fishing, q.v. See also recreational fishery.

angling apparatus = fishing apparatus (a mechanism for attracting prey close to the mouth in members of the Lophiiformes formed from dorsal fin spines modified into a fishing rod (illicium) with a lure (esca) at the tip).

angling association = anglers association.

angling cove = a receiver of stolen goods.

angling device = the modified dorsal fin on anglerfishes (Lophiiformes) used to attract prey.

angling for farthings = begging out of a prison window with a cap or box let down on the end of string (archaic). Farthings were a coin worth a quarter of a penny.

angling machine = an automated rod and line system on the side of a vessel. The machine can jig to catch the fish, rotate to bring the fish on deck, and jerk to release the fish from the hook.

angling rod = fishing rod (1) a device to carry and project a fishing line, hook(s) and bait or lures. The construction of rods is both a craft and a science and there is an immense variation for particular species. Originally made of wood (split cane), now made of fibreglass, graphite/fibreglass or kevlar).

angling wand = fishing rod (1) a device to carry and project a fishing line, hook(s) and bait or lures. The construction of rods is both a craft and a science and there is an immense variation for particular species. Originally made of wood (split cane), now made of fibreglass, graphite/fibreglass or kevlar).

anguiform = snake-like or snake shaped.

anguilliform = 1) eel-like in shape.

anguilliform = 2) sinuous type of swimming as in an eel. See also carangiform, labriform, ostraciform, thunniform.

anguiniform = anguiform.

angular = the triangular, paired dermal bone on the posterior ventral corner of the lower jaw. Also applied to the dermal bone of the lower jaw which articulates posteriorly with the quadrate, in which case the preceding bone is known as the retroarticular. In mammals this bone becomes the malleus of the inner ear.

angulas = deep-fried elvers (young Anguilla anguilla), a Basque delicacy.

angulate = having definite angles or corners.

angulo-retroarticular = retroarticular (the triangular, endochondral, dermal or mixed origin bone on the back, hind corner of the lower jaw. Often called the angular, Bridge's ossicle a, or lower articular).

anguloarticular = articular (the deep, endochondral bone of primitive acanthopterygians in the middle of the lower jaw between the dentary and the angular (or retroarticular) which articulates with the quadrate. It is later invaded by the angular. Divided into the distal part (wanting in Teleostomi) and the proximal part. Occupies the position of Bridge's ossicles b and c in Amia. Found as a distinct structure in Amia, Lepisosteus, Polyodon and Acipenseridae).

angulosplenial = articular (the deep, endochondral bone of primitive acanthopterygians in the middle of the lower jaw between the dentary and the angular (or retroarticular) which articulates with the quadrate. It is later invaded by the angular. Divided into the distal part (wanting in Teleostomi) and the proximal part. Occupies the position of Bridge's ossicles b and c in Amia. Found as a distinct structure in Amia, Lepisosteus, Polyodon and Acipenseridae).

animal pole = the location on the fish egg where polar bodies emerge. It corresponds to the point of fertilisation just below where the sperm penetrates the chorion through the micropyle.

animal-vegetal axis = a line passing through the animal and vegetal poles of the embryo before epiboly.

anirotype = cheirotype (a type specimen of a species designated by a manuscript name).

anisakiasis = a disease caused by a nematode parasite. Anisakis can infect humans causing gastric problems if raw or lightly processed fish, e.g. cold smoked, is consumed. Freezing below -18°C followed by frozen storage for 24 hours kills this parasite. The parasite is found in the viscera and muscles of such fish as herring. Marine mammals are the definitive host. Also called anisakinosis.

anisakinosis = anisakiasis.

aniso- (prefix) = unequal, uneven.

anisogamy = reproductive products of unequal size (eggs and sperm).

anker = a barrel containing, and a measure, of salmon (Orkney and Shetland dialect).

ankimo = monkfish liver as served in a sushi restaurant.

ankled = said of fishing nets twisted together. See also hankle.

ankylose = to fuse together, e.g. fusion of two bones or teeth to bone to form one part. Sometimes spelled anchylose.

anlage (plural anlagen, German) = the initial clump of cells from which develops an organ or structure; primordium.

anlagen = plural of anlage.

annatto = a vegetable dye used for colouring smoked fish.

anno = to row against the wind to keep a boat from drifting, while rod or handline fishing is going on (Caithness dialect).

anno domini = Year of the Lord, the Christian dating system. Common era or CE is used as a neutral version. Abbreviated as A.D. or AD.

annosman = the man who annos the boat.

annotation slip = determination slip (a label with a specimen with the species identification, identifier, date of capture, collector(s), etc. The label may be attached to the specimen or with it in a jar or other container).

annual canvas = a compilation of available fishery records made annually.

annual fish = a fish which normally completes its life cycle in a year and dies, only the eggs surviving, e.g. certain South American and African cyprinodonts dwelling in ponds which disappear in the dry season, Austrofundulus, Rachovia, Aphia pellucida, Cynolebius.

annual flood = the highest annual peak discharge of a river.

annual growth rate = the increase in weight of a fish over one year (final weight divided by initial weight). Abbreviated as h or h (Ricker, 1975).

annual migrant = a fish that makes regular yearly migrations for spawning and/or feeding.

annual mortality = the percentage of fish dying in one year due to natural causes. May also include those taken through fishing.

annual mortality rate = the ratio between the number of fish which die during a year from causes other than fishing and the number alive at the beginning of that year. Also called annual natural mortality rate, conditional natural mortality rate, seasonal natural mortality rate. Abbreviated as m or n.

annual natural mortality rate = annual mortality rate (the ratio between the number of fish which die during a year from causes other than fishing and the number alive at the beginning of that year. Also called conditional natural mortality rate and seasonal natural mortality rate).

annual product sampling plan = in food inspection of fish, the type and number of analyses to be carried out on an annual basis.

annual production = 1) tonnes of market-sized fish produced by an aquaculture facility in one year.

annual production = 2) the amount of fish produced by a defined area of river or lake.

annual ring = a growth ring formed over the course of one year.

annual species = one in which free-swimming individuals live for less than one year, their fertile eggs hibernating in soil during the dry season, e.g. some rivulin Cyprinodontidae.

annual surplus production = the assumption in fisheries that there is a biomass removable without changing population size.

annual total mortality rate = the number of fish which die during a year divided by the initial number. Also called actual mortality rate, coefficient of mortality. Abbreviated as A.

annual turnover = 1) the total biomass produced in one year.

annual turnover = 2) the spring and fall mixing of water in a lake caused by wind, annual air temperature cycle and heating from the sun.

annualism = the state of being an annual species.

annular = ring-shaped.

annular drainage system = a drainage system arranged in a circular fashion around a central basin. See also dendritic, deranged, parallel and rectangular drainage systems.

annular sclerite = annulus.

annuli = plural of annulus.

annulled name = an originally available name that has been suppressed by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature and consequently becomes unavailable for purposes of priority.

annulled work = a publication that the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature has ruled must not be used for purpose of nomenclature.

annulment = the suppression by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature of an available name as unavailable for the purposes of priority and homonymy, and the ruling of a work as unavailable.

annulus (plural annuli) = a ring or rings on a fish scale or in a bony or cartilaginous structure corresponding to a year of growth. In a scale usually consists of closely arranged ridges (circuli). An accessory annulus is a ring caused by retarded or temporarily terminated growth that does not represent an annual cycle. In the tropics annuli may indicate spawning rather than growth.

annum = year. Usually used in combination, e.g. Ma, meaning million years.

anomaly = departure from normal.

anoman = any animal species other than Homo sapiens; from "animal other than man".

anomen = plural of anoman.

anon = abbreviation for anonymous.

anonymous = of a name, nomenclatural act or work whose authorship is not stated. Also where the identity of an author cannot be determined from the work itself. Abbreviated as anon.

anoxia = the lack of oxygen in an environment.

answer = a bite in fishing.

Ant = a photophore at the anterodorsal margin of the orbit.

ante- (prefix) = before, in front of.

ante meridiem = before noon; the time before 12 noon. Abbreviated AM, am or a.m.

antecedent stream = a stream already in place before the rise of a mountain range, subsequently cutting through the rock at the same rate as the mountains rise and so maintaining its position. This has consequences for fish distribution, dispersal and migration.

antecedent year = the year when fish were spawned.

antennulae microvillares = mucopolysaccharide threads or tufts, the mucus filaments on the outermost layer of skin.

antepenultimate = the third from the end; one preceding the penultimate.

anteriad = in front of; towards the front end.

anterial = towards the anterior end.

anterials = teeth on the anterior field of the oral disc of lampreys (Petromyzontidae).

anterior = in front; front (also used for towards the front end, strictly anteriad). Opposite of posterior.

anterior anal photophores = the row of light organs just above the base of the anal fin in Myctophidae (abbreviated AOa).

anterior cardinal vein = paired veins draining blood from the head into the common cardinal veins.

anterior cerebral vein = a vein draining blood from the rostrum and eye into the lateral head vein, q.v.

anterior circumorals = the first row of anterials.

anterior field = a wedge-shaped section of a scale encompassed by lines from the focus to the antero-lateral corners of the scale. This field is usually embedded in the skin and not exposed.

anterior intestinal artery = a branch of the coeliac artery that serves the enlarged proximal loop of the intestine and the intestinal diverticula.

anterior-posterior axis = the principal axis of the embryo. Also called rostrocaudal axis and embryonic axis.

anterohyal = ceratohyal (the bone articulating dorsally with the interhyal, anteriorly supporting some branchiostegal rays and ventrally joining one or two hypohyals).

anterolateral photophores = an old name for VLO photophores (q.v.).

anterorostrum = antirostrum.

antetype = 1) an unofficial term in nomenclature for a primary type (q.v.). Also called prototype.

antetype = 2) the most primitive member of a group, a hypothetical ancestor (obsolete).

anthelminthic = a medication used against helminth or worm infestations of fishes.

anthropogenic = involving the impact (usually negative) of mankind on nature.

anti- (prefix) = opposite, against.

anti-fouling agent = a paint used to protect ships or aquaculture cages from attaching organisms. Now regulated in aquaculture because of their build-up in fish tissues and replaced by biodegradable and less toxic products.

anti-freeze = natural proteins in the blood of polar and cool-temperate fishes that prevent formation of ice crystals down to an exterior temperature of -6°C.

anti-helminthic = anthelminthic.

anti-kink = any device used to prevent twisting of fishing line; in angling often achieved by having swivels, q.v.

anti-nutrient = a component of plants that can be toxic to fish in high concentrations or decreases the ability to absorb minerals from food. Presents problems in using plants as food in aquaculture.

anti-reverse = a system, such as a switch, preventing fishing reels from spinning in reverse.

anti-tangle lead = a lead weight used to sink the bait in angling having a long length of silicone tubing on either side to protect the line from abrasion.

anti-tangle rig = a ledgering rig used by anglers mostly for carp. Comprises booms, swivels and tubing to help prevent tangles during casting.

antibiotic ice = ice containing a small amount of an antibiotic such as tetracycline used to extend the shelf life of fish. Illegal in many countries because it promotes antibiotic resistance.

antibody = a protein (an immunoglobulin or Ig) produced by the B-lymphocytes in the blood in response to the introduction of a foreign substance, an antigen.

antiboreal = of the south temperate region.

antigen = a substance which induces the formation of antibodies; used to compare relationships among species based on those sharing the same or more antibodies (serum proteins).

antimere = the corresponding element on the opposite side of a bilaterally symmetrical organism, as fishes are.

antimycin A = a chemical produced by streptomyces bacteria and used in a commercial preparation as a piscicide, e.g. in the catfish industry. It inhibits adenosine triphosphate (ATP) formation, the nucleotide necessary for transport of chemical energy within cells.

antioxidant = a food additive that reduces oxidation of lipids and thus rancid flavours in fish, fish oils and fish meals, e.g. vitamins C and E.

antipodean = referring to opposite sides of the world.

antirostrum = the anterior and dorsal projection of the sagittal otolith, dorsal to the sulcus.

antiserum = a blood serum with specific antibodies.

antitropical = the distribution pattern where a group is found north and south of, but not in, the tropics. Includes bipolar, bitemperate distributions, e.g. Sardinops, Engraulis, Squalus, Zeus.

antitype = 1) paratype (every specimen, other than the holotype, in the type-series; all the specimens on which the author bases the series, except any that (s)he refers to as variants, or doubtfully associates with the nominal species, or expressly excludes from it). Paratype is preferred.

antitype = 2) an unofficial term in nomenclature for an opposite type or countertype, e.g. the mirror half of a fossil split in two.

antitype = 3) an unofficial term in nomenclature for a corresponding specimen of a type series obtained at the same time and location as the nomenclatural type.

antivenene = antivenin.

antivenin = a serum used against venoms such as that of stonefish (Synanceia).

antonym = a word of opposite meaning; used unofficially in nomenclature for each name that is not a synonym.

antorbital = a small, paired dermal bone lying lateral to the nasal bone in front of the eye. Sometimes included in the suborbital or infraorbital series because the infraorbital canal crosses it, e.g. in Amiidae, Lepisosteidae, Elops, Osmeridae, some Siluridae.

antorbital organ = a photophore on the front and lower edge of the orbit which may manifest itself as the photophore Vn or Dn or as the suborbital light organ.

antron = a synthetic yarn having long and sparkly fibres used in artificial fly tying.

antrorse = angled forward or pointing anteriorly; opposite of retrorse.

ants' eggs = a commercial food for aquarium fish, no longer sold, comprising dried ant pupal cases of no nutritional value.

anus = the posterior opening of the digestive tract by which it communicates with the exterior and through which faeces are voided. Also called vent, although the vent is the opening for reproductive and kidney products too.

AO = a row of photophores along the base of the anal fin and lower side of the caudal peduncle (not including the Prc's at the base of the caudal fin) in Myctophidae. Usually divisible into AOa mostly above the anal fin base and AOp mostly on the caudal peduncle. In some older works AO refers to the antorbital photophores.

AOa = a row of photophores mostly above the anal fin base in Myctophidae.

AOp = a row of photophores mostly on the caudal peduncle in Myctophidae.

aorta = the main blood vessel supplying blood to the body from the heart.

aortic arches = the pairs of arteries running through the branchial arches, connecting the ventral aorta with the dorsal aorta (or for the first two arches to the internal carotid artery). The last four carry the blood supply to and from the gills.

aortic radices = the paired roots of the dorsal aorta, joining posterior to the entrance of the last efferent artery to form the dorsal aorta.

ap. = abbreviation for apud, meaning in the work of; used in citing the work of an author contained in another work.

aparietal = a form of skull where the parietals are absent, e.g. in Syngnathiformes, Siluridae.

apartment house = a Japanese fish shelter comprising a concrete block about a metre cube with a 30 cm window on each side wall. About a 100 of these are deposited in a suitable area where they attract fish that can be caught by angling, longlines and bottom gill nets set nearby.

apatite II = a proprietary preparation of fish bones used in removing heavy metals from soil and water. The metals are chemically bound into new minerals that do not dissolve or leach over extremely long time periods.

apex (plural apices, adjective apical) = the free tip of a fin, e.g. in sharks.

apex predator = a fish at the top of the food chain, relying on smaller fishes for food.

aphagous = adjective for aphagy.

aphagy = lacking the ability to feed.

aphakic space = the space in the pupil which is not occupied by the lens. The space may be circumlenticular, around the lens as in Stomias, ventral as in Omosudidae, some Myctophidae and Paralepidae, or rostral as in Scopelosauridae. A rostral aphakic space may enhance the forward binocular field of vision.

aphetohyoidean = the primitive condition of jaw suspension for gnathostomes (jawed fishes and relatives) where there is a non-suspensory hyoid arch behind a full post-mandibular gill slit.

aphotic = areas never reached by natural light in the deep ocean (deeper than about 800 metres). No photosynthesis occurs.

aphrophil = a reproductive guild (q.v.) of a froth nester, where eggs are laid in mucous bubbles made by the fish. Embryos have cement glands and well-developed respiratory structures, e.g. in Anabantidae and some characins.

aphytal = the plantless zone of a lake bottom.

apical = at the apex, tip or end. The apical field of a scale is the posterior end normally exposed when in its natural position. The side exposed to water in gills.

apical margin = the rear edge of a scale. Also called posterior margin.

apices = plural of apex.

apkallu fish = one of seven Babylonian wise men, dressed in the skin of a fish. These wise men lived before the Flood, and were sent by the fish god Ea to teach wisdom to humans and to protect and purify them.

aplacental = viviparous reproduction in which embryos are not connected to their mother's blood supply by a placenta, as is the case in some sharks.

aplacental viviparity = also called ovoviviparity (production of eggs that are fertilised and hatch inside the mother but the embryos lack a placental connection to the oviduct or uterus and so do not feed off the mother. The young are born as miniature adults, free-swimming and feeding).

aplesodic = said of a cartilaginous pectoral fin where basals and radials do not reach the border and so do not offer the support seen in the plesodic fin, q.v. More highly derived fish may have other support for the distal fin region such as ceratotrichia, q.v.

apparent digestibility coefficient = nutrient ingested-nutrient egested/nutrient ingested. Not all food eaten or ingested is absorbed, the rest is egested as faeces . The absorbed portion is expressed as a percentage according to the above formula.

apo- (prefix) = away from.

apocranial = far from the skull.

apod- (prefix) = without feet.

apode fishes = fishes without pelvic fins, e.g. Anguilla.

apogean tidal current = a tidal current of decreased speed occurring monthly as the result of the Moon being in apogee (the point in the orbit of the Moon farthest from the Earth).

apogean tide = a tide of decreased range occurring monthly as the result of the Moon being in apogee (the point in the orbit of the Moon farthest from the Earth).

apogenotype = a type specimen fixed through substitution, e.g. when a genus is renamed through homonymy, the type species automatically becomes the type of the new genus.

apomorph = a derived character differing from the ancestral condition; a new feature or character that arose during evolution.

apophyses = plural of apophysis.

apophysis (plural apophyses) = a narrow expansion protruding from the body of a bone.

apopyle = the anterior opening of the tube formed by the claspers.

apomorphy = a state derived by evolution from a primitive state (plesiomorphy); applied to a character, not a taxon. It relates to the compared character state and the hierarchical level considered, i.e. the character is apomorphic in relation to one state but plesiomorphic to another.

aponeurosis = flattened tendon.

aposematic = referring to a colour or structure that warns of a special means of defense against a predator.

apotype = 1) in nomenclature, an unofficial term for a specimen used to supplement the description of a type. Also called hypotype (q.v.).

apotype = 2) an unofficial term in nomenclature for type fixation of a genus-group name through substitution.

apotypic = a term coined to replace apomorphy as the latter strictly applies only to morphological characters.

apparatus Weberei = Weberian apparatus (four bones and associated tissues connecting the gas bladder to the inner ear and conveying pressure changes and sound. Usually the definition includes the first four vertebrae (two and three may be fused), a supporting unit or pars sustentaculum comprising two transverse plates projecting downwards from the fourth vertebra enclosing a circular space for the aorta and the neural complex comprising modified neural arches and spines. Found in the Cypriniformes and Siluriformes).

apparent digestibility coefficient = the value for the food absorbed from diet and not excreted in faeces; nutrient ingested - nutrient egested/nutrient ingested. Abbreviated as ADC.

apparent prevalence = the proportion of test-positive fish in a target population.

appearance = a visual assessment of a fish product based on shape, colour, gloss/dullness, translucency/opacity and surface texture.

appendage = any substantial projection form the body. The pectoral and pelvic fins are paired appendages.

appetency = an instinctive inclination or propensity in animals to perform certain actions, e.g. a male Betta splendens will display when sighting itself in a mirror.

appertisation = canned fish; a term used to avoid confusion with semi-preserves, q.v.

appetite mood = in angling, used to describe a fish's attitude to feeding. In a positive mood the fish is actively feeding, in a neutral mood a lure or bait will be taken if presented properly, and in a negative mood will not take food, a bait or a lure unless it is by an involuntary reflex action such as a strike at a moving object.

appetitive behaviour = 1) purposeful feeding behaviours resulting in the identification and location of specific food items.

appetitive behaviour = 2) searching for the stimulus that can release the activity, e.g. a stickleback that has left its nest shows this behaviour when returning to resume fanning of the nest.

appetitsild = skinned fillets of spice cured sprats or small herring packed in solutions of vinegar, salt, sugar and spices or other flavouring agents (Germany. Scandinavia).

application= the use of a name to denote a taxon.

application to the Commission = any zoologist may submit nomenclatural problems to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. These are published in the Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature.

apposition = said of a noun in a scientific name, used as a substantive epithet, not an adjectival one.

appressed = held flat against the body, e.g. appressed pectoral fin. See also adpressed.

approach velocities = water velocities at or near the face of a fish screen, q.v.

approved = given approval and promulgated by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.

approved name = one given approval by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature for use in nomenclature. Also called nomen approbatum.

approximate = close together (as with anatomical structures).

April fish = usually appearing as poisson d'Avril, French for April fool, based on a newly spawned, naive and easily-caught fish. A paper fish is attached to a victim's back without him noticing. Occasionally appearing in its English translation.

aproctal bone = the ventral element in the priapium of the Phallostethidae on which articulate the ctenactinia (q.v.). Also called axial or pelvic bone.

apron = 1) the false belly of the cod end of a trawl used as a chafing gear.

apron = 2) the netting floor of a bag or stake net.

apron gill net = an L-shaped net comprising a vertical back wall and a horizontally floating apron.

apron reef = the initial stage of a fringing reef, being discontinuous and covering a small area.

apud = meaning in the work of; used in citing the work of an author contained in another work. Abbreviated as ap.

aqua- (prefix) = water.

aquabot = an aquatic robot or autonomous underwater vehicle used in oceanographic research.

aquaculture = the artificial or controlled culture of aquatic organisms, including stripping and fertilisation of eggs and raising of young to a certain size for release or marketing. Also spelled aquiculture, but this also means hydroponics.

aquafeed = commercial fish food.

aqualung = a self-contained, portable underwater breathing apparatus for divers. Comprises a cylinder(s) of compressed air strapped to the back feeding that air to the diver through a mask or mouthpiece.

aquamarsh = a water body almost completely covered with emergent an floating aquatic vegetation.

aquanaut = an underwater researcher, explorer or swimmer. Also called oceanaut.

aquaria = plural of aquarium.

aquarian = 1) of or pertaining to aquaria (rare).

aquarian = 2) one who keeps an aquarium.

aquariology = the care, maintenance and breeding of captive aquatic animals. Includes design of displays and veterinary medicine and pathology.

aquarist = a person who keeps fish or other organisms in an aquarium. Sometimes used for pondkeeper and fishkeeper.

aquaristics = the study of aquarium organisms on a scientific basis.

aquarium (plural aquaria) = an artificial tank with glass or plastic sides allowing the fish to be viewed; also a large facility with many aquaria, often open to the public.

aquarium collecting = use of small-meshed nets and traps for collecting fish for display in aquaria.

aquarium furniture = a general term for castles, mermaids, pirate ships, treasure chests and other dubious items made for decorating aquaria.

aquarium material = species bred in an aquarium rather than collected from the wild.

aquarium salt = an additive-free salt used in treatment of disease in freshwater aquarium fishes or added in very small quantities of freshwater aquaria where it is beneficial to certain species. Not the same as marine salt, a preparation used to imitate sea water for marine aquaria.

aquariums = sometimes used as a plural for aquarium.

aquascaping = arrangement of plants in an aquarium in an artistic fashion, often with rocks, and including the necessary equipment to maintain the environment.

aquasperm = the morphologically simple sperm of externally fertilizing teleosts. Typically having a round head without an acrosome, a single, generally unadorned flagellum and a short mid-piece with a prominent cytoplasmic canal.

aquatic = living in or near water or pertaining to water.

aquatic chicken = a slang term for Tilapia spp., cichlids used extensively for fish farming. They breed freely and have a bland taste (not "fishy") and so are easily marketed to schools and hospitals. See also factory fish.

aquatic surface respiration = absorption of oxygen through the gills from the thin (few millimetres), oxygen-rich surface layer of a water body. Used by fish in hypoxic conditions.

aquatic tongue = the use of water currents in the mouth by some fishes, acting as a hydraulic tongue to manipulate food.

aquaticolous = living in water or aquatic vegetation.

aquatoria = water world or habitat.

aquatron = a facility with very large tanks for fish or other aquatic organism studies.

aqueduct of Sylvius = a posterior channel joining the third and fourth ventricle in the brain.

aqui- (prefix) = relating to water.

aquifer = a water bearing geological formation. Springs and wells depend on aquifers for water. Described as artesian (confined) or water table (unconfined). May contain "cave" fishes.

aquiculture = see aquaculture.

aragonite = calcium carbonate skeletons of reef corals and some shells sold as a substrate for marine aquaria. Has high levels of calcium and strontium carbonate.

arbalete = an underwater spear gun used for catching fish.

arbitrary = 1) used of scientific name lacking formal derivation with regard to etymology, an arbitrary combination of letters, or an etymologically incorrect gender assigned to a name, e.g. Apterichtus ansp (Böhlke, 1968), anophichthid named for the acronym for the Academy of Natural Sciences Philadelphia.

arbitrary = 2) said of a gender assigned to a name without a linguistic gender.

arbor = the centre part of a fly reel (spool) where backing and line are wound; usually indicates the size of the spool with large arbors useful in fly fishing to prevent the line from curling.

arbor knot = a knot used to tie line to the reel spool. Has a strength of 60%. The main line is wrapped around the spool, a knot tied across it and a knot tied near the end of the line. a steady pull on the line tightens the first knot against the spool and is locked by the second knot. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

arborescent = treelike.

arborescent organ = 1) a branched, accessory, vascular structure in the gill chamber, e.g. in Clarias gariepinnis.

arborescent organ = 2) dendritic organ (a small arborescent organ found between the anus and the anal fin in certain Plotosidae (e.g. Plotosus, Cnidoglanis and Euristhmus). Organ with two main cell types, those with parallel groups of cytoplasmic tubules and many mitochondria, and clear cells with a network of cytoplasmic tubules. May have an osmoregulatory function).

arboriform = form of a tree, branching.

Arbroath smokie = a whole smoked haddock with its backbone retained, usually gutted and headed (Scotland). Initially cold smoked for several hours, then hot smoked. Also known as Auchmithie cure, close fish, pinwiddie. A Protected Geographical Indication, q.v.

arch dam = a curved masonry or concrete dam with a convex upriver shape. The water pressure is transferred by the arch to abutments.

arch- = prefix meaning ultimate beginning.

arch-centra = vertebral centra formed by the growth of the arcualia around the notochord external to the chordal sheath and which fuse to form annual segments which become biconcave centra. Found in Teleostei.

archaeolimnic = of or pertaining to clades that originated in continental fresh waters, e.g. Cichlidae.

archaeotype = archetype.

archaic = referring to the oldest members of a lineage.

archangel Raphael = usually depicted in Christian art by a pilgrim’s staff, or carrying a fish, in allusion to his aiding Tobias (see Tobit) to capture the fish which performed the miraculous cure of his father’s eyesight.

archetype = 1) the ancestral type (obsolete and not an official term in nomenclature).

archetype = 2) an ideal type deduced on a theoretical basis or assumed to be a true representative of the taxon (obsolete and not an official term in nomenclature).

archetype = 3) a hypothetical ancestor constructed by elimination of specialised characters (obsolete and not an official term in nomenclature).

archetype = 4) the generalised or idealised pattern shared by all members of a taxon (obsolete and not an official term in nomenclature). Also called morphotype.

archi- (prefix) = first, primitive, original, ancestral.

archibenthic = the waters on the slope beyond the outer edge of the continental shelf at depths between 200-400 and 1000-1100 metres or below the 4°C isotherm.

archicercal = proterocercal (the type of tail fin primitively symmetrical, both internally and externally, and hence one which has not undergone reduction or modification of the original form, e.g. in Petromyzontiformes).

archinephros = the primitive kidney extending the whole length of the body cavity. Found only in embryonic Myxini.

archipelago = a group of islands or an expanse of water with scattered islands.

archipterygium = the primitive lobe-like paired fin. Generally applied to the biserial fin or lobe-fin, e.g. in Crossopterygii, or to the lobe fin of some Elasmobranchii, e.g. Pleurocanthus.

architype = an unofficial term in nomenclature for a specimen that formed the basis for a publication of a species before a modern type interpretation. Such a specimen cannot be included with the types unless it is included in a modern category. Also spelled arquetype.

archival tag = an implanted fish tag that detects and records several environmental variables, e.g. water temperature, over time or internal variables, e.g. body temperature.

archive (noun) = 1) a depositary for works, i.e. books, papers, journals, separates, unpublished manuscripts, microfilms, CDs, DVDs, or any other form of data or written work. May also include some specimens, perhaps after manipulation or analysis such as bones, tissues, genetic material, etc.

archive (verb) = 2) depositing material in an archive.

arciform = bow-shaped.

arcocentrum = the cartilaginous arch and its base in the vertebrae of Elasmobranchii. Also used in Pycnodont Actinopterygii (Poyato-Ariza and Wenz, 2002).

Arctic cities = dense gatherings of trawlers fishing demersally in Arctic waters.

arcual = of or relating to an arch, e.g. haemal and neural arches in the vertebral column.

arcualia = plural of arcualium.

arcualium (plural arcualia) = an embryonic cartilaginous element from which the vertebrae form. There are primitively two pairs of endoskeletal elements in each metamere and on each side of the notochord, the interdorsals and basidorsals. In the gnathostomes (jawed fishes) there are two additional pairs ventrally to the notochord, the interventrals and basiventrals. All these elements are called arcualia and can fuse to a notochordal calcification, the centrum. Arcualia and centrum make a vertebra.

arcuate = in a smooth arc, not straight or interrupted.

arcus hæmales = plural of arcus hæmalis.

arcus hæmalis (plural arcus hæmales) = haemal arch (the arch which encloses the caudal vein and dorsal aorta and is found on the ventral surface of the more posterior (caudal) vertebrae. In Acipenseridae it is continuous but interrupted in Actinopterygii).

arcus hyoidei = plural of arcus hyoideus.

arcus hyoideus (plural arcus hyoidei) = hyoid arch (the arch lying between the gill arches and jaws, with which it is believed homologous and which helps support the floor of the mouth cavity. Composed in teleostomes of the following paired endoskeleton elements: hyomandibula, symplectic, interhyal, ceratohyal and one or two hypohyals which articulate with the basihyal. The prefixes epi-, cerato- and hypo- should not be interpreted as indicating correspondence with branchial elements bearing the same prefix. Posterohyal (epihyal), anterohyal (ceratohyal), dorosohyal (dorsal hypohyal) and ventrohyal (ventral hypohyal) have been coined to avoid this confusion. Some authors eschew the term epihyal and employ for the epihyal and ceratohyal, posterior and anterior or proximal and distal ceratohyal).

arcus inferiores = plural of arcus inferioris.

arcus inferioris (plural arcus inferiores) = haemal arch (the arch which encloses the caudal vein and dorsal aorta and is found on the ventral surface of the more posterior (caudal) vertebrae. In Acipenseridae it is continuous but interrupted in Actinopterygii).

arcus mandibulares = plural of arcus mandibularis.

arcus mandibularis (plural arcus mandibulares) = mandibular arch (the cartilages and bones of the visceral skeleton forming the jaws. The upper jaw elements are the palatoquadrate or pterygoquadrate cartilages, the lower jaw ones Meckel's cartilages and the angular. This is the basic jaw, the primary mandibles, which have several ossification centres in bony fishes. Teeth and dermal bones are later evolutionary additions and are called the secondary mandibles).

arcus neurales = plural of arcus neuralis.

arcus neuralis (plural arcus neurales) = neural arch (the arch enclosing the spinal cord on the dorsal surface of the vertebrae. Generally continuous in Chondrostei but separate arches in Teleostei give more flexibility. Acipenseridae have two canals, the upper for the longitudinal ligament and the one under it for the spinal cord).

arcus superiores = plural of arcus superior.

arcus superior (plural arcus superiores) = neural arch (the arch enclosing the spinal cord on the dorsal surface of the vertebrae. Generally continuous in Chondrostei but separate arches in Teleostei give more flexibility. Acipenseridae have two canals, the upper for the longitudinal ligament and the one under it for the spinal cord).

area closure = the closure to fishing by particular gear(s) of an entire fishing ground, or a part thereof, for the protection of the population(s) or a section of a population, e.g. spawners, juveniles. The closure is usually seasonal but it could be permanent.

area endorsement = a statement on a fishing license limiting vessel deployment to a particular area.

area swept = the area of the sea floor over which the fishing gear such as a trawl is dragged during its operation. The area is equal to the effective horizontal opening of the gear multiplied by the distance the gear has covered during the period of time considered, e.g. during a one hour trawl haul. Combined with information on the fish quantities caught during the considered time period, the area swept allows an estimation of a relative or absolute value of the fish density (and biomass) in the area.

area temporalis = an area of high resolution in the retina of the eye, e.g. in Clupeidae.

areal = involving a particular area, an area of particular extent.

arenicolous = living in association with sand; more of a terrestrial than an aquatic definition. Also called sabulicolous.

areola (pl. areolae) = 1) one of a series of normal epidermal cells arranged in circles overlying the mormyromasts, q.v.

areola (pl. areolae) = 2) a small space or interstice in a tissue or part.

areolae = plural of areola.

argentea (of choroid) = a silvery guanine layer between the sclera and choroid concealing the melanin in the choroid layer in larvae.

argentium = a silvery dermal layer containing crystals of guanine.

argulosis = infestation of fish with the parasitic copepod Argulus. It injects a cytolytic toxin and feeds on blood. The injection site may become infected by other parasites and bacteria. Strong infestations cause erratic swimming, flashing, q.v., and loss of growth.

ariadnophil = a reproductive guild (q.v.) where the male guards eggs deposited in a nest made from vegetation bound together by viscous threads from a kidney secretions. Eggs and embryos are ventilated by male fanning and have a well-developed capillary network for respiration, e.g. Gasterosteus aculeatus.

arithm- (prefix) = number.

arithmotype = 1) an unofficial term in nomenclature for an isotype, q.v., which belongs to a different taxon from the holotype.

arithmotype = 2) not in nomenclature and taxonomy, specimens bearing the same collection number, not necessarily representing a single taxon.

-arium (suffix) = meaning a display usually involving water such as an oceanarium, q.v.

ark = an enclosure for keeping or catching fish (Scottish dialect).

arken = a cork of a ring net, q.v. (west Scotland).

arles = a sum of money given to seal a bargain - a shilling (5p) was given to salmon fishermen in Scotland.

Arlesey bomb = a teardrop-shaped lead weight with a small swivel used by anglers; available in various sizes.

arm = 1) a long and narrow body of water branching from a lake or an inlet of the sea or formed from flooding of an inlet streambed.

arm = 2) the combined wing and shoulder of a beach seine (west Scotland; Newfoundland).

arm = 3) butterfly (an L-shaped steel plate shackled between the dan leno spindle and legs. Also called banana, boomerang, dan leno arm, dan leno bracket, dan leno spreader, devil's elbow, spreader bar).

arm = 4) fish do not have arms but placoderms have rigid "arms" in place of the usual pectoral fins. Each arm has a joint where it leaves the body and another a little more than half-way along. The arms are served by interior muscles and the fish may have "walked" on them.

armor = see armour.

armoring = see armouring.

armour = any outer covering of a fish that protects it, often modified or heavily developed scales and scutes.

armouring = 1) the outer wall of large mesh netting forming part of a trammel net, q.v. Also called outer net, outer wall, outwall, outwalling, trancher, wall, walling, windows.

armouring = 2) use of materials to prevent stream bank erosion.

army = a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for herrings.

arquetype = archetype.

arrow cast = a short angling cast made in bushy areas. The lure is held in the reel hand (carefully!), the rod butt aimed at the target, the lure quickly released followed immediately by the line.

arroyo = 1) a gully; a small, steep-sided and flat-bottomed channel in an arid area, usually dry but sometimes with permanent water.

arroyo = 2) the waterway of an ephemeral stream deeply carved in rock or ancient alluvium.

Art = a monotypic species which is not one of a series of species which replace one another geographically (German). Compare Artenkreis and Rassenkreis.

Art. = an Article of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

Artemia = brine shrimp nauplii are used as food for fry in aquaria and, to a limited extent, adult brine shrimp may be fed to larger fish. The nauplii are hatched from purchased cysts in warm, aerated, saline water and must be rinsed to remove salt before feeding to fry.

Artenkreis = a series of species which replace one another geographically (German); a superspecies or species complex, as opposed to Rassenkreis or Art (obsolete).

arteria branchialis = afferent branchial artery.

arteria branchialis efferens = efferent branchial artery (one of those arteries paralleling the afferent branchial arches (q.v.) and joining to form a left and right root or radices of the dorsal aorta).

arterial gas embolism = a condition characterized by air bubbles released from ruptured lung air pockets (alveoli) into the pulmonary circulation. The bubbles then travel to the arterial circulation, where they may block blood flow in the small arteries or capillaries of the brain or heart. The results may be fatal in humans.

artesian well = a deep-drilled well where the water is forced to the surface by hydrostatic pressure. Some fishes have been found in such wells.

arthropterygium = type of pectoral fin covered with external plates and provided with an endoskeleton. Found in Bothriolepis (Pterichthys).

Article = a section of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature comprising a mandatory rule or rules.

articular = the deep, endochondral bone of primitive acanthopterygians in the middle of the lower jaw between the dentary and the angular (or retroarticular) which articulates with the quadrate. It is later invaded by the angular. Divided into the distal part (wanting in Teleostomi) and the proximal part. Occupies the position of Bridge's ossicles b and c in Amia. Found as a distinct structure in Amia, Lepisosteus, Polyodon and Acipenseridae.

articular process = a projection of the upper border of the premaxilla acting as a fulcrum for the protrusion of the maxilla.

articular sesamoid = coronomeckelian (a small bone on the postero-lateral part of Meckel's cartilage of the lower jaw. Often a point of insertion of the adductor mandibulae muscle. Also called sesamoid angular, supraangular, sesamoid articular, splenial, os meckeli or d bone).

articulate = to make a joint with, e.g. the mandible articulates with the quadrate; jointed, e.g. soft fin rays. A diarthrosis articulation allows free movement, amphiarthrosis limited movement as between vertebrae and synarthrosis very little movement as between the two mandibles at the jaw tip. May be used instead of segmented for soft fin rays.

articulated = 1) jointed (like bamboo), e.g. soft fin rays.

articulated = 2) said of a fossil where all the bones are connected together as in life rather than scattered.

articulation = the joint, point or plane of union between two bones; see articulate above.

articulatio (plural articulationes) = articulation.

articulationes = plural of articulatio.

articulum = Article.

artificial bait = any bait or lure made of plastic, wood, metal, feathers, etc.

artificial channel = a short channel designed for spawning or rearing fish that live nearby.

artificial classification = a classification based on characters selected for their utility and not indicative of phylogenetic relationships.

artificial fertilisation = the mixing of eggs and milt stripped from fish by fish-breeders in an aquaculture operation.

artificial fish = simulated fish for use in computer graphics such as screen savers, behaviour-based 3D animation, virtual aquaria, virtual reality, etc.

artificial food = feed for fish that is introduced to the water from outside.

artificial fly = an artificial rendering of an insect used as a bait in fly fishing. Fly tying is the method of construction of these flies. Flies may be fished dry (on the surface) or wet (submerged).

artificial hatching = hatching of fish under artificial or controlled conditions.

artificial hole = a cavity in a hollow log, a pipe or made of tile used for fish spawning.

artificial hybrid = a hybrid between species of fish that do not normally hybridise in nature.

artificial key = an identification key based on characters selected for their utility and not indicative of phylogenetic relationships.

artificial lake = a man-made lake.

artificial lure = any manufactured device used to attract and hook fishes. Used in angling and includes spoons, spinners and plugs as well as products designed to imitate worms, eggs, fish, crayfish, etc.

artificial manure = a chemical compound used as a fertiliser, e.g. in fish ponds, as opposed to animal manure.

artificial nose = a device that analyses vapours close to a product as a measure of quality, rather as a nose can detect different odours. The device has to be trained, e.g. for detection of freshness in a particular species of fish. Not yet in use commercially. Also called electronic nose.

artificial production = the spawning, incubating, hatching and/or rearing of fish in a hatchery.

artificial propagation = artificial production. May also include stock transfers, creation of spawning habitat, egg bank programs, captive broodstock programs, and cryopreservation of gametes.

artificial reef = materials placed on the sea floor that serve as habitat for marine organisms including fishes. Can be anything from old tires to a sunken ship.

artificial reproduction = artificial propagation.

artificial sea water = a solution of salts made up to resemble sea water for use in an aquarium.

artificial selection = selection of parental fish in a breeding programme designed to produce specific characters or traits in the young.

artificial smoking = adding colour and flavour to a fish product resembling that of naturally smoked fish.

artificial spawning ground = any structure deliberately put into a water body to encourage or facilitate fish reproduction.

artificial taxon = a group of organisms not corresponding to a natural unit of evolution.

artificials = artificial baits and lures.

artiopterygia = plural of artiopterygium.

artiopterygium (plural artiopterygia) = paired fin (the pectoral and the pelvic fins (as opposed to the vertical fins)).

artisanal fishery = a traditional fishery involving skilled but non-industrialized operators; typically a small-scale, decentralized operation; normally a subsistence fishery although sometimes the catch may be sold. Usually fishing trips are short and inshore and fishing vessels are small but in developed countries may apply to trawlers, seiners or longliners. Also called small-scale fisheries.

artotype = a joke definition of a type specimen with a unique colour pattern which is actually spots of paint.

-arum = the genitive plural suffix used for species-group names derived from the names of two or more female persons.

as such = strictly as cited.

ascending = directed upward, e.g. as in anatomical structures.

ascending process = a vertical process on the anterior part of the premaxillary bone in most teleosts. Not homologous with a similar structure in Holostei (Amia and Lepisosteus), called the nasal process.

ascites = dropsy (a swelling of the fish's body usually caused by bacterial infection, and also by viral infection, osmoregulatory problems, a flagellate protozoan (Hexamita), aggravated by poor environmental conditions. Serous fluid accumulates in any body cavity. Other symptoms are lethargy, gasping, increased respiration, colour loss, skin ulceration and exophthalmia. Also called pinecone disease and vertical scale disease because the scales stick out).

ascorbic acid = vitamin C. A deficiency in fish manifests in spinal and hyaline cartilage abnormalities and reduced wound healing, through affects on normal collagen production.

ascr. = abbreviation for ascriptum.

ascriptum = ascribed to or attributed to, e.g. said of the author of a scientific name. Abbreviated ascr.

Asian carp = newspaper term principally for for silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), an invasive species expected to reach the Great Lakes in 2010 and devastate fisheries there through competition. Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) and bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) may also be included under this term in North America. See also Chinese major carps.

aspect ratio = a dimensionless ratio expressing how elongated the shape of a flat organ is. In the case of the caudal fin, a high aspect ratio is found in fast swimmers. Calculated as the ratio of height squared to the surface of the fin.

asperite = a rough, bony excrescence.

asperity = roughness or pricklyness.

aspic = fish in jelly (fish cooked in acidified brine or vinegar, fried or smoked and then packed in gelatin, gelatin and pectin or aspic. Sometimes includes cucumbers, onions and spices).

aspidin = the acellular bone substance found in the dermal skeletons of Heterostraci. There is an outer dentine layer, a large, cancellous middle layer and a thin, dense, lamellar inner layer. The middle and outer layers may be absent in fossils or replaced with other material. Also spelt aspidine.

aspidine = aspidin.

ASPM = age-structured production model (a stock assessment programme based on a deterministic form of a stock-recruitment relationship, with non-equilibrium tuning of abundance indices).

aspondylous vertebra = a vertebra lacking a centrum although neural and haemal arches are well-developed, e.g. in Cyclostomata, Holocephali, Dipnoi, Acipenseridae.

aspondyly = the condition of an aspondylous vertebra.

assemblage = a collection of co-existing organisms at a particular locality and at a specific time, not strictly inter-dependent but with unspecified relationships, e.g. trophic ones, between them.

assembling a net = the joining together of different parts of a net, attaching foot and head ropes and associated gear, so that it is ready for use.

assembly area = the place where a pre-spawning concentration of fish occurs, e.g. at stream mouths.

assessment = the state of a resource, such as a fish stock, as judged by a scientist of scientific body usually for management purposes. The stock may be judged as to size, potential yield, whether it is over- or underexploited, age structure, index abundance, etc.

assessment level = categories of the level of complexity of, and data available for, each assessment (see above).

assimilation efficiency = the rate at which an organism converts food into weight.

assize fish = a royalty assessed on each boat for its anchorage right.

assize herrings = one thousand herrings due thee times a year to the Scottish king from each boat engaged in the herring fishery (historical).

associate type = any of two or more type specimens listed in the original description of a taxon in the absence of a designated holotype, i.e. a syntype or cotype.

associated organism = any organism with which the nomenclatural type was associated when described, e.g. a parasite host, a commensal.

associated species = species that prey upon a target species, are preyed on by it, compete with it for food, living space, etc, or co-occur in the same fishing area and are exploited (or accidentally taken) in the same fishery or fisheries. These interactions can occur at any stage of the life cycle of one or other species and the range of species concerned can therefore be very large.

associierte type = associate type.

astatic = water bodies with fluctuating surface levels; seasonal astatic water bodies dry up annually, perennial ones rise and fall but do not dry up annually.

astaxanthin = a carotenoid pigment found in crustaceans that gives the flesh of fish eating them a pink colour. Also found in microalgae which can be used as a source of pigment for fish feed, e.g. in salmonids where pink flesh is a desired marketing quality. See also canthaxanthin.

asterisci = plural of asteriscus.

asteriscus (plural asterisci) = the otolith in the lagena of the pars inferior. Also called asterisk or lagenolith. The largest otolith in Cyprinidae but small in other fishes. Last to appear during embryonic development.

asterisk = asteriscus.

asterospondylous = a type of vertebra with radiating, star-like calcifications extending to the chordacentrum and autocentrum, e.g. in some Elasmobranchii.

asterospondyly = the condition of an asterospondylous vertebra.

astronomical tide = tide (the periodic rise and fall of ocean water produced by gravitational effects of the moon and sun on the earth. The horizontal movement of water caused by this vertical movement is often called the tide, but correctly is the tidal current).

asymmetrical = lacking symmetry, e.g. Bothidae and Pleuronectidae lack bilateral symmetry, one eye rotating to the other side of the head.

asymptotic length = a parameter of the von Bertalanffy Growth Function, q.v., expressing the mean length the fish in a stock would attain if they were to grow for an infinitely long period. Not the largest observed size of a species.

asymptotic weight = a parameter of the von Bertalanffy Growth Function, q.v., expressing the mean weight the fish in a stock would attain if they were to grow for an infinitely long period.

at-risk fish stocks = stocks that have been identified as being in need of rescue or in need of specific management practices because of low or declining populations.

atarama = tarama (fish roe, often Cyprinus carpio, mixed with salt, bread crumbs, white cheese, olive oil and lemon juice in Greece and Turkey to make taramasalata).

Atargatis = Derceto (the Syrian fertility goddess who fell into a lake at Bambyce near the Euphrates River in Syria. She was saved by a large fish and as a result ancient Syrians did not eat fish but worshiped their images as gods. Atargatis is the Greek name, whose temples contained fish ponds, the goddess punishing anyone who ate them by making them ill although her priests ate fish freely in a daily ritual).

Atargis = Dagon (the fish god of the Philistines, the upper half being a man and the lower half a fish. The fish half represented fertility).

athalassohaline lake = a saline lake not of marine origin but from evaporation of fresh water in a system dominated by calcium, magnesium and sulphate (as opposed to sodium and chloride in the ocean). Some of these ion concentrations are more toxic to fish than others.

Atkinson incubator = a series of trays (usually up to ten) with wire-mesh bottoms enclosed in a box or frame with one tray as a lid. Fish eggs are placed on the trays with an egg scooper, each tray taking about 2500 eggs. Four frames are placed in a hatching tank through which water is run at a selected temperature, allowing the eggs to hatch away from predators for stocking the fry.

Atlantic trawl = a four-seam otter trawl designed in Canada.

atlas = the first vertebra which articulates with the skull, often with a strong neural spine reinforcing the connection of the vertebral column and skull.

atoll = a horseshoe or circular array of reef islets, capping a coral reef system that encloses a lagoon, and perched around an oceanic volcanic seamount.

atom trawl = a wingless, midwater trawl with a square mouth towed between two boats. Also called Larsen midwater trawl, Larsen trawl, floating trawl, Larsen two boat trawl, two boat pelagic trawl.

atopotype = a type specimen described from a locality where is it is known not to occur.

atresia = 1) the degeneration and loss of an anatomical structure; usually said of ovarian follicles or eggs that may be absorbed in fishes.

atresia = 2) congenital absence or closure of a normal body opening or tubular structure.

atretic = adjective for atresia.

atrial frill = paired ventral structures on the posterior trunk on each side of the tail in Bothriolepis canadensis (Placodermi). Suggested to be ventral fins, claspers or an external shell gland.

atrial pore = the opening near the anus which leads from the atrium to the exterior in Amphioxi. Also called atriopore.

atrio-ventricular valve = the heart valve between the atrium and ventricle.

atriopore = the opening near the anus which leads from the atrium to the exterior in Amphioxi. Also called atrial pore.

atrium = a chamber, often specifically applied to a cavity in the heart or the chamber exterior to the branchial bars communicating with the outside through the atrial pore in Amphioxi. In most fishes it collects venous blood from the sinus venosus and delivers it to the ventricle, generating the first of each doubled heart beat.

attachments = additions to a trawl, may be legal, e.g. chafers to prevent wear, or illegal, e.g. cod-end weights which tend to reduce mesh size and retain undersize fish.

attendant male = a male which is not the member of the spawning pair; often a sneaky male.

attenuate = drawn out, slender, tapering.

attractant = a flavouring added to bait or ground bait (q.v.) in angling. Flavours can be sweet or spicy.

attracting device = fish aggregating device (artificial or natural floating objects placed on the ocean surface, often anchored to the bottom, to attract several schooling fish species underneath, thus increasing their catchability. Used with tuna, for example. Abbreviated as FAD for fish aggregating device).

attraction = drawing fish to fishways or spillways of dams through the use of water flow regimes.

attractor = 1) fish attractor (any structure placed in the water to create habitat for fishes).

attractor = 2) a type of fly that is very effective but has little resemblance to a natural food item, usually very flashy and large.

attribute = a characteristic or quality, used in fish and other species descriptions, especially when this extends the diagnostic limits of the original description.

atypicotype = 1) an unofficial term in nomenclature for a type that the author considers uncharacteristic of the taxon.

atypicotype = 2) a type specimen eventually recognised as a variant of a well-known species, e.g. a colour variant.

au naturel = a canned product prepared by cooking fish in its own juice (United Kingdom) or light brine, sometimes with vinegar and flavouring agents added (France).

Auchmithie cure = a whole smoked haddock with its backbone retained, usually gutted and headed (Scotland). Initially cold smoked for several hours, then hot smoked. Also known as Arbroath smokie, close fish, pinwiddie.

auct. = abbreviation for auctorum, meaning of authors. Used to indicate that a name is used in the sense of a number of subsequent authors and not in its different sense as established by the original author.

auct. mult. = abbreviation for auctorum multum.

auct. non. = abbreviation for auctorum non.

auctorum = of authors. Used to indicate that a name is used in the sense of a number of subsequent authors and not in its different sense as established by the original author. Abbreviated as auct. or auctt.

auctorum multum = of many authors.

auctorum non = not of authors, used when citing a misapplied name by later workers. Abbreviated auct. non.

auctt. (plural) = auct.

auditory capsule = cartilaginous skeleton about the inner ear in Elasmobranchii, a chondral skeleton in bony fishes comprised of the prootic, opisthotic (or its replacement), intercalar, epiotic (or exoccipital), sphenotic, pterosphenoid and basipshenoid as walls and floor with the parietals and frontals as the roof.

auditory ossicle = one of a series of bones conducting sound, in fishes the four Weberian ossicles, q.v.

auditory vesicle = sensory anlage from which the ear develops.

aufwuchs = organisms and detritus coating rocks and plants in an aquatic environment often fed on by fish specialised as scrapers.

auger = a device used to drill holes in ice for ice fishing with nets or hook and line. May be powered or operated by hand.

aural = pertaining to ears or hearing.

auricle = atrium.

auriculo-ventricular valves = valves at the junction between the atrium and ventricle chambers of the heart, q.v. Presumably atrio-ventricular is correct.

austral = of the south temperate region, between the Antarctic and tropical regions. Opposite of boreal.

autapomorphy = a derived characters state unique to a particular taxon (and therefore useful for distinguishing but not relating that taxon).

autecology = the ecology of individual organisms or species.

authogenic drainage = karst drainage derived entirely from absorption of precipitation into karst rock surface. Also called autogenic or autochthonous drainage. See also allogenic drainage.

author = the person to whom a published work or zoological name is attributed or who first publishes a name satisfying the criteria of availability or valid publication.

author citation = the name of the authority (q.v.) for a taxon name, when cited, should follow the taxon name without any intervening marks or punctuation. Its citation is optional and may or may not be followed immediately by the year.

author's extra = a paper removed from a journal or book and so often with adjacent parts of other works attached.

authorised species = any species or species group that a vessel is authorized to retain as specified by the fishery management authority.

authority = the name of the person(s) who originally describes a species, e.g. McAllister is the authority for Lycodes sagittarius. The author's name is placed in parentheses if the species is now placed in a genus other than that in which it was originally described, e.g. Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchell, 1815).

authorship = the author of a taxonomic name is the person who alone is responsible for both the name and for the conditions which make it available (q.v.), i.e. the diagnosis, etc.

auto- (prefix) = self, automatic, same one, by itself.

autocentrum = an outer ring of cartilage in the vertebrae of Elasmobranchii interrupted by the neural and haemal arches.

autochthonous = originating there (zoogeographical or referring to nutrients or organisms fixed or generated within an aquatic system).

autochthonous drainage = karst drainage derived entirely from absorption of precipitation into karst rock surface. Also called autogenic drainage. See also allogenic drainage.

autogenic drainage = karst drainage derived entirely from absorption of precipitation into karst rock surface. Also called autochthonous drainage. See also allogenic drainage.

autodiastoly = jaws suspension where the palatoquadrate is suspended from two articulations with the braincase, perhaps the original form of jaw suspension.

autogenotype = a genotype, q.v., by original designation.

autogenous = separate or discrete, ossifying from an independent centre and, by extension, used in the sense of bones that are not fused to the nearest neighbour.

autograph = a text in the handwriting of the author, either the original or a photocopy.

autolysis = the breakdown of proteins, fats and other body components of fish after death caused by the action of enzymes. The rate depends on temperature.

automatic bail arm = a bail arm on a fixed spool reel that when folded back allows the angler to cast one-handed.

automatic feeder = a mechanism that dispenses food at preset times and in preset amounts in an aquaculture facility. Powered by electricity, water, air or clockwork.

automatic fishing line = whippy bough trap (a fishing rod is bent and the fixed line attached underwater with the baited hook free. When a fish takes the bait, the attachment is released and the tension in the bent rod hooks the fish and holds it out of the water away from predators to be collected later).

automatic longline = a longline mechanism that is fully automated including baiting the hooks, shooting the line and hauling the line.

automatic reel = a fishing reel that winds in line automatically when the fish is hooked or a button is pressed.

automatic tide gauge = a mechanism to measure and record serially the fall and rise of tides, either as a continuous graph or by printing the levels.

automimicry = imitation of oneself or ones own species, e.g. egg dummies in Cichlidae.

automictic parthenogenesis = pairing of one set of chromosomes in egg formation with a copy of itself, a type of virgin birth where no sperm is involved, e.g. in bonnethead shark, Sphyrno tiburo.

automobile names = Plymouth Barracuda, Corvette Stingray and Hyundai Tiburon (Spanish for shark).

autonym = an automatically established name, applied to a nominate subordinate taxon.

autopalatine = a paired deep bone on the roof of the mouth, lateral to the prevomer (or vomer). Often called palatines. Usually overlain by the dermal, often tooth-bearing bone, the dermopalatine.

autopotamic = 1) pertaining to organisms adapted to and living out their lives in streams.

autopotamic = 2) originating in fresh water.

autopterotic = pterotic (the paired deep bone and the superficial dermal bone covering it forming the lateral roof of the skull between the parietal and the hyomandibula and in contact with the lateral semicircular canal).

autosphenotic = the deep bone comprising the postorbital process. Often called the sphenotic, it is overlain by the dermosphenotic or postorbital.

autostylic jaw suspension = a type of suspension where the upper jaw is connected directly to the chondrocranium (instead of fastened to the hyomandibula, the hyostylic suspension) by a process from, or fusion with, the palatoquadrate, e.g. in Dipnoi.

autotrophic lake = a lake where most or all of the organic matter present is derived from within the lake, not from the surrounding land.

autotype = 1) the type, by original designation, of a taxon.

autotype = 2) an unofficial term in nomenclature for a specimen designated by the author of a species subsequent to the original publication as being identical to the holotype.

autotype = 3) an unofficial term in nomenclature for a specimen illustrated by the author of a species after the original publication.

autotype = 4) a joke definition in nomenclature of a type specimen originating from a vehicle after having travelled some distance. Presumably quite smelly in the case of a fish.

autumn fry = a fry caught at the end of the growing season, usually characterised by a relatively high vitality.

autumn overturn = autumn turnover.

autumn sickness = a disease of fishes causing deaths and occurring in autumn. Of no known cause or signs of disease.

autumn turnover = the mixing of the entire lake water mass in the autumn (or fall; presumably this is an English phenomenon - see also fall overturn or turnover).

auxiliary brooder = a reproductive guild (q.v.) where adhesive eggs are carried in clusters or balls on the spongy skin of the belly, the back, under the pectoral or pelvic fins, or on a hook in the supraoccipital region, or encircled within cols of the female's body. Embryonic respiratory circulation and pigments are well developed, e.g. Xenopoecilus oophorus, Kurtus gulliveri, Loricaria piracicalae.

auxillary scale = one of the small scales in between or superimposed on the larger scales, e.g. in such Pomacanthidae as Pomacanthoides.

auxiliary type = a specimen or element to serve as type of a subordinate taxon when the type of a major taxon is inadequate to assign subordinate rank names to the type. Also called sustaining specimen.

availability = 1) the part of a fish population which lives in areas where it is susceptible to fishing during a given fishing season. This part receives recruits from or becomes mingled with the non-available part of the stock at other seasons, or in other years. Fish become available through migration, movement in the water column, or growth. Abbreviated as r or r.

availability = 2) whether a certain kind of fish of a certain size can be caught by a type of gear in an area.

availability = 3) catch per unit of effort, q.v.

availability = 4) see available name, available nomenclatural act and available work.

available name = a scientific name of an animal satisfies the provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, including publications of the name after 1757 in a Latinised form or arbitrary combination of letters constructed so it can be treated as one, in a work consistently applying binomial nomenclature, not first published in a synonymy, etc. Not necessarily the valid name.

available nomenclatural act = one that is published in an available work, q.v.

available work = a work published after the starting point that conforms to the provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature and has not been annulled by its Commission. An available name is not necessarily a valid name (q.v.), as an available name may be in synonymy (q.v.). Conversely a valid name must always be an available one. Available names include nomen inviolatum, nomen conservandum, nomen perfectum, nomen vanum, nomen correctum, nomen substitutum, nomen imperfectum.

average annual instantaneous size-specific growth rate = a method for comparing growth rates of fish of equivalent size instead of equivalent age. The average annual instantaneous-growth rate (the average of individual log fork length at age n + 1 minus log fork length at age n) is plotted against the length or weight at the beginning of the year.

avidity = the frequency of fishing activity, e.g. the number of days on which fishing trips were made.

avidity bias = bias arising in angler surveys through time spent fishing or frequency of fishing.

avnet = a small net used to catch fish falling out of the main net, e.g. in the herring fishery (Scottish dialect).

avoidance = 1) the probability that a fish or fish school will escape capture by swimming out of the path of a ship or trawl, away from or alongside a gill net, or avoid retention by a hook or trap. May be expressed as a function of size or age (avoidance curve).

avoidance = 2) various cultures do not eat fish, e.g. ancient Syrians believed fish to be holy and did not eat them (see Atargatis); the Bechuana and certain Bantu tribes in Africa. Often associated with social status among pastoralists, only lower class groups consuming fish, or with religion such as the Hindu belief in non-violence to sentient beings and the resulting vegetarianism. Also, certain bodies of water are sacred and fish from there are not eaten.

avoidance curve = the relationship between a fish size or age and its probability of being retained by fishing gear after coming in contact with it.

avoidance response = the actions of a fish to avoid concentrations of chemicals or other factors. Active or passive movement occurs.

avoidance threshold = the lowest concentration of a substance that causes a fish to move actively away from it.

Avon float = an angling float with a balsa body, a slim top and a cane or wire stem used for trotting in fast water.

Avon rod = a through-action, 11-12 foot English fishing rod with a 1-1.5 lb test curve. Used for ledgering or float fishing for large cyprinids.

avowed substitute = a name explicitly proposed as a substitute for an existing name.

avulsed = a stream channel without flow since water has taken a new path.

axanthic = lacking yellow pigmentation.

axial = towards an axis running antero-posteriorly through the middle of the fish; central. Opposite of radial, q.v.

axial bone = the ventral element in the priapium of the Phallostethidae on which articulate the ctenactinia (q.v.). Also called aproctal or pelvic bone.

axial hypoblast = a hypoblast consisting of mesodermal and probably endodermal precursor cells developing on the dorsal midline. It includes prechordal plate and chorda mesoderm.

axial skeleton = bones in the axis of the body, comprising the neurocranium, the branchial skeleton, the vertebral column and the intermuscular bones and ribs.

axial swimming = the usual swimming mode of fishes powered by the myotomal musculature and involving lateral bending of the body and oscillating movement of the tail.

axial vein = the unpaired vein in the caudal trunk leading from the caudal vein to the left and right posterior cardinal veins.

axil = the region immediately behind or under the pectoral fin.

axile = belonging to or situated in an axis.

axilla = the region immediately behind or under the pectoral fin.

axillary = pertaining to an axilla.

axillary foramen = a hole through the cleithrum bone of the pectoral fin.

axillary gland = a multicellular structure below the skin dorsal to the pectoral fin, e.g. in Ictalurus punctatus, suggested to produce toxin. This is unlikely as no duct allows delivery to the spine tip and production of toxin is known from epithelial spine tissue.

axillary process = a small triangular appendage or a modified scale at the upper or anterior base of a paired fin. Also called accessory scale, inguinal process or fleshy appendage. Functions apparently to streamline the fin when held against the body while swimming.

axillary scale = 1) a small scale superimposed or interspersed with large ones.

axillary scale = 2) axillary process.

axis = 1) a line.

axis = 2) the anterior-posterior axis of the embryo.

axle = dan leno spindle (a steel spindle through a dan leno bobbin, q.v. Also called spindle).

axonost = pterygiophore (the cartilage or bone on the outer end of which sit the median fin rays or spines), sometimes the proximal pterygiophore.

azygost = the dermal bone in flatfishes of the family Psettodidae between the prefrontal and the frontal of the lower side.

B

B = biomass, q.v.

B 20% B-virg = level of spawning stock corresponding to a fraction (here 20%) of the unexploited biomass. Virgin biomass is estimated as the point where the replacement line for F=0 intersects the stock-recruitment relationship or as the biomass from a spawning stock per recruit curve when F=0 and average recruitment is assumed.

B 50% R = the level of spawning stock at which average recruitment is one half (50%) of the maximum of the underlying stock-recruitment relationship.

B 90% R, 90% Surv = spawning stock corresponding to the intersection of the 90th percentile of observed survival rate (R/S) and the 90th percentile of the recruitment observations.

B₀ = virgin or unfished biomass (pronounced B zero). Rarely known. Using mathematical models, it is generally calculated as the long-term average biomass value expected in the absence of fishing mortality. In production models, B₀ is also known as carrying capacity. It is often used as a biological reference point in fisheries management.

B.C. = before Christ, used to designate years before the birth of Christ. Used in scientific dating for relatively recent events, e.g. fish remains in sub-fossil sites. Note there was no year 0.

B.P. = before present, conventionally before 1950 A.D.

B-grade = the third highest grade of freshness for fish in the European community.

bab = 1) bob (obsolete).

bab = 2) to fish for eels (Norfolk dialect).

bab net = bob net.

babber = bob (3).

babbing ground = a place to fish for eels (Norfolk dialect).

babble = a low and continuous murmuring sound as made by running water.

babel fish = 1) a universal translator in the book "A Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams, consisting of a small, yellow and leechlike fish inserted into the ear.

babel fish = 2) an internet translation service.

baby = bass (Micropterus spp., Centrarchidae) too short to meet tournament standards; usually less than 14 inches (ca. 36 cm). Also called baby, dink, throw back, nubbin, pop corn, and slick.

baby tickler chain = bosum tickler chain.

bacalao = a term for dried salt cod used in Newfoundland (Spanish).

bacallaos = codland, the Bonavista-Cape Race coast of Newfoundland (from the Portuguese bacalhau, cod).

baccalao = bacalao.

baccale = bacalao.

bacaleau = bacalao.

baccalieu skiff = a small decked vessel or schooner used in the fishery off Baccalieu Island, Newfoundland.

baccalo = bacalao.

back = 1) cast (the terminal strand of a handline to which hooks are attached by short droppers).

back = 2) main line (the principal line in a longline from which branch lines depend with hooks attached).

back = 3) the headline, q.v., of a salmon drift net (northeast England).

back = 4) batings (northern Ireland).

back = 5) the perpendicular section of a cod trap opposite the doors.

back bar = channel plate (a u-shaped, steel bracing bar on the back of an otter board, q.v. Also called back channel.

back board becket = backstrop (a short wire or chain system between the otter board and bridle on an otter trawl).

back board chain = chain bracket (a chain used on an otter board in pace of a bracket. Also called angle iron chain, board chain, chain triangle, towing chain).

back bouncing = in angling, moving a boat slowly in reverse while using fishing lures or bait.

back burden = burden.

back channel = back bar.

back cord = the headline, q.v., of a beam trawl.

back creel = a wicker basket formed to fit the back, chiefly used by fishwives (q.v.).

back end feeder = a container with a few holes around its body that allows ground bait to be released slowly when angling. The bait is usually maggots that work their way out and help keep fish in the area where the angler has deposited his fishing rig.

back jouster = an itinerant fish-dealer who carried the fish in a basket on his back.

back lead = a break away weight attached to the main fishing line near to the bank of a water body meant to keep the line on the bottom. It can be tied separately by a line to a stick on the bank and have a clip attaching it to the main line. When a fish bites, the main line pulls up and out of the clip.

back line = the main line to the end of which is attached a cast (2) or pasternoster rig (both q.v.).

back net = the rear sections of the belly, batings and codend of a trawl.

back of line = end rope (a line connecting the end of the first or last section of a longline backrope or string to the dan line (all q.v.). Also called dumb string, longline, dummy, end tow, lud tow and spreadline).

back of net = square and batings (both q.v.) of a beam trawl as one section.

back plate = the central steel plate on the back of an otter board, q.v.

back reef = the shoreward side of a reef. It comprises the area between the reef crest or algal ridge and the land and it corresponds to the reef flat and lagoon of a barrier reef and platform margin reef systems.

back run = a smaller branch of a river, such as one that runs around an island (Newfoundland).

back shore = the inner part of the shore above the mean spring tide high water line, acted on by the sea only during very high tides and storms.

back shot = a piece of shot (a weight) attached to a fishing line behind the float, sinking the line, to help the float remain steady in heavy wind.

back split = a fish which has been split down the back by a cut made adjacent to the backbone in preparation for further processing as food.

back swamp = a marshy area separated from the main river by banks and at a lower level than the banks.

back trolling = moving a boat in reverse while fishing lures or baits. Allows control over speed and manoeuvering.

back-cast = throwing the fly line behind the angler before the forward cast carries it out over the water.

back-cross = the individual resulting from an interspecific hybrid mating with one of its parental species.

back-end vee = a salmon net with a v-angled section at the seaward end to entrap fish (Newfoundland). See also vee.

back-fin = dorsal fin (the unpaired fin(s) on the midline of the back. Also called the notopterygium. In Pleuronectiformes it is on the opposite side to the anus. In Centriscidae the hind end of the fish has been rotated under the fish so the dorsal fin is on the under surface. Abbreviated as D, D1, D2, or D3 respectively for the only, first, second or third dorsal fins (or their rays and spines). It functions to prevent rolling).

backbar channel = a channel behind a bar connected to the main channel but usually at a higher bed elevation than the main channel. May contain flowing or standing water and thus be a habitat for fishes.

backboard becket = backstrop (a short wire or chain system between the otter board and bridle on an otter trawl. Also called backstrop, board bridle, board leg, board strop, door legs, door strop and sling).

backbone = 1) vertebral column.

backbone = 2) a dorsal spine.

backing = 1) line added to the back of the main line so that the spool of an angling reel is filled up and the main line runs off freely when cast. Also provides extra line should a fish make a strong run but could lose the fish if cheap line is used.

backing = 2) main line (the principal line in a longline from which branch lines depend with hooks attached).

backing down = 1) the process of letting marine mammals such as porpoises and dolphins from a purse seine while retaining the fish.

backing down = 2) reversing a boat while pursuing a fish.

backing line = main line (the principal line in a longline from which branch lines depend with hooks attached).

backlar spine = one of those spines distinctively developed only in the males of Rajidae such as the alar and malar spines (q.v.).

backlash = a tangle of line from a reel's overrun. Also called professional spaghetti or professional overrun.

backpack shocker = an electroshocker on a frame used for sampling fish in streams and shallow waters.

backrope = the headline of a drift or ring net (all q.v.).

backrush = backwash.

backset = an eddy or countercurrent in water.

backshore = a part of the seashore covered by water only during extreme storms.

backstrap = backstrop.

backstroke = a mutant zebrafish (Danio rerio) gene resulting in complete lack of otoliths.

backstrop = a short wire or chain system between the otter board and bridle on an otter trawl. Also called backboard becket, backstrop, board bridle, board leg, board strop, door legs, door strop and sling.

backstrop equaliser = a block and swivel used as a rolling coupling to a single wire in place of two backstrops.

backstrop link = a triangular steel link with rounded corners on the back of a trawl's otter board. The backstrop is attached here. Also called board link, door sling ring, shearboard link and VD link.

backstrop norman = 1) a special u-shaped bolt to which the backstrop is attached. Also called eye.

backstrop norman = 2) any general attachment mechanism of the backstrop to the otter board of a trawl.

backstrop ring = a steel ring on the back of a trawl's otter board for attaching the backstrop.

backstrop roller = backstrop equaliser.

backswamp = a marshy low-lying area on a floodplain.

backward of = behind; in relating position of anatomical features to each other.

backwash = the seaward return of waves after they rush up onto the beach. Some fish species spawn in this wave action, e.g. capelin, Mallotus villosus. Also called backrush or run down.

backwater = 1) water turned back on its course by an obstruction or an opposing flow.

backwater = 2) the body or accumulation of water caused by the above especially when it overflows into lowlands.

backwater = 3) a stillwater section of a stream or river beside the main flow but separated by a ridge of land (or an arm of the sea similarly separated from the open ocean), or habitat at the margin of a riffle or run. Sometimes used for water that has backed up compared to its normal flow or for an area off the main part of a lake; often separated from the source during dry seasons.

backwater = 4) white water (frothy water in rapids, breakers or waterfalls).

backwater pool = 1) a pool formed by an eddy along a channel margin. An obstruction such as a bar or a boulder helps create the eddy. The pool may be separated from the channel by sand or gravel bars.

backwater pool = 2) a cove or flooded depression with access to a main stream.

backwinding = allowing a fish to pull line off a fixed-spool reel by winding the handle backwards.

backyard hatchery = family owned and operated fish hatcheries, small and usually found at the back of a house.

bacterial gill disease = a myxobacterial infection of juvenile salmonids and ictalurid catfishes in aquaculture facilities caused by unfavourable environmental conditions which then allow an invasion by the myxobacteria. Often breaks out in spring when the fish are growing and crowded in waters where oxygen is low and ammonia levels high. The gills appear off-white and slimy, clubbed and fused. Causes loss of appetite.

bacterial haemorrhagic septicaemia = a bacterial infection with Aeromonas liquefaciens, Aeromonas hydrophila or Pseudomonas affecting fishes of all ages, usually in spring. Usually associated with stress and overcrowding. Haemorrhages occur in the skin, fins, mouth cavity and muscles. Exophthalmia and cavity ulcers may occur. Also called infectious dropsy, red pest, freshwater eel disease, redmouth disease, pike pest and motile aeromonad septicaemia.

bacterial kidney disease = a bacterial infection with Renibacterium salmoninus or Corynebacterium sp. affecting salmonids, usually when temperatures are falling. The disease may be chronic or acute and has no treatment. Causes swelling of internal organs (oedematous, grey and corrugated kidneys with off-white lesions) and haemorrhages. Lesions may occur also in the liver and spleen and muscle contractions occur. External symptoms may be absent or include exophthalmy (popeyes), skin darkening, abdominal swelling, and skin ruptures and vesicles. Also called Corynebacterial disease, Dee's disease and kidney disease.

bacteriocide = a chemical that kills bacteria, e.g. in an aquarium or with infected fish.

bacteriophagy = feeding on bacteria or having a large food component being bacteria, e.g. cave fishes, cleaner fishes, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Labeo rohita.

bacteriostat = a chemical that restricts the proliferation of bacteria.

bafflet = a wooden mallet for killing salmon used in Northumberland. Supposedly, it was very unlucky to produce the bafflet before the fish were drawn ashore.

bag = 1) the centre part of a Danish seine between the shoulders and cod end.

bag = 2) the belly and baiting of a trawl.

bag = 3) the fish court of a pound net.

bag = 4) the bunt of a purse seine or beach seine.

bag = 5) the cod end of a trawl.

bag = 6) bag limit.

bag = 7) to place a specimen in a container such as a plastic bag.

bag = 8) to catch a fish.

bag = 9) a net to keep cod temporarily until they can be loaded on a boat or towed ashore (Newfoundland).

bag = 10) a specific quantity of fish taken in a cod net (Newfoundland).

bag becket = the halving becket, q.v., of a trawl.

bag becket leg = hauling leg (a wire rope extension of the halving becket joined to the lazy deckie (both q.v.). Also called codend gag, gagline and lazy deckie leg).

bag limit = restriction in the catch by number or weight that an angler may take, generally on a daily basis. This may or may not be the same as a possession limit.

bag net = 1) a net for holding fish in aquaculture attached to the cage support frame.

bag net = 2) a conical or cubical bag-shaped net lifted from a boat.

bag net = 3) a conical bag-shaped net with short wings, fastened to poles or anchors, in strong current to strain out fish and lifted before the tide slackens.

bag net = 4) a net, of varying shape, deployed from a boat close to the sea bed. Baits are suspended just above the bag and the net is lifted once a sufficiency of fish has been attracted. A funnel type net may be attached to the mouth of the bag to prevent escape of fish.

bag net = 5) any net in which a fish enters a pocket.

bag off = keeping inshore fishery cod in a net shaped like a bag until the fish are brought ashore (Newfoundland).

bag seine = a seine net (q.v.) with a bag or backward extension of netting in the middle of its length. The bag serves to concentrate the fish when hauling in the seine. Some seines have a bag at the side.

bag up = bag off.

bagget = baggit.

bagging = the final process in producing fish meal where the product is put in 100 lb bags after drying and grinding.

baggit = 1) a fish full of spawn (Scottish dialect). Also spelled bagget.

baggit = 2) the bed of roe deposited by salmon in gravel (Scottish dialect).

baggler = the fry of a trout (Scottish dialect).

baggot = baggit.

bagna cauda = a vegetable dip made from anchovies, butter, garlic and oil.

bagoong = fermented salt fish paste made from an anchovy-like fish (Stolephorus indicus) in the Philippines, or from young herring, with dill and packed in cans or bottles.

bagoong tulingan = a salted fish product made from tunas (Euthynnus affinis and Auxis thazard). The head and guts are removed, each flank slashed, and then flattened with the pressure of the hand.

bail = 1) to remove water from a boat.

bail = 2) a metal semicircular arm on an open-faced spinning reel that is folded back to allow line to be cast and engages the line after a cast and rewinds it onto the spool. Also called bail arm.

bail = 3) catching fish by emptying the water from a tidal pool or other small body of water.

bail = 4) to remove fish from a large net with a smaller net, e.g. from a purse seine onto a ship.

bail arm = bail (2).

bail-top jar = a glass jar with a glass top and a rubber or neoprene gasket; a wire mechanism clamps the lid on the jar.

bailer = any container used to bail (1).

bailiff = an agent of the land owner who regulates the fishing rights and fishing regulations in relation to a stretch of water. They can in some cases arrest poachers, seize their tackle equipment and catch. They can also prosecute them and take them to court.

bailing = bail (3 and 4).

baird = a piece of old straw rope teased out and used as a torch to lure salmon to the surface by poachers (Scottish dialect).

bait = 1) natural or artificial foods placed on a hook or in a trap to attract and capture fish. Live bait includes various terrestrial and marine worms, maggots, and fishes.

bait = 2) the act of placing a lure or bait on a line.

bait additive = any compound added to an angling bait in order to increase its attractiveness to fish. The additive may be a dye for adding colour (red, yellow or orange usually) or a flavouring (diverse).

bait apron = an apron with pockets used by anglers to hold tackle and bait while wading.

bait ball = a small school of bait fish that form a ball in the water as an instinctive response to a predator. Also called meat ball.

bait bird = any sea-bird feeding on bait fish in inshore waters (Newfoundland).

bait board = a triangular piece of wood with two raised edges, used to cut up herring and other sea food in Newfoundland.

bait boat = 1) boats that fish for bait to be used in other fisheries, e.g. in Newfoundland a large undecked boat with 5-7 crew, propelled by oar and sail and used to catch capelin (Mallotus villosus) for the cod fishery.

bait boat = 2) in angling, a remotely-controlled toy boat for delivering groundbait or a rig to a selected location.

bait box = 1) a plastic container with a perforated lid used to hold bait, e.g. worms, maggots, casters, etc.

bait box = 2) a plastic or wooden container use to hold the bait used in commercial trawl fishing.

bait box holder = a plastic tray that screws into a bank stick and holds bait boxes convenient to hand.

bait casting = casting using a fishing rod and bait casting reel where the reel is positioned on top of the rod. Also called revolving-spool reel.

bait casting reel = a fishing reel in which the spool is not stationary during a cast but revolves, a level-wind reel, cf. spin casting reel. The reel is operated with the thumb and hand when casting.

bait colouring = various dyes, in both liquid and powder form, used to colour baits such as maggots, pastes and boilies. The commonest colours are red, orange and yellow.

bait depot = a facility where iced or frozen bait is stored for distribution to fishermen (Newfoundland).

bait dropper = a weighted device used to drop ground bait, q.v., at the desired location. It is attached to the anglers line. A latch its triggered when the dropper touches bottom, releasing the ground bait.

bait fish = 1) fish used to bait hooks either commercially or in sport fishing.

bait fish = 2) small fish eaten by predators.

bait fishing = use of hooks carrying relatively heavy natural food, left in the water to attract and capture fish.

bait flavouring = a concentrated liquid used to add taste to angling baits and groundbaits. Available in numerous types and concoctions.

bait hauler = a commercial fisherman who catches capelin, herring and other bait fishes (Newfoundland).

bait horn = a large sea shell used as a horn to announce the arrival inshore of the food and bait fish capelin (Mallotus villosus) (Newfoundland).

bait jack = a wooden tub or quarter barrel to hold bait.

bait net = any net used to catch fish used as bait for larger, commercial or sport fishes.

bait master = a man in charge of boat and nets sent from a banker to catch bait fishes (Newfoundland).

bait punt = bait boat (1).

bait rocket = a device attached to the end of the fishing line, filled with particle bait, and cast out over the area being fished. When it hits the water, it flips upside down and empties the contained bait.

bait seine = a seine used to catch anchovies, sardines and similar fishes to be kept alive in bait tanks to be used later as bait.

bait shed = a structure used for storing fishing bait in Newfoundland.

bait skiff = bait boat (1).

bait squadron = patrol vessels engaged in enforcing the Newfoundland Bait Act of 1888 which prohibits taking of bait fish by foreign fishing vessels or unauthorized provision of bait to such vessels.

bait tree = catalpa (Catalpa speciosa), a North American tree, so-called because it provides a home for numerous caterpillars used as bait for catching fish.

bait tub = bait jack.

bait well = a floating container, weighted to keep it stable, used to store bait fish alive.

bait yaud = a woman who gathers bait for fishermen (English dialect).

baiter = a boat catching capelin and herring (usually) as bait for the cod fishery of Newfoundland.

baitholder hook = a hook of various styles with the addition of two, small, forward-pointing barbs in the top of the shank to prevent worms from slipping down the shank.

baitie = a fisher girl or woman, often family of fishermen, who gathered bait (Northumberland dialect).

baiting = 1) the quantity of capelin and herring (or squid) taken aboard a banker at one time for use as bait in the Newfoundland trawl fishery.

baiting = 2) the fishing voyage to the Newfoundland Banks, its duration fixed by the supply of bait aboard the vessel.

baiting needle = a long needle used to mount dead fish and other large bait items onto the tackle.

baitings = batings.

baitpump = a suction system used to gather benthic species as bait for fish.

baitrunner reel = an open face, rear drag reel with a lever at the back. The spool can be set so line can be pulled out freely by a fish. A drag mechanism is activated by the lever.

bakasang = a fermented fish product of Indonesia.

bakbar = the dorsal fin of a flounder (Scottish dialect).

baked herring = herring cooked by baking in an oven, without vinegar.

baklengi = a strip cut out lengthways from the back of a halibut (Scottish dialect).

bakravi = a fat strip, nearest the fins, cut from the back of a halibut (Scottish dialect).

bal bakwa = a salted whole fish with about 20% salt by weight, allowing controlled bacterial action for 6-8 months. Usually warmed in vinegar before serving and found in the Philippines.

balachong = a fermented and salted fish paste from Malaysia. Also spelled blachong. See also garum and trāsi, among others.

balance line = an angling or commercial fishing arrangement where the line has a metal or wooden spreader which has arms depending from it, each carrying a stretch of line and a hook. Any sudden load is adjusted by the bent spreader. Secondary balances can be added to make a system of hooks.

balanced = in angling, the optimal combination of tackle for catching a fish.

balanced diet = foods furnishing all the necessary nutrients required for proper nourishment of a fish. Compare basic diet.

balbakwa = a salted fish product of the Philippines. Usually a whole large fish with 20% by weight of salt added to allow controlled bacterial action during a 6-8 month ageing process. Warmed in vinegar before serving.

Balbiani's vitelline body = yolk nucleus or the dark circular body that appears in the cytoplasm very near the nucleus during the perinuclear stage of oogenesis.

balch = a stout cord used for the head-line of a fishing-net (British dialect).

balik = 1) Turkish for fish.

balik = 2) balyk.

balk = stakes covered with wattles arranged in a semi-circle on the sands so that fish are directed towards the nets as the tide recedes (British dialect).

balker = huer (formerly a sentry on a high cliff, pointing out pilchard schools (reputedly by waving a small bush) in Cornwall to seine netters. Also called conder, herring caller).

ball = 1) a large, rounded school, e.g. in some catfishes such as juvenile Ameiurus nebulosus, and in herrings, Clupea harengus. See also balls and fish ball.

ball = 2) said of sea-birds that pounce on a ball of fish or shoal of herrings.

ball = 3) fish don't have balls but are sometimes made into them. A ball of shredded white fish or cod and mashed potatoes, flour or other binding material, usually fried. Also called fish dumpling. See also canned fish ball, catfish ball and ball.

ball cutter = local name in Papua New Guinea for an introduced species of pacu (a name for several South American characiform fishes) which reputedly castrates local fishermen. Pacu normally feed on heavy nuts and seeds and have a crushing jaw system and teeth.

ball mould = a hollow form in which balls of lead are cast as weights for fish nets.

ball-handle reel = a fishing reel with a spherical counterweight on its counterbalanced crank, e.g. found on New-York reels, q.v.

ballads = not very common it seems, but the following was composed for the first Ichthyophagous Club (q.v.) dinner by the fish commissioner:-

When the Ichthyophagous dines,
There'll be many a curious dish,
Of things ne'er caught with lines,
And not at all like fish-,
Steaks of porpoise and ribs of whales,
Aspic of jellyfish, octopus stew,
Shark-fin soup and gurry-gur-roo,
When the Ichthyophagous dines.

ballast = 1) a weight used to sink a fishing line.

ballast = 2) one of a series of weights along the footrope of a fishing net.

ballast = 3) stones, pebbles and sand, found in the stomach of such as the cod, and reputedly indicative of weather conditions (the fish swallow stones as ballast against an approaching storm) (Newfoundland).

ballast water = water contained in tanks on ships to improve their stability and buoyancy. This water can contain fishes and may be discharged in an area where the fish then become established as exotics.

ballomania = the compulsive syndrome of zoo and aquaria visitors to throw something, coins, marbles, keys, etc., at a static animal in order to provoke movement.

balloon fishing = in angling, the use of a balloon to suspend a bait at the desired depth.

balloon trawl = a light trawl operating off the sea floor.

balls = fish don't have them but are sometimes made into them. A ball of shredded white fish or cod and mashed potatoes, flour or other binding material, usually fried. Also called fish dumpling. See also catfish ball, fish ball and ball.

balsa float = a float in angling made of balsa and used with large shot (weights) enabling the angler to present bait to fish in fast and deep water.

balsa waggler = a short waggler, q.v., made of balsa tapering to a fine point used with fine tackle and small baits on canals and still waters.

Balta trawl = a deepsea trawl used by large stern trawlers.

balyk = dried (sometimes sundried), brined, cold smoked sturgeon, salmon and herring flesh, reddish in colour (Turkey).

banana = butterfly (an L-shaped steel plate shackled between the dan leno spindle and legs. Also called arm, boomerang, dan leno arm, dan leno bracket, dan leno spreader, devil's elbow, spreader bar).

banana fish = 1) something that seemed like a good idea at the time, but wasn't (slang).

banana fish = 2) "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" is a short story by J. D. Salinger published in The New Yorker in 1948. The protagonist, Seymour, talks to a young girl on a beach, telling the story of the bananafish. This fish is very ordinary looking but it swims into a hole, eats so much it cannot escape, and subsequently dies of banana fever. The story inspired spinoffs including a Japanese manga comic book series.

band = 1) a strip of pigment that contrasts with immediately adjacent pigment or absence of pigment. A vertical band is a bar, a horizontal band is a stripe.

band = 2) a vertical patch of pigment usually with well-defined margins, more extensive than a bar, running, for example, from the flank onto adjoining fins. Bands are sometimes defined as being oblique or diagonal in contrast to vertical bars.

band = 3) a longitudinal patch of pigment, usually running along the side of the body, broader and less distinct than a stripe, q.v.

band = 4) a region of similar structure or optical density laid down during growth of hard parts used in ageing. Also called mark, ring and zone.

band = 5) a strip of pigment that encircles the body.

band = 6) fish strung on a rope, especially from a salt tub when they are hung up to dry (Scottish dialect).

banding = light stripes on smoked fish where the fish was suspended or laid on a mesh and the smoke did not reach the fish.

bang = to push off in boats at random, without having seen any fish in the salmon fishery.

bangie = a man appointed to watch the Solway and Annan River in Scotland for salmon poachers.

banging = fishing in the manner of a bang.

bank = 1) an area where the depth of water is relatively shallow, but normally sufficient for safe surface navigation, and often excellent for fishing, e.g. the Grand Banks off Newfoundland. Can be 20-200 m in oceanic waters but as shallow as 0-5 m in nearshore or fresh waters.

bank = 2) the side of a river, the right bank being on the right when facing downstream.

bank = 3) the side of a lake or other water body other than a river.

bank = 4) a deepwater area extending offshore from the seaward edge of the fore reef to the beginning of the escarpment where the insular shelf drops off to the deep, oceanic water. In the absence of a reef crest, this form of bank is the flattened platform between the fore reef and the deep ocean waters.

bank = 5) an elevation of sand or mud in a river bed.

bank cod = cod populations on the Newfoundland Grand Banks.

bank fish = benthic fish.

bank fisherman = one who engages in the cod fishery on the offshore fishing grounds of Newfoundland.

bank fishery = the cod fishery of Newfoundland carried out on the Grand Banks.

bank fishing = fishing for cod on the offshore grounds of Newfoundland, usually with trawls or hook and line.

bank hook = 1) type of fish-hook used in hand-line fishery for cod offshore (Newfoundland).

bank hook = 2) a large fish-hook, so called from being baited and laid in brooks or running water and attached by a line to the bank (English dialect).

bank line = type of stout line or rope used in the deep-sea fishery (Newfoundland). See also banking cable.

bank man = 1) bank fisherman.

bank man = 2) a vessel in the offshore cod fishery (Newfoundland).

bank protection = stabilisation of river banks to prevent erosion, prevent deposition of material in the stream and conserve fish habitat.

bank reef = large reef growths. These usually are of irregular shape and develop over submerged highs of tectonic or other origin. They are surrounded by deeper water.

bank ship = bank man (2).

bank storage = water absorbed in the bank of a stream or reservoir and returned to the water body when water levels fall.

bank-book = bank book.

banker = 1) a fishing boat used on the banks off Newfoundland.

banker = 2) a Newfoundland fisherman of the bank fishery.

banker = 3) the owner or operator of an offshore fishing vessel (Newfoundland).

bankfull discharge = the stage at which a river first overflows its natural banks.

banking = fishing for cod on the Newfoundland offshore banks.

banking account = a financial balance sheet of a sea fishing enterprise on the Newfoundland banks.

banking anchor = type of ship's anchor used aboard a deep-sea fishing vessel.

banking cable = heavy 5 cm rope used aboard vessels engaged in the offshore trawl fishery of Newfoundland.

banking dory = a dory (q.v.) used on the Newfoundland banks.

banking fleet = a number of banking vessels.

banking line = banking cable.

banking outfit = fishing gear and supplies of a vessel engaged in the bank cod fishery (Newfoundland).

banking schooner = banking vessel.

banking vessel = a deep-sea fishing boat, decked and rigged fore-and-aft or powered by an engine, prosecuting the cod fishery on the offshore banks of Newfoundland with hand-lines and trawls operated from small open boats or dories.

banking voyage = the enterprise or period of fishing for cod on the offshore banks of Newfoundland.

bankstick = usually a stainless steel or aluminium rod that holds a fishing rod off the ground at the right angle. A threaded end allows attachment of a Y- or U-shaped rod rest, of a bait box holder, of a keepnet, etc. while the other end is pointed for insertion in the ground. Used in Europe where fishing rigs are left for some time in a fixed position waiting for a bite.

bar = 1) a vertical or diagonal patch of pigment usually with well-defined margins (straight sides), often on the flank of a fish; shorter than a band and/or not encircling the body (cf. stripe, an elongate horizontal patch of pigment).

bar = 2) a submerged or exposed ridge in rivers, lakes or the ocean deposited where there is a decrease in flow.

bar = 3) one of the four sides of the mesh of netting.

bar = 4) an area of shoal water at the entrance to an estuary or harbour.

bar = 5) an establishment frequented by ichthyologists (wet bars are favoured of course).

bar = 6) any net or barrier placed in a river to block or bar fish movements and capture the fish.

bar = 7) the fins of a fish forming a fringe (Scottish dialect).

bar = 8) a strip, including the fins, cut from a halibut (Scottish dialect).

bar cut = a cut in netting parallel to the line of sequential mesh bars.

bar net = 1) a gill net with ropes or wooden bars attached vertically used as a gill net or a trammel net.

bar net = 2) the vertical net extending out from a cod trap to obstruct passage of cod and lead them into the trap.

bar net = 3) any net stretched across a river to bar and trap fish.

bar rig = a leader about 1 metre long with a weight at the end and a swivel at the point of attachment to the fishing line. Additional leaders with a hook at the end are attached about 35 cm from the weight and about 35-45 cm up the mainline.

bar seine = net used to close off a small cove so that fish can be taken out with a small seine, e.g. herring in Newfoundland. Also called stop seine.

bar spoon = spinner (a lure consisting of a wire shaft with a hook(s) and a blade that spins when pulled through the water. Variously coloured and decorated with feathers, fur, beads and plastic additions).

bar tackle = rope used to constrict a cod trap when filled with fish (Newfoundland).

barachois = a shallow river estuary, a lagoon or a harbour protected from the sea by a sand bar or low strip of land. May be fresh or salt water (Maritime Canada). Also spelled barrachois and barrisois. See also barasway, barrasway, barrisway, and barrysway.

barasway = barachois.

baray = a large artificial reservoir bounded by dykes in Cambodia, filled by rainwater and diverted rivers. Arguably for irrigation but also symbolised the mythical ocean surrounding Mt. Meru, the home of the gods, and usually surrounding a temple complex. Can be as long as 8 km, 2.2 km wide with dykes up to 17 m high.

barb = 1) another term for spinule (a small spine projecting from a larger spine).

barb = 2) the inward projecting point of a fish hook that prevents a fish from getting off the hook.

barb = 3) a shortened form for barbel (1).

barbecued fish = fish roasted or grilled over an open charcoal fire (or its modern equivalent). Served hot.

barbed bone point = a barbed point made of bone and bound to a spear shaft using twine wrapped around grooves on the bone.

barbed tributary = a steam whose upper reach flows in the opposite direction to the lower reach and is evidence of stream capture. The area of flow reversal is called the elbow of capture.

barbel = 1) a slender fleshy process located close to the mouth, usually possessing tactile and/or gustatory sense, and useful in identification, e.g. in Acipenseridae, Gadidae, Ictaluridae, Cyprinidae.

barbel = 2) a petticoat worm by fishermen at Folkestone. See also barvel.

barbel section = barbel zone.

barbel zone = a European river classification system based on species, in this case the cyprinid Barbus barbus, as characteristic; a gravelly-sandy bottom, with moderate current.

barber fish = cleaner (a fish which picks dead tissue and parasites off other fishes. Cleaner fish may establish a cleaning station and have a particular behaviour which clues other fishes into their function and prevents them from being eaten).

barbless hook = a hook lacking the barb and thus causing less damage to fishes when caught and when unhooked.

barbule = a small barb or barbel.

barf house = a Yarmouth (England) dialect term for the shed where the first stage in curing herrings takes place.

barge = a large boat used to collect, hold and process the cod catch in the Strait of Belle Isle and on the Labrador coast.

bark = 1) a liquid made by steeping the bark and buds of conifers. Formerly used to preserve fish nets and sails in Newfoundland (and elsewhere) before synthetic materials were introduced.

bark = 2) soaking nets and sails in bark (Newfoundland and elsewhere).

bark = 3) a noise made by certain fishes has been likened to barking, e.g. the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, produces sound when ridges on the ventrolateral surface of the pectoral fin spine's dorsal process rub against the ventrolateral wall of the cleithrum's spinal fossa.

bark boiling = the preparation of bark preservative (Newfoundland).

bark pot = an iron cauldron in which an infusion of bark was prepared (Newfoundland).

bark tub = a wooden container in which nets and sails were soaked in an infusion of bark (Newfoundland).

barking = bark (2).

barking kettle = bark pot.

barking pan = pans in which fishing nets are steeped.

barlopen = said of fish having blisters ion the fins (Scottish dialect).

barloppin = barlopen.

baroclinicity = a state of water column stratification in which surfaces of constant pressure and constant density intersect.

barotrauma = an injury that results from rapid or extreme changes in pressure. Found in fishes pulled from depths rapidly or in humans where may simply be a discomfort in the ear based on differing pressures on either side of the ear drum.

barotropicity = a state of water column stratification in which surfaces of constant pressure and constant density coincide.

barr cut = a longitudinal slice of halibut (Scottish dialect).

barr mark = a vertical strip of pigment on a fish.

barrachois = barachois.

barrage = dams or weirs obstructing fish movements and thus facilitating their capture; also used to control water flow, raise water levels or generate power.

barrage pond = a pond created by damming and excavation.

barrage lake = a larger version of a barrage pond.

barrasway = barachois.

barred = said of a net enclosing a school of fish.

barrel = 1) a measure of liquid volume, 119.24 litres or 158.99 litres, 31.5 U.S. gallons or 42 U.S. gallons, 262.8 lb water or 34.97 Imperial gallons, but can vary.

barrel = 2) a rounded wooden container used to pack fish. A barrel of fish can be 200 pounds or 90.72 kg in the U.S.A. while a barrel of herrings used to be 32 pounds or 14.51 kg in England. See wet barrel.

barrel = 3) an approximate measurement of fish such as cod in Newfoundland taken from a net or trap.

barrel = 4) an indication of the size or capacity of a fishing boat.

barrel bones = the rib bones severed by filleting and remaining in the edible part of a herring or kipper fillet.

barrel tub = a barrel sawn in two and used for various fisheries purposes (Newfoundland).

barreled salted cod = split slated cod packed in brine in barrels.

barrel knot = a knot used to join to pieces of line together or to join a line to a leader. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

barricade = a barrier used to lead fish into an enclosure, e.g. fyke net, pound net, etc.

barrier = stakes, branches, reeds or netting temporarily or permanently fixed to the bottom in tidal waters arranged to trap fish.

barrier bank = a shelf-edge bank separating inshore waters from the deep ocean. Rich in nutrients, and fish stocks, from ocean upwelling that washes over the barrier bank, e.g. Georges Bank on the Atlantic coast of North America.

barrier beach = a bar parallel to shore high enough to be above high water. Separated from the mainland by open water (lagoons, bays and estuaries) or by salt marshes. Also called barrier island and offshore barrier.

barrier dam = a low dam on a stream used to divert water, block fish migration or guide fish into a fishway.

barrier island = a long and low barrier beach detached between two inlets.

barrier lake = an area flooded by a dam.

barrier net = stakes, branches, reeds, netting, etc. usually constructed in tidal waters and trapping fish as the tide recedes. Differs from fixed gillnets which, when the tide ebbs, may eventually allow the fish not entangled or gilled to pass freely underneath their bottom line. Includes fences, weirs, corrals.

barrier reef = a coral reef some distance from shore with a lagoon or estuary between it and the shore.

barrier spit = a barrier island connected to the mainland.

barrisois = barachois.

barrisway = barachois.

barrow (noun) = 1) a flat, rectangular wooden frame with handles at each corner, made for two men to carry cod. Also called fish barrow, drudge barrow and dredge barrow.

barrow (verb) = 2) carrying cod using a barrow.

barrow tub = a wooden tub or half barrel with handles attached for two men to carry salt cod (Newfoundland).

barrysway = barachois.

barter shop = a store in Newfoundland where fish could be exchanged for goods.

barvel = an apron of leather, canvas or oilskin worn while cleaning fish in Newfoundland. See also barbel (2).

basal (adjective) = 1) at or towards the base; pertaining to the base.

basal (adjective) = 2) opposite of derived, q.v. The condition or species regarded as the starting point in the evolution of a character or species.

basal (noun) = 3) a proximal radial notably larger than the middle or distal radials (fin ray supports to the median fins).

basal field = the anterior quarter of a fish scale, normally overlapped by the preceding scale.

basal group = the earliest diverging group within a clade.

basal plate (of a scale) = fibrillary plate (the fibrous lamella or disk forming the base of a teleost scale).

basal process = parapophysis (plural parapophyses) (a long, transverse process arising from the abdominal vertebral centrum. Parapophyses serve to support epipleural ribs (q.v.) when present and, in Gadidae, the gas bladder. In Clupeiformes they are not fused to the vertebrae. Also called transverse process and basopophysis).

basal rank = the lowest obligatory rank, the species, every organism being assigned to one. Infraspecific taxa are not recognised in every species. Also called basic rank.

basalia = the fused radials or pterygiophores at the base of a fin. Also termed basipterygia.

basapophysis (plural basapophyses) = parapophysis (plural parapophyses) (a long, transverse process arising from the abdominal vertebral centrum. Parapophyses serve to support epipleural ribs (q.v.) when present and, in Gadidae, the gas bladder. In Clupeiformes they are not fused to the vertebrae. Also called transverse process and basopophysis.

basapophyses = plural of basapophysis.

base = proximal part between origin and insertion of fin, extending distally for some distance and supported by skeleton. In the caudal fin, the thickened longitudinal part enclosing the vertebral column and between the epaxial and hypaxial lobes or webs of the fin. In denticles, the anchoring structures that hold these scales in the skin, often with four or more lobes. See also base of fin.

base case = the “typical” or “current” or “reference” case used in stock assessment (including simulations) as the basis for comparisons of management options and formulation of management advice.

base flood = a flood having a 1% average probability of being equalled or exceeded in a given year at a designated located; a 100-year flood.

base flow = 1) flow of a river composed entirely of groundwater from springs, or from groundwater and lakes excluding surface runoff from precipitation.

base flow = 2) discharge in a stream channel not from runoff and without man-made regulation.

base level = the level below which a land surface cannot be eroded by running water, e.g. a lake; the mouth of a river; the ultimate base level being the sea.

base line = the tolerance level of an organism to a particular substance concentration.

base of fin = region of fin where it arises from the body, between the origin and the insertion.

base port = the port from which fishing units operate, irrespective of where they are registered (homeport).

base runoff = sustained or fair-weather runoff. This is mostly groundwater effluent for most rivers and streams.

base-taxon = an unofficial term in nomenclature for the first originally recognised taxon for a kind of organism; this is usually and traditionally the species.

basel = bassle.

baseline = the line from which the seaward limit of state's territory is measured. Usually the low-water line.

baseline discharge = base flow.

baseost = the distal radial or pterygiophore supporting the fin rays. Also called intercalarium.

basibranchial = one of the deep median bones at the base of the gill arches below the hypobranchials. May occur on arches 1, 2, 3, 4, the last being cartilaginous. The dermal plates bearing teeth and associated with the basibranchials are a separate structure. Each of the basibranchials may be called a copula and the first is named the basihyal.

basibranchial copula = fused basibranchials in Elasmobranchii.

basibranchial teeth = the teeth on the basibranchial bone, behind the tongue and between the gills. Often incorrectly called “hyoid” teeth.

basibranchiostegal = gular plate (the median or paired, dermal, flat bone(s} between the lower jaws of primitive Teleostomes, below the basibranchials. There is a median gular in Amiidae and some Elopidae, Megalopidae and Albulidae, in some Dipnoi there is a second, posterior median plate while others have two pairs of gulars lateral to the median plate, and in Latimeria, Polypterus and Calamoichthys there is a median plate and a lateral plate on each side).

basic diet = foods which provide the elementary nutritional requirements to assure normal development. Compare balanced diet.

basic rank = basal rank.

basic slag = artificial fertiliser containing phosphate; obtained as a by-product of the steel manufacturing process.

basic type = the primary type, q.v., of a taxon, e.g. a holotype, cotype, lectotype, neotype or paratype.

basicaudal = on the base of the caudal fin.

basicaudal spot = a spot on the base of the caudal fin, common in many unrelated fish species.

basicrania = plural of basicranium.

basicranial fenestra = a large opening in the oticoccipital area below the notochord, e.g. in Sarcopterygii.

basicranium (plural basicrania) = the base of the braincase, usually composed of parts of the basioccipital, basisphenoid and otic capsule.

basidorsal = the cartilage structure above a vertebral centrum, forming the side walls of the neural canal between the interdorsals.

basihyal = the cartilage supporting the tongue at the anterior end of the hyal series in Elasmobranchii. It is the anteriormost median endochondral bone of the basibranchial series, joining both branches of the hyoid series and forming the tongue skeleton in Teleostei. Dorsally is may have a dermal tooth plate called the glossohyal. The basihyal does not always ossify, e.g. in Salmonidae. Also called basihyobranchial and dermal basihyal.

basihyal dental plate = lingual plate (a dermal toothed bone covering and sometimes fusing with the basihyal, e.g. in Osteoglossidae. Also called glossohyal, dermentoglossum, entoglossum, os entoglossum, supralingual or basihyal dental plate).

basihyobranchial = basihyal.

basil = a herb used in fish dishes.

basin = 1) that part of a watershed that slopes towards a common low-lying area where all surface and subsurface water drains, i.e. an area drained by a river and its tributaries.

basin = 2) a vessel less deep than wide as used in aquaculture for holding fishes.

basin = 3) a harbour for small craft.

basin = 4) a hollow containing water, either natural or artificial.

basin = 5) any large depression in which sediments are deposited.

basioccipital = the deep, median, endochondral bone at the posterior end of the parasphenoid on the ventral side of the posterior end of the skull. The bone with which the anterior-most vertebra articulates, it also forms the ventral part of the foramen magnum. In Cyprinidae it bears a posterior expansion forming the pharyngeal process.

basinym = basionym.

basionym = the original name of a taxon subsequently replaced by another using the same stem, as a result of a change in rank or position of the taxon. Also called basinym or basonym.

basipharyngeal joint = a protuberance on the top of the upper pharyngeal jaw meeting the bottom of the skull in Cichlidae.

basipterygia = plural of basipterygium.

basipterygium (plural basipterygia) = one of the endochondral fused radials or pterygiophores at the base of a fin, particularly the pelvics. The two chondral basipterygia of the pelvic fin meet anteriorly at the pubic symphysis to form the pelvic girdle. The body of the bone is called the pubic plate and bears an acetabular facet for articulation of the fin rays or the radial bones. An anterior process is known as the pubic process, a middle as the iliac process and a posterior as the ischial process. Also called basalia or pelvic bone. It articulates with the antimere, q.v., the corresponding bone on the opposite side.

basis cranii = the shelf formed by wings of bone developed from the inner sides of the prootics which meet and form a roof to the myodome and a floor to the brain cavity.

basis species = any species or group of species open to directed fishing by an authorised vessel.

basisphenoid = the small, Y-shaped, deep, endochondral cranial bone ventrally covered by the parasphenoid and medial to the pterosphenoids forming part of the floor of the neurocranium and the base of the posterior myodome. The bone ossifies from the medial belophragm and two lateral meningosts that form the wings. It is cartilaginous in Ostariophysi and lost in, e.g., Gadidae.

basiventral = the cartilaginous elements on the underside of the vertebral centra which enclose the haemal canal in Elasmobranchii and Holocephali.

basket = 1) a device to catch fish moving in a stream; made of wickerwork or wooden slats and usually trapping downstream migrants.

basket = 2) keepnet (a net lacking knots and supported with plastic or metal hoops, designed to hold fish caught by angling, usually in contests so the fish can later be weighed and released, or to keep fish fresh before transport and eating).

basket = 3) a basket used for carrying fish; a creel.

basket trap = a barrel-shaped trap, variously made of bamboo, wood, vines or wire netting, with funnel openings in series used to capture fishes.

basking = lying near the surface, usually with the dorsal and caudal fins exposed.

basnig = a type of lift-net suspended from a boat. Used in the Philippines, for example, where fish are attracted by a light over the spot where the lift-net is pre-positioned. See also stick-held dip-net.

basolateral = sides and base of a structure. In gills, refers to the sides not in contact with water.

basonym = basionym.

basophilous = thriving in alkaline habitats.

bass = 1) a common name for various, unrelated fishes including various large marine species (e.g. sea basses, Serranidae, temperate basses, Moronidae) and the more familiar sport fishes in North American fresh waters (Micropterus spp., Centrarchidae). Bass is derived from an Old English word.

bass = 2) a basket for carrying fish (Scottish dialect).

bass = 3) a fifth of a gallon of liquor in a large glass (used on U. S. campuses, the fish name used to indicate the large size of the glass).

bass boat = a boat designed for bass fishing (Micropterus spp.). Has a large outboard motor, livewells, electronic location gear, raised casting platform in the bow and sometimes in the stern, and an electric trolling motor.

bass bug = large floating flies made of deer hair and/or cork bodies used to catch North American freshwater basses.

bass bug taper = a weight forward floating fly line with a short front taper and a short but thick belly so that bass bugs can turn over (straighten out).

bassalian = deep-sea.

bassel = bassle.

bassle = to splash or make quick movements as a fish on the water surface or in the bottom of a boat (Scottish dialect). Also spelled bassel or basel.

bastard = 1) small cod not large enough for commercial sale in Newfoundland.

bastard = 2) hybrid (from French and German).

bastard = 3) resembling a known kind or species but not truly such.

bat = a fishery on the Tweed River, so-named because the nets are hauled up on stones or bats as the bank is too high, e.g. Bailiffs bat, Davie's bat, etc.

batch = the quantity of fishery products processed under similar conditions over a distinct time period, always less than a day.

batch culture = a system for rearing animals and/or plants which involves the total harvest of the product by netting, draining or both, after a set period of time.

batch fecundity = number of viable eggs usually released by a batch spawner in one spawning.

batch spawner = a fish which sheds eggs more than once through a spawning season rather than within a short period (a fractional spawner).

bateau = a small, flat-bottomed boat squared off at each end with a lug sail (Newfoundland and Labrador).

bated = fish in good condition, plump, full of roe (English dialect).

Batesian mimicry = the condition where a rare and harmless species (the mimic) closely resembles a common and distasteful species (the model) and thus escapes being eaten as it deceives a predator (the operator).

bath = 1) bath treatment.

bath = 2) immersion in boiling water to cook and preserve canned fish.

bath treatment = diseased or parasitised fishes may be treated by immersion in a solution or in an aquarium having various concentrations of chemicals.

bathile = pertaining to the floor of a lake more than 25 metres below the surface.

bathometer = an instrument used to measure water depth.

bathyal = pertaining to or living on the sea floor at a depth range of 200-4000 metres, on the continental slope and rise. Other sources state 183-1830 m, 1000-4000 m, 200-3700 m or 100-1000 fathoms.

bathyal zone = the seafloor at bathyal depths.

bathybic = pertaining to life on the deep sea floor.

bathydemersal = living and feeding on the bottom below 200 m.

bathylimnetic = pertaining to the deep waters of a lake.

bathymetric chart = a map of a water body showing depth contour lines.

bathymetry = the measurement of depth and relief in a water body.

bathypelagic = pertaining to the mid-waters below the level of light penetration between depths of 2000 and 4000 metres (or 900-3700m, 1000-6000 m, 1000-4000 m or 1000-2500 m, sources differ), e.g. Cyclothone microdon, Argyropelecus aculeatus and Gastrostomus bairdi are bathypelagic.

bathypelagic zone = the pelagic environment at bathypelagic depths.

bathyscaphe = a crewed, deep-sea diving chamber capable of descending to 10 km. Equipped with lights, observation ports and gear to collect specimens including fish.

bathysmal = pertaining to great ocean depths.

bathysphere = a spherical deep-sea diving structure capable of descending to about 900 m, now replaced by the bathyscaphe which is safer, more manoeuvrable and dives deeper.

bati = an cup in India used to measure carp fry or spawn, usually about 130-170 c.c., and containing up to a million eggs.

batings = the upper part of a trawl corresponding to the belly on the lower part. Also called baitings.

batteau = bateau.

batter = a mixture of dry ingredients such as flours or starches and water in a ratio suitable for coating seafood.

batter-coated fish = a prepared fish product, in the form of sticks or portions, coated with batter made from cereal products, a leavening agent and flavouring and partially cooked in hot oil to expand and set the batter. Also called batter-dipped and batter-fried.

batter-dipped = batter-coated fish.

batter-fried = batter-coated fish.

battered = fish product covered in a liquid mixture, usually egg and flour. This is usually partly cooked (pre-cooked) to set the batter in place before freezing.

battery = a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for barracuda.

Battle of Herrings = a skirmish at Rouvray during the Hundred Years' War in 1429 over about 500 cartloads of herring under the command of Sir John Fastoff (probably a model for Shakespeare's Falstaff) the Duke of Bedford was sending to the army of the Duke of Suffolk besieging Orleans. The attack was beaten off by using the barrels as a barricade.

batty = a large catch of cod (Newfoundland).

Baudelot's ligament = a ligament connecting the upper end of the pectoral girdle with the first vertebra or the posterior end of the cranium. May be ossified and may be homologous with a first rib.

Bauhini's valve = a ring-shaped structure, the valvula Bauhini, sometimes found between the mid-gut and the hind-gut.

bauk = baulk.

baulk = a row of salmon fishermen with halve nets (q.v.) (Scottish dialect).

baulk net = a net that swings up to let fish in during the flood tide and then down as the tide ebbs, catching the fish.

baulker = balker.

Baumé = a scale in degrees named for Antoine Baumé, used for measuring density in liquids, e.g. in brines used for preserving fish, 22ºBé equals 100% saturation. For liquids heavier than water, to convert from °Bé to specific gravity at 60°Fahrenheit, specific gravity = 145/(145-°Bé). Note that the Baumé scale also measures liquids lighter than water and the two scales do not overlap - 22ºBé (heavy) is not the same as 22ºBé (light).

bauplan (German) = a hypothetical, ancestral base plan for developmental patterning of the embryo.

bawb = to fish for salmon with a bob net (Berwick dialect).

bawb net = bob net.

bawber = one who fishes with an illegal bob-net, a salmon poacher (Berwick dialect).

bawley = a small fishing smack used on the coasts of Kent and Essex, generally about 15-20 tons, and no boom to the mainsail which is consequently easily brailed-up when working the trawl nets. Bawley's have a wet well to keep fish alive.

bawn = an area of beach rocks used for drying fish in Newfoundland. See also flake.

bay = a large and wide indentation in the shore of a lake or sea, larger than a cove, smaller than a bight or gulf.

bay price = the price paid for fish by a local outport merchant in Newfoundland.

Bayesian method = data analysed statistically with expert knowledge and beliefs. Bayesian methods make explicit use of probability for quantifying uncertainty. Bayesian methods are particularly useful for making decision analyses.

bayheads = fish livers and oatmeal (Scottish dialect).

baymouth bar = a bar extending partly or wholly across the mouth of a bay.

bayou = a term used in the southeastern U.S.A. for a bay, river channel, backwater, oxbow lake, creeks, marshy lakes, estuarial creek, lagoon, etc. characterised by sluggish or stagnant water, usually a secondary watercourse.

BC = 1) B.C. or before Christ. Used to designate years before the birth of Christ. Used in scientific dating for relatively recent events, e.g. fish remains in sub-fossil sites. Note there was no year 0.

BC = 2) abbreviation for buoyancy compensator.

BCD = abbreviation for buoyancy control device.

BCE = before the common era. Used to designate years before the birth of Christ in a non-Christian countries. Used in scientific dating for relatively recent events, e.g. fish remains in sub-fossil sites. Note there was no year 0.

beach = a sloped sediment shoreline composed of mud, sand, gravel, cobble or boulders, sometimes with beach rock.

beach boy = a boy employed at a fishing station to assist in curing fish on the stone beaches.

beach crest = the point at the limit of high tide storm wave run-up.

beach face = that part of a beach exposed to the action of wave uprush.

beach price = cost of fish at the landing point, not taking account of any transportation, handling or processing cost.

beach scarp = an almost perpendicular slope on the beach foreshore caused by the erosional action of waves.

beach seine = a net used to encircle fish in shallow water; usually operated by two people wading out from shore, the net has lead weights to keep the bottom on the sea floor and floats to keep the top of the net at or near the surface; there may be a bag extending back from the centre of the nets length to increase capture efficiency. The seine may be set from a boat but hauled in from the land. Also called shore seine, drag seine, draw net, haul seine, yard seine and sweep net.

beachmaster = a person responsible for curing and drying fish on shore in Newfoundland. Also called shoreman.

bead = small plastic or rubber balls with a hole through the centre used in angling for buffering lead weights and other structures in rigs, protecting knots, and to enhance noise in rigs.

beaded stream = a series of small pools connected by short segments of stream.

beadhead = a fly with a bead immediately behind the hook eye, helping the fly sink or float depending on the type of bead. Made of ceramic, brass, etc.

beak = the structure formed from teeth which are fused in the form of a beak, e.g. incisiform teeth in Scaridae used to detach coral pieces as food; in puffers upper and lower jaw teeth have a median suture, hence Tetraodontidae.

beam trawl = a trawl with short wings and a head rope attached to a metal or wooden beam 4-12 m long. The beam keeps the net open horizontally while metal frames on each end of the beam keep the net open vertically. The beam has metal runners to support it off the sea floor and the tapering bag net drags over the bottom. These trawls may have tickler chains to disturb the fish so the net does not ride over them. Experimental electrified ticklers have been developed to be less damaging to the sea bed. Beam trawls are used mainly for flatfish (and shrimp).

beam trawler = a vessel operating a beam trawl.

beard = barbels (archaic).

beat = 1) an area of waterside bank on either a river or lake, that is allocated to one or more fishermen for their exclusive use over a time period.

beat = 2) beet.

Beaufort wind scale = ranges of wind speeds which are reported as nautical miles per hour in marine weather forecasts while general weather forecasts report wind speeds in kilometres per hour. Beaufort values 13 to 17 have wind speeds in knots at 72-80, 81-89, 90-99, 100-109 and 110-118 without any verbal descriptions of sea conditions:-

Beaufort scale	State of air	Wind speed (knots)	Wind speed (km/h)	Sea conditions
0	Calm	0-1	0-1	Like a mirror
1	Light airs	1-3	1-5	Ripples
2	Light breeze	4-6	6-11	Small wavelets
3	Gentle breeze	7-10	12-19	Large wavelets, crests begin to break
4	Moderate breeze	11-16	20-29	Small waves, fairly frequent whitecaps
5	Fresh breeze	17-21	30-39	Moderate waves, many whitecaps
6	Strong breeze	22-27	40-50	Large waves begin to form, white foam crests more extensive every-where
7	Near gale	28-33	51-61	Sea heaps up, white foam from breaking waves blown in streaks along direction of wind
8	Fresh gale	34-40	62-74	Moderately high waves of greater length, edges of crests break into spin-drift, foam blown in well-marked streaks along direction of wind
9	Strong gale	41-47	75-86	High waves, dense streaks of foam blown along direction of wind, crests of waves begin to topple, tumble and roll over, spray may affect visibility
10	Whole gale	48-55	87-100	Very high waves with long overhanging crests, foam in great patches blown in dense white streaks along direction of wind, surface on the whole becomes white, tumbling of the sea becomes heavy and shock-like, visibility affected
11	Storm	56-63	101-117	Exceptionally high waves, small and medium-sized vessels may be lost to view for long periods, sea completely covered with long white patches of foam along direction of wind, everywhere the edges of wave crests are blown into froth, visibility affected
12	Hurricane	>63	>117	Air filled with foam and spray, sea completely white with driving spray, visibility very seriously affected

beaver fish tail = the 17th century concept that the tail of a beaver was fish-like and therefore beavers were fish and edible on Roman Catholic meat fasting days. First raised by the Bishop of Québec. See also beaver tail and capybara.

beaver pond = water backed up by a beaver dam, forming a habitat for fishes or obliterating a stream habitat and so causing loss of fish diversity.

beaver tail = the tail of the beaver was classified as fish in the Middle Ages, giving rise to the riddle "What swims like a fish, tastes like a fish, is a fish, and yet is not a fish?".

beck = a small stream, often in a mountainous area, with a stony bed and/or a rugged course (Viking).

beckett == a tough piece of cord by fastening the hook to the snood in fishing for conger eels (Kent dialect).

bed = 1) the bottom of a water body.

bed = 2) a circular area on the bottom of a lake or river cleaned out by fish for spawning, e.g. various sunfishes and basses (Centrarchidae).

bed = 3) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for eels.

bedding-in = line on a reel becoming trapped under coils of line already wound onto the spool.

bedform roughness = a measure of the irregularity of a streambed.

bedrock = a water bottom formed of unbroken rock strata.

beef of the sea = dried and salted cod.

beel = a small and shallow lake, seasonal or permanent (India).

beelerin' = a burn alive with trout (Scottish dialect).

been jal = a bag net set in a tidal current, supported by bamboo poles and with float supported lateral wings (India).

beet = mending the broken meshes of a net (Cornish dialect).

beeter = a woman who mends nets (Cornish dialect).

beetster = beeter.

before present = conventionally before 1950 A.D. Abbreviated as B.P.

behaviorotype = a joke term in nomenclature for the type of a taxon distinguished only by behavioural characters.

behead = removing the head of a fish.

beheaded stream = the lower part of a stream that has lost its upper part through diversion or stream capture.

behind = the position of a structure relative to another along the horizontal axis, e.g. a fin rearward of another fin. Not to be confused with beneath (underneath).

beikat = bykat.

bekko = ornamental carp or koi (q.v.), having black markings on a coloured fish.

beko disease = a microsporean infection in fish muscles.

belche = a line used in salmon fishing in the Severn River, England. It is used to pull up and close the net.

bell = gas bladder (a thin membranous, sometimes alveolated sac in the dorsal portion of the abdominal cavity. Contains a varying mixture of gases, not identical to the composition of air. May be one, two or three chambered. May be connected to the gut by a tube, the ductus pneumaticus (then called physostomous) or unconnected (then called physoclistous). May function as one or more of:- hydrostatic organ, sound producing organ, or, respiratory organ. Found in Actinopterygii. Often lacking in bottom fishes. Sometimes called swim bladder or air bladder, less appropriate terms).

bell buoy = a buoy equipped with a bell that sounds out with wave action.

bell sinker = a weight or sinker shaped like a bell. Also called casting sinker.

bellweather species = indicator species (a fish species whose status provides information on the overall condition of the ecosystem and of other species in that ecosystem; fish that are sensitive to environmental conditions and which can therefore be used to assess environmental quality).

belly = 1) the abdomen of a fish.

belly = 2) the bottom part of a trawl that drags along the sea bed.

belly = 3) the middle, constant diameter part of a tapered fly fishing line.

belly bloom = a ruptured belly wall in a fish that has severe belly burn.

belly boat = essentially a tube with a seat on which the angler sits, feet dangling in the water. The angler can fish in deep water and use scuba fins to move around.

belly burn = 1) damage to a fish abdomen through gut enzymes, especially seen in pelagic species.

belly burn = 2) a commercial measure of belly burn, from slight (not more than 25% of the belly wall affected and no part uncured), through moderate to high (over 50%, holes may be present, but not more than 10% of the belly uncured).

belly burst = perforation of the belly wall by action of gut enzymes; seen in fish that had been feeding and enzyme action was active before capture.

belly fin = pelvic fin (the paired fin which is located posterior, ventral or anterior to the pectoral fins (abdominal, thoracic or jugular in position). Also called ischiopterygium. It functions to steer, brake and propel the fish and acts as a keel. In the pelvic fin ray count usually all the rays are counted except a small ray preceding the first ray and usually bound so closely to it so as with reduced pelvics, the spine and the first ray may be bound together by a membrane and appear as one; both are counted, e.g. in Cottidae. Abbreviated as P2 or V).

belly flap = a loose piece of skin and flesh hanging from fish ribs in fish preparation. May be used for fat storage in some fishes.

belly line = a support and strengthening rope on each side of a trawl along the whole length of the belly.

belly sliding = an abnormal condition in a swimbladder that prevents the fish holding position in the water. Fish fry show thing this condition slide or hop along on their bellies and death results within a few days.

belly strip = a strip of meat taken from the belly of a bait fish. This strip can be trolled behind a boat and its fluttering attracts fish.

belophragm = the median ossification of the basisphenoid.

ben = silvery spring salmon of about 8 lbs in the Scottish Solway commanding a high price on the London market.

bench curing = dry salting (fish cured by stacking split fish between layers of salt so that they drain freely).

bench mark = a mark affixed to a permanent object to furnish a datum level, e.g. in tidal observations, river levels.

bend = 1) the curved portion of a hook, q.v. Also called shape.

bend = 2) an old word for a hook.

bend = 3) a sudden turn in the course of a water body, particularly a river.

bend = 4) to tie an artificial fly onto a hook.

bending-in = an old tradition at Brighton at the beginning of the mackerel-fishing season when a meal of bread and cheese is provided by the fishermen on the beach for all-comers.

bends = gas bubble disease (supersaturated gases (>125%) in water entering the the body fluids of fish causing bubbles, an embolism). Also called Caisson's disease or decompression sickness.

beneath = placement of one structural part of a fish underneath another, cf. behind.

Benson = a 29 kg common carp, Cyprinus carpio, who lived in a Cambridgeshire lake in England until her death in 2009. Voted "Britain's Favourite Carp" in 2005 by readers of the Anglers Mail, this largest carp in Britain had been caught by anglers more than 60 times. The fish was named for a hole in her dorsal fin likened to a cigarette burn. A companion fish, Hedges, stocked with Benson in 1995, escaped to the River Nene during a flood in 1998.

benthic = bottom-dwelling, pertaining to the sea, lake or river bed.

benthic cruising = the feeding mode of sturgeons, swimming over the bottom and sucking up food organisms with an everted mouth.

benthic pump = a deep-water upwelling that brings nutrient-rich water from the deep ocean to fertilise surface waters where phytoplankton, the basis of the marine food chain, thrive.

benthic-pelagic coupling = the cycling of nutrients between bottom sediments and the overlying water column.

benthivore = feeding on bottom-dwelling organisms.

benthon = a benthic organism.

benthonic = adjective from benthon. May be misused for benthic.

benthopelagic = pertaining to forms which hover or swim just over the floor of the sea, e.g. Halosauridae, Macrouridae, Moridae, Brotulidae; the depth zone about 100 metres off the bottom at all depths below the edge of the continental shelf.

benthophagy = feeding on benthos.

benthopotamos = living on the bed of a river or stream.

benthos = 1) organisms which live on the bottom of a water body, in it or near it.

benthos = 2) the bottom of a body of water including the sediment.

bentonite = a very fine clay often used to seal ponds.

benzoic acid = a food additive used to inhibit microorganism growth; restricted in use but is added to dried fish.

ber jal = a large seine net operated from boast on the Ganges River of India.

berg = an iceberg, a large piece of floating ice.

bergy bit = an iceberg the size of a house.

berley = any animal or plant matter spread in water to attract fish; groundbait (food used as an attractant for fish in angling. Bread crumbs is the most common base and a wide variety of additives and flavours are mixed in with anglers having their own recipes. Flavours can be sweet, spicy or fishmeal, for example). Also spelled burley in error.

Berlin method = a biological filtration for aquaria developed in Berlin and using live rock, q.v., a protein skimmer, q.v. and powerful water circulation.

Berlin system = Berlin method.

berm = a natural or artificial levee (an embankment constructed to prevent a river from overflowing, or to contain a farm pond, or a natural embankment formed by sediment deposit during flooding).

Berners, Dame Juliana = reputed author of "A Treatyse of Fysshynge with an Angle" from "The Boke of St. Albans" in 1496, the first evidence of fishing as a sport and the first literary treatment.

bernfisk = dried cod or ling used for preparing lutefisk (q.v.).

bernjoggel = a wooden fishing hook (Shetland Isles dialect).

berried = having berries (1).

berries = 1) sturgeon eggs as caviar. Also used for crustaceans.

berries = 2) salmon egg clusters enclosed in a mesh and used as bait in angling. When fresh, the egg cluster has a milky exudate that helps attract fish.

berry = one of the eggs of a fish or a crustacean.

berry fish = a cod with berry-like growth on the gills (Newfoundland).

berth (noun) = 1) a station on the fishing grounds assigned by custom or lot to a vessel, boat, crew or family (Newfoundland).

berth (verb) = 2) to place a fish net or trap in an inshore fishing station (Newfoundland).

Bervie cure = an old means of curing fish; split, brined fish heavily smoked with peat and partly decayed sphagnum moss which flamed up and cooked the fish. The product was a dirty blackish brown.

Berwick sauce = the water in which a salmon has been boiled, served as a sauce. Also called Dover sauce.

beryciform foramen = an opening in the ceratohyal of uncertain function in Beryciformes, sometimes reduced to a notch on the dorsal margin.

best fish swim near the bottom = valuable items are not obtained without trouble (slang). Some of the more tasty and desirable fish, like sole, are bottom swimmers.

bester = a hybrid between beluga (Huso huso) and sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), a large but early maturing fish of potential use in aquaculture.

besting it = going to sea when the weather looks threatening, not setting out nets, and waiting to see whether the sky will clear or not (British dialect).

beta globulin = a blood plasma protein making up most fish immunoglobulins.

beta taxonomy = the process of arranging taxa into higher categories which reflect the evolutionary history of a group of organisms; phylogenetic reconstruction.

Bethsaida = the name of two villages, one on the western, one on the eastern, side of the Sea of Galilee, meaning "house of fish".

better = beeter.

better than a slap in the face with a wet kipper = a situation that could be considerably worse and hence one should be grateful.

Beukel, William = a fourteenth century Dutchman reputedly the first to pickle fish, hence pickle from his name (unlikely as pekel exists in medieval Dutch). Also spelled Bukelz and Beukelsen.

Beverton-Holt stock-recruitment model = a particular stock-recruitment formulation in which recruitment reaches an asymptote as stock size becomes very large.

bhasa-bada fishery = embanked saltwater marshes in India equipped with sluices to trap fish for growth and harvesting.

bheri fish culture = culture of fish on a land area enclosed by dwarf dykes allowing tidal water and juvenile fish to enter (Bangladesh).

biapocrisis = how an organism responds to what it faces where it lives. Responses include reproducing, growing, moving, surviving, or not.

bi- (prefix) = two, twice or double.

bi-fly = any fly in angling which can be fished wet or dry.

bi-nomenclature = binominal nomenclature.

biannual = occurring twice a year. Compare biennial.

biasotype = a joke term in nomenclature for the type of a taxon determined only by a detailed statistical analysis of a small sample.

bibliographic error = in nomenclature, an error in the citation of the place of publication of a scientific name, e.g. page number.

bibliographic reference = the citation of the author's name and date of publication for a scientific name.

bibliography = an exhaustive list of references on any topic.

bicentric distribution = the presence of a taxon in two widely separated geographic areas.

bicht = bucht.

bichter = bighter.

bicolour = two-coloured.

bicuspid = with two points or cusps, usually applied to teeth.

bid = the end of the line or gut to which the hook is attached in fly-fishing (Shetland Isles).

bident = a fish spear with two prongs. The trident is more familiar.

biennial = occurring every two years, lasting two years. Compare biannual.

bifid = divided in two, e.g. a forked preopercular spine.

bifurcate = divided in two, forked.

bifurcation = a node in a tree connecting three branches. If one branch is directed or rooted, then one branch represents an ancestral lineage and the other two branches are descendent lineages. Also called dichotomy.

big fish = 1) a large fish.

big fish = 2) an important or influential person.

Big Fish = 3) a movie released in 2003, directed by Tim Burton, starring Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney. Based on the novel Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions by Daniel Wallace.

big fish day = a successful day of fishing for cod in Newfoundland.

big fish eat little fish = a proverb and the subject of a painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1556.

big fish in a small pond = having a lot of influence over a small area.

bigd = a fishing lodge or stone huts in which fishermen lived during summer in the Shetlands (dialect).

big-game fishing = catching large marine fish for sport from a boat using a variety of heavy tackle.

big-game reel = any fishing reel that is large and made for marine trolling.

bigg = a fishing lodge (Shetland Isles dialect).

bigger fish to fry = something better or more important to do.

bight = 1) an indentation of the coast forming a large open bay.

bight = 2) the part of a line between the end and the standing part on which a knot is formed.

bight = 3) bucht.

bighter = the small stone attached to fishing lines to keep them down under water (Scottish islands dialect). Also spelled bichter.

bike seat = butt seat.

bilaterally symmetrical = capable of being halved in one plane such that the two halves are mirror images. All vertebrates, including fish, show this symmetry. Useful in that damage to structures of interest on one side need not make them inaccessible, e.g. scale counts.

bile house = boil house.

bilge water = water that collects in the bottom of a ship. Important in transportation of fish species into new localities where such exotic species may have devastating effects on native species.

bilgy fish = a foul smelling fish caused by rapid growth of anaerobic bacteria. Occurs when fish are stored under conditions where air is excluded, e.g. pressed against the side of a warm container. Also called stinker.

bill = 1) rostrum (a snout-like extension of the head).

bill = 2) the wages or share of the profit of a fishing voyage paid to men after deduction of expenses (Newfoundland).

billabong = an isolated pool, a stream filled with water only in the rainy season, or a backwater (Australia).

billfish = a general term for those fishes having a bill, e.g. swordfishes, Xiphiidae.

Billingsgate Fish Market = the famous London fish market, in the nineteenth century the largest in the world.

Billingsgate language = foul or abusive language from Billingsgate, where the notorious fishwomen assemble to purchase fish.

Billingsgate pheasant = a red herring (the fish, at the Market).

billy-tub = a cut down barrel used for housing trawls or bait (Newfoundland).

bilobate = two-lobed; with two rounded projecting parts.

bilobed = divided into two lobes.

bilocular muscular stomach = a special stomach characterised by the presence of a large aponeurosis (flat tendon) at the bend of the stomach, the centrum tendineum. In this type of stomach the lesser curvature is usually considerably expanded and can no longer be designated as an angulus or fold. The musculature (mm. laterales (ventriculi)) radiates out fan-like from both sides of the centrum tendineum, producing two thick swellings and giving the whole structure the form of a laterally flattened egg, e.g. in Mormyridae.

bim = a grade of dried and salted cod shipped to the West Indies from Newfoundland.

bim fish = bim.

bimaxillary = premaxilla (one of the paired, superficial, usually toothed, dermal bones of the upper jaw, proximal or anterior to the maxillaries; in primitive Teleostomi they comprise the middle, in more advanced forms they may comprise the whole, of the oral edge of the upper jaw. Teeth may be present. In Diodontidae, the premaxillae are ankylosed and form a single bone. Absent in Chondrostei. In Holostei (Lepisosteus and Amia) the bone has two ossification centres and therefore is a double bone. Holostei and Teleostei have an ascending process anteriorly but these may not be homologous. Posterior to the ascending process in Teleostei there may be an articular and a postmaxillary process, and a posterior extension, the caudal process. Also called premaxillary, surmaxillary, or intermaxillary).

Bimini twist = a knot used in offshore trolling and double-line leaders. It forms a long loop of line stronger than the line itself for protection against abrasion. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

bin = a large compartment in a vessel for holding fish.

binary diet = dry ingredients, minced fish and fish oil prepared daily at a fish farm.

binary name = binomial name.

binary nomenclature = binominal nomenclature.

bind = 1) a quantity of 250 eels in 13th to 16th century England. Ten stikes makes a bind (each stike or stick being 25 eels). Also used for other fish such as salmon. Also spelled binn.

bind = 2) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for eels.

bind = 3) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for salmon.

binder = a substance in fish feed used to hold the constituents together.

bined = a fifteenth century word for dressing sole (preparing this fish for consumption), no longer in use.

binn = bind (1).

binner = the person who catches fish by binning.

binnick = a small fish (English dialect).

binning = a method of catching trout by hitting rocks in a stream with a sledge hammer. This stuns the fish and enables the fisher to pick them up.

binomen = the combination of a generic (first word with its initial letter capitalised) and a specific name (second word, always lower case) which together constitute the scientific name of a species; any interpolated names are not counted as components of a binomen. Also called binomial name.

binomina = plural of binomen.

binominal = having two scientific names.

binomial name = binomen.

binomial nomenclature = the system of nomenclature in which a species, but no taxon or any other rank, is denoted by a combination of two names.

binoro = small fishes brined, drained and packed in dry salt (Philippines).

bio- (prefix) = life.

bio-ball = a plastic ball used as a filter medium in aquaria; a colony of bacteria on these balls act as a biological filter. Balls have the largest surface area for bacterial colonisation and filtering effect.

bio-economic equilibrium = the simultaneous biological and economic equilibrium in a fishery. In a single stock model, the biological equilibrium condition is that the rate of change of the stock be zero. The economic equilibrium condition is that there be no change in fishing effort. The driving force of effort is profit (or loss). In an open access fishery, the bio-economic equilibrium is given at an effort level where profit is zero and total fishing cost is equal to total revenue.

bio-economic modelling = a model establishing functional relationships between specific characteristics of the fishery resource and the activities of mankind to make use of such resource. It facilitates management decisions. As an abstraction from reality, the validity of a bio-economic model depends on the explicit or implicit assumptions about the biological and human processes it represents.

bioaccumulation = the concentration of toxic compounds in water through the food chain. As fish are often the final link in the chain, they may accumulate levels of chemicals in their flesh that are harmful to them and to humans. Even non-fatal levels may affect behaviour, growth and reproduction.

bioassay = 1) the use of an organism for assay purposes.

bioassay = 2) any quantitative biological analysis.

bioavailable = that part of a chemical contaminant in water, sediment, suspended matter or food which is in a form that can be taken up by a fish.

biocenose = the balanced association of animals and plants in a biotope, a natural assemblage; strictly the animal and plant associations excluding the physical aspects of the environment and so not the same as ecosystem. Also spelled biocoenose. Also called biocoen, biocoenosis or life assemblage.

biochemical oxygen demand = biological oxygen demand.

biochore = a group of similar biotopes.

biochrome = a type of chromatophore with natural pigments producing colours chemically, cf. schematochrome.

biocide = a chemical lethal or toxic to living organisms.

biocoen = biocenose.

biocoenosis = biocenose.

bioconcentration = the net accumulation of a chemical in tissues of a fish to levels greater than in the surrounding medium. This seems to be identical with bioaccumulation; the various definitions of both these terms being similar or different depending on the source - bioaccumulation may not involve the food chain in some definitions for example.

biodiversity = the variety and variability of living material in a given area (terrestrial and aquatic) in terms of genes, species and ecosystems. Also called biological diversity.

biodiversity hot spot = an area with an exceptional number of species including many endemics. See also hotspot.

bioencapsulation = the process of incorporating nutrients or medicines into living organism that can then be fed to the target fish, e.g. polyunsaturated fatty acids, important in early larval development, can be encapsulated in rotifers for feeding to marine fish larvae.

bioenergetics = the study of energy flow through ecosystems.

biofilm = 1) in the aquarium, a slimy and thin layer produced and inhabited by bacteria which carry out certain biochemical processes essential to the nitrogen cycle, q.v.

biofilm = 2) in the natural environment, aufwuchs (organisms and detritus coating rocks and plants in an aquatic environment often fed on by fish specialised as scrapers).

biogenic = changes in the environment caused by activities of living organisms.

biogenic amines = a type of amine formed from decarboxylation of amino acids in spoiled fish by the action of bacteria at temperatures above 10°C. Includes histamine (from histidine), cadaverine (from lysine), putrescine (from arginine), agmatine, spermine, spermidine and tyramine. Histamine causes scombrotoxism, q.v.

biogeographic province = a geographic area having unique physical and biological properties that affect the spatial distribution of organisms and their habitat.

biogeography = 1) the distribution of species defined by abiotic factors such as salinity, temperature, currents, etc.

biogeography = 2) the distribution of organisms defined by historical events such as migration, extinction, speciation, etc.

bioload = decaying algae, plants, fish food and excreta, etc that increase nitrites and ammonia in a fish pond.

biological diversity = the variety and variability of living material in a given area (terrestrial and aquatic) in terms of genes, species and ecosystems. Also called biodiversity.

biological filtration = aquarium filters using bacteria to break down wastes via the nitrogen cycle, q.v., into materials less toxic to fish.

biological fishery resource = a resource of value to fisheries.

biological indicator = a fish whose presence in a water body is indicative of certain environmental conditions.

biological integrity = the capability of supporting and maintaining a balanced, integrated and adaptive community of organisms. The community is one that a natural habitat of a region would support.

biological interaction = an interaction between species or stocks resulting from direct predation or competition for food or space, or both. Fishing will have strong impacts on other associated or dependent species.

biological loading = the burden placed on an aquarium ecosystem by the fish inhabiting it. A high loading means the equilibrium is more easily disturbed. Factors include physical space for fishes, surface area (and thence oxygen), the space available to nitrifying bacteria (see nitrate poisoning), etc.

biological noise = noise produced by living organisms such as fish.

biological overfishing = fishing levels higher than those required for extracting the maximum sustainable yield of a resource and when recruitment starts to decrease statistically. Spawning potential and stock biomass is below safe levels.

biological oxygen demand = a measure of the quantity of oxygen needed to incorporate or oxidise organic waste material into the environment or a measure of oxygen consumption over a fixed time period. A high demand will restrict the fish fauna. Abbreviated as BOD.

biological reference point = a fishing mortality rate or biomass that may provide acceptable protection against growth overfishing and/or recruitment overfishing for a particular stock. It is usually calculated from equilibrium yield-per-recruit curves, spawning stock biomass-per-recruit curves and stock recruitment data. Target reference points represent a desired level of fishing mortality or biomass while limit reference points represent either an upper boundary to the fishing mortality or a lower boundary of the biomass. Examples are F_0.1, F_MSY, F_max and F_med.

biological species = a species differing negligibly in morphology but remaining distinct because of ecological, physiological or ethological factors.

biological survey = collecting, cataloguing, processing and analysing a representative portion of the resident aquatic community to determine its structural and/or functional characteristics or the biodiversity.

biologically acceptable limit = value of a critical biological indicator, e.g. spawning biomass, considered as the limit below which the stock sustainability cannot be ensured, or below which the probability of a negative outcome such as stock collapse is unacceptable. Also referred to as biologically safe limit.

biologically safe limit = biologically acceptable limit.

bioluminescence = light produced by an organism where chemical energy is transformed into light energy.

biomagnification (biological magnification) = a cumulative increase in the concentrations of a persistent substance in successively higher levels of the food chain; in aquatic environments fish are often the terminus of a food chain and have the most chemicals accumulated (PCBs may accumulate by a factor exceeding 250,000 that in water).

biomass = the weight, volume or energy of living material in a given area, sample, fraction such as spawners, stock or for one or more given species (species biomass), or of all the species in a biotic community (community biomass). In fisheries the weight of a fish stock or some defined part thereof; abbreviated as B. The biomass of a fishable stock (available to fishing gear) is the exploitable biomass.

biomass at MSY = the long-term average biomass value expected if fishing at F_MSY (the fishing mortality rate which, if applied constantly, would result in maximum sustainable yield. Can be estimated from simple biomass-aggregated production models or from age-structured models that include a stock-recruitment relationship). Abbreviated as B_MSY.

biomass set asides = a portion of a potential harvest set aside for some purpose other than being part of the catch. It is subtracted from the maximum sustainable yield to arrive at an allowable harvest. This reserved portion may be set aside as food for birds and marine mammals, for a trophy fishery, for research, etc.

biomass-weighted F = an estimate of fishing mortality in which F estimates for each age group are weighted by corresponding stock biomass at age. Used to make average F estimates from age structured assessments comparable to those obtained from surplus production modeling of all stock components.

biome = ecological regions as a result of complex interactions of climate, geology, soil type, water resources and latitude.

biometric index = the number of times a body parameter goes into standard or total length.

bionomics = the relation of an organism or a population to the environment and its organisms.

biophilia = a natural affinity for wildlife by humans.

bioregion = a region of the Earth with a distinctive environment and living organisms, for example a river catchment.

bioseston = the biological component of seston (particulate organic matter such as plankton, organic detritus and inorganic particles such as silt).

biospecies = a species in the sense of the biological species concept as a closed community of reproduction with a closed gene pool, i.e. reproductively isolated. Only applies to organisms that occur together at the same time and place and so does not permit assessment of allochronic and allopatric populations.

bioswale = landscaping designed to remove pollution and silt from surface runoff. The design allows maximum retention time for water to allow removal of pollution and silt and includes vegetation, compost and ripraps. May allow for some fish habitat.

biota = 1) all living organisms of a region.

biota = 2) as the adjective, influences caused by living organisms.

biotic = the adjective for biota.

biotic potential = the maximum rate that a population can increase when there are no limits on rate of growth.

biotin = a B-complex vitamin, a deficiency of which in fishes causes convulsions, reduced mucus production and blue slime disease.

biotope = an independent space of variable size with a unique ecology and environmental conditions necessary for survival of the species constituting the biocenose.

biotope aquarium = an aquarium set up to mimic or resemble a particular biotope, e.g. a blackwater pool.

biotoxin = a natural toxin or poison produced by fish and other organisms, often as a defensive measure. See also toxin, poisonous fishes and venomous fishes.

bioturbation = the disturbance and re-working of bottom sediments by organisms that nest, live in or feed in or on the sea bed.

biotype = a particular combination of parental genomes. Unisexual biotypes are given hyphenated names that reflect their hybrid origin, e.g. Poeciliopsis 2 monacha-lucida is a triploid with a monacha x lucida x monacha ancestry.

biotypus = a clone or all individuals in a pure line; an obsolete, non-nomenclatural term.

biozone = the zone capable of supporting life.

biparental = both parents raising young.

bipartite = having or consisting of two parts.

bipolar = 1) said of distributions that are discontinuous between the northern and southern hemispheres (not necessarily in the polar regions).

bipolar = 2) occurring in both the north and south polar, regions, but not in the intervening area, e.g. certain Gadidae, Cyclopteridae and Cottidae.

bipolar cell = a cell in the eye which transmits the information generated by photoreceptors to the inner retina, i.e. primarily the retinal ganglion cells.

birch drum = a cylindrical wooden container in which dried Newfoundland cod were packed for the trade with Brazil.

bird = a paravane stabiliser or roll-damping device on small to medium-sized trawlers of the Northwest Atlantic, rigged on booms extending out from both sides of the trawler and towed by cables or chains a few metres below the sea surface. Also called flopper stopper.

bird fishery = 1) a fishery on Dojran Lake shared between Greece and the former Yugoslavia. Migrating birds feed on the fish in the shallow lake except where fishermen build a fenced area, open to the lake but kept free of birds by a watchman. Fish retreat to this protected area. Some of the birds, such as mergansers and crested grebes, are caught and their wings clipped. The entrance to the fenced area is closed off and the flightless birds are released into the area which has been divided into 20-30 chambers by loose mats, through which fish can swim but not the birds. The birds dive in the first chamber where they were released, chasing the fish from this chamber to the next. Fish too large for the birds to eat and too large to pass through the mats are left to be speared by the fishermen. The birds are then moved to the next chamber after access to the first one is blocked off by dense mats, and the process is repeated. All the fish in the last chamber are removed by a fyke-net.

bird fishery = 2) a less well-known use of birds is found on south Kalimantan in Indonesia. Ducks have been trained to chase the fry of snakeheads (Ophiocephalus sp.). The parents of the fish will then chase the duck to protect their fry, the duck is retrieved on a line, and the snakeheads snap at unbaited hooks in anger, thus being caught.

birdnet = a net around or over aquaculture facilities to prevent predation on fish by birds.

birdnest = birdsnest.

birdsnest = line on a reel entangled around the spool, or any bad tangle of fishing line.

birth rate = ratio of birth to population, usually a percentage.

birth-pulse population = a population assumed to produce all of its offspring at an identical and instantaneous point during the annual cycle.

birthing ground = the area where live-bearing (q.v.) fish give birth, often a shallow marine bay protected from predators. See also pupping ground.

biserial = 1) arranged in two rows or series.

biserial = 2) specifically in the fin bearing both preaxial and postaxial radials, long projecting bones, e.g. in Dipneusti.

bisexual = species in which both male individuals and female individuals are found; gonochoristic. See also unisexual.

bishop-fish = sea bishop (a monstrous figure reported in the sixteenth century, scaled like a fish and resembling a bishop, presumably founded on the Jenny Haniver and Ea, the Sumerian fish god figure (q.v.)).

Bismarck herring = whole herrings or blocks of herring fillets, without heads or guts, cured in acidified brine then packed with brine of low vinegar and salt content, sugar, sliced onions, cucumbers, carrots and spices such as pepper and mustard.

bisubtropical = occurring in both the northern and southern subtropical zones.

bit = bite (4).

bit of fish = coition (nineteenth century slang).

bite = 1) bight.

bite = 2) taking of bait by a fish. Also called bump, hit and strike.

bite = 3) the straight part after the bend on a hook, q.v. Also called spear.

bite = 4) a small piece of fish breaded or coated with batter, weighing less than 1 oz. Of various shapes such as round, square, or irregular. May be cut from regular blocks or blocks of minced fish. Generally sold by count, 25-35 per lb. Also called cubes, nuggets, petites, and tidbits.

bite alarm = any device that helps detect a fish bite on angling gear. Electronic units detect the speed and movement of line and have a buzzer or light. Older methods include floats and bobbers.

bite indicator = bite alarm.

bitemperate = occurring in both of the temperate regions of the globe but not in the intervening area, e.g. Hexanchus, Lamna, Zeus, Sebastes.

biter = a piscivore that bites off a part of its prey, e.g. piranhas.

biting = fish taking bait or lures.

bitter = a bitter taste is found in spoiled fish caused by bacterial degradation of proteins to bitter peptides. Urea found in Elasmobranchii has a bitter taste.

bitypic = an unofficial term in nomenclature for a taxon including only two immediately subordinate taxa, e.g. a genus with two species.

biverbal = pertaining to a name comprising two words that is not a binomen, q.v., according to the provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

bivie = a domed tent with a large opening so that anglers can fish from it but be protected against rain; usually green and strong to stand up to windy days. Popular in England!

bivoltate = two generations per year.

bivoltine = bivoltate.

bivvy = bivie.

blachong = balachong (a fermented and salted fish paste from Malaysia. See also garum, balachong and trāsi).

black ball = a marker attached to a trawl buoy for identification (Newfoundland).

black box = an automatic and electronic communication and location device placed on fishing vessels. Used to manage fisheries by monitoring date, time and vessel position, through a vessel identification number, in real time using satellites. Also called vessel monitoring system.

black carps = small carps or Chinese carps.

black caviar = a semi-preserve. grainy caviar, also known as dry caviar or pickled grainy caviar, and pressed caviar where the liquid is reduced for longer keeping.

black chin = a condition seen in aquarium cichlids, particularly those from the African Great Lakes, where the chin develops small grey-black spots or blotches which may spread back to the pelvic fins. May be related to high nitrate as the species involved are from low nitrate habitats (aquaria with nitrate <25 p.p.m. generally avoid this problem).

black fish = 1) commercial quantities of fish landed illegally.

black fish = 2) dark-coloured fish caught for food, e.g. fish in the Tonle Sap, a lake in Cambodia, that live there year-round and survive adverse conditions, cf. white fish (2). Taxa include Clarias, Channa, Anabas, Oxyeleotris.

black fish = 3) fish recently spawned (Scottish dialect).

black fisher = a fish poacher.

black fishing = fishing illegally by night, often using torches.

black grub = black spots in the skin of fishes caused by metacercariae of such trematodes as Uvilifer ambloplitis, Cryptocotyle lingua and others. Also called black-spot disease, q.v.

black haul = a fishing trip without any catch being made.

black herring = 1) a kind of cured herring, possibly smoked with stinging nettles and hay.

black herring = 2) mistaken or diversionary racial profiling in allusion to the expression red herring, q.v.

black lining = a black peritoneum (plural peritonea) (a membrane covering the body cavity (coelomic cavity) including the viscera. Often its colour, light, speckled or black is of taxonomic significance. There are visceral and parietal peritonea, q.v.).

black mud = the sediment found in swamps, poorly managed fish ponds and in uncleaned tanks, rich in hydrogen sulphide and organic matter, and very foul smelling.

black nape = black lining, e.g. the nape of salted dried fish from which the thin back membrane has not been removed.

black oil = oil made from livers of haddock and other fish (Scottish dialect).

black salmon = kelt or a dark adult Atlantic salmon that has spawned but not yet regained weight or the silvery colour.

black smoker = a vent in a geologically active area of the ocean floor. Superheated water laden with sulphide minerals supports an ecosystem including fishes. See also hydrothermal vent and white smoker.

black tail disease = whirling disease (a parasitic disease of trout caused by the myxosporidean protozoan Myxosoma cerebralis. The parasite enters spine of the fish at a stage before the cartilage has turned to bone. Causes bent spines which force the fish to swim in the characteristic "whirling" motion, that is also called tail hunting. The spores of the parasites can remain in the mud of ponds for a long time. Also called twist disease).

Black Water = an Indian term for the sea. Indians lost caste if they crossed the sea. See also blackwater.

black wing = dried salted split cod which has not been white naped and which has gone stale.

black yarn = an unsuccessful fishing trip (Scottish dialect).

black-spot disease = the encysted intermediate, metacercarial life history stage of a strigeid trematode (Uvulifer ambloplitis, and also Cryptocotyle lingula) found in a fish's skin, gills and eyes. The skin develops black to brown pigment over the cysts forming the characteristic spots. Usually harmless to fish unless very severe, but unsightly and commercially a problem. Herons and kingfishers are the definitive host and snails are an intermediate host. See also black grub.

blackberry = the parasitic copepod Lernaeocera branchialis found under the gills of cod, resembling a crowberry (Newfoundland).

blackberry fish = blackberry.

blackberry odour = an odour found in some fish flesh caused by dimethylsulphide formed from dimethyl-ß-propiothetin in the diet when fish feed on pteropods such as Spiratella retroversa and S. helicina, e.g. in mackerel and cod respectively. Resembles a sulphide, gunpowder or paraffin-like odour. Also called weedy odour.

blacken = to coat fish with pepper or other spices and then searing the fish in a skillet to produce a blackened outside and tender inside.

blackening = 1) a black discolouration of canned fish caused by defects in the lining of the can such that sulphides in the flesh interact with the can steel to from black iron sulphide.

blackening = 2) black discolouration in Molva dypterigia caused by the ink bag parasite, a copepod (Sarcotaces arcticus), which has an ink bag that may be perforated during filleting. The parasite can be cut out of the fish without staining the surrounding flesh.

blacklisting = the identification of waters where fishing is prohibited because the fish are contaminated, e.g. with heavy metals.

blacksmith = an old halibut with a very dark colour (Scottish dialect).

blackspot = 1) cysts of the intermediate stages of trematodes found in the skin of fishes, black because of melanin deposits by the fish (see black-spot disease).

blackspot = 2) a dense school of fish below the water surface.

blackwater = 1) very soft water, rich in humic acids and poor in nutrients with minimal transparency. pH is around 3.5-4.8 and colour is stained by tannins. Found in tropical areas especially and supporting a distinct fish fauna. Called cedar water in the eastern U.S.A. See also Black Water.

blackwater = 2) water with human, animal and food wastes. See also Black Water.

blackwater extract = a water conditioner for aquaria meant to imitate blackwater (1).

bladder = gas bladder (a thin membranous, sometimes alveolated sac in the dorsal portion of the abdominal cavity. Contains a varying mixture of gases, not identical to the composition of air. May be one, two or three chambered. May be connected to the gut by a tube, the ductus pneumaticus (then called physostomous) or unconnected (then called physoclistous). May function as one or more of:- hydrostatic organ, sound producing organ, sound receptor, respiratory organ. Often lacking in bottom fishes. Sometimes called swim bladder or air bladder, less appropriate terms).

bladder queue = 1) a row of floats indicating a drift net.

bladder queue = 2) a line up of people outside a bathroom (slang).

bladder queue = 3) a row of balls awaiting inflation at a sporting event (slang).

bladdery = resembling or like a bladder, possessing a bladder or bladders.

blade = 1) the anterior dorsal fin rays fused into a blade-like structure in members of the Argyropelecidae.

blade = 2) a leaf-like structure.

blade = 3) an arched, convex cutting edge without cusplets, e.g. in shark teeth.

blade bait = 1) in angling, any spinner or spoon with a rotating blade.

blade bait = 2) a weighted, fish-shaped blade with a swinging hook, designed for fishing deep.

blaem = said of fish showing at the surface of the water (Scottish dialect).

blagda = a long piece cut from the belly of a fish and used as bait (Scottish dialect). Also spelled blaget.

blaget = blagda.

blah blah fishcakes = an expression used to deride or summarily dismiss any tedious speech, conversation, or situation. English version of yadda, yadda, yadda.

blaisse = blase (1 and 2).

blaize = blase (1 and 2).

bland fish protein concentrate = concentrate with lipids, odour and flavour removed under hygienic conditions (see fish protein concentrate). Abbreviated as bland FPC.

bland FPF = bland fish protein concentrate.

blank = 1) a fishing rod without grip, guides or finish.

blank = 2) an unsuccessful fishing season or trip.

blanket net = a type of liftnet suspended by one end from a boat and pulled in from the bottom by a line from the boat deck.

blase = 1) a torch used to see salmon for spearing at night (Scottish dialect). Also spelled blaisse, blass and blaize.

blase = 2) the act of using a blase (Scottish dialect).

blass = blase (1 and 2).

blast fishing = dynamite fishing (the use of explosives to kill and stun fish for capture. Used on coral reefs where nets cannot be operated without becoming tangled or ripped. Obviously illegal almost everywhere. Has been used by ichthyologists as a sampling method).

blast freezing = freezing fish products by circulating cold air over them.

blasting = fish bombing (home-made bomb made from an empty glass bottle filled with fertiliser and kerosene used to stun fish on coral reefs for capture and sale in the aquarium trade).

blastocoel = the cavity of the blastula; segmentation cavity.

blastoderm = early embryonic tissue composed of blastomeres arranged in a sheet-like fashion; used to refer to embryonic tissue before embryonic axis formation.

blastodisc = the early embryo of Teleostei comprising a disc or cap of cells on the yolk.

blastomere = individual cells forming the early embryo of Teleostei.

blastopore = a circular area on the yolk of Teleostei eggs not covered by the advancing germ ring during epiboly.

blastula = the single-layered, hollow ball of cells, the final product of cleavage stages in the embryo characterised by formation of the blastocoel.

blawn = dried in the wind (Shetland Isles dialect).

blaze = 1) to catch salmon by torchlight, by striking them with a leister (q.v.) (British dialect).

blaze = 2) the torch used in salmon spearing (British dialect).

bleaching = a condition seen in fish skin where colour is lost through storage in water, in water thawing or in melting ice.

blebs = the enlargements of the afferent filament blood vessels in the outermost region of the interfilamental gill septa. It is possible that the blebs function to smooth the pulses and provide a uniform flow of blood through the secondary lamellae (Fromm, 1974). Also used to describe a skin vesicle containing fluid.

bled cod end = a net which allows discard of fish from its end before the net is brought completely on board.

bleeding = the draining of blood before freezing a fish, by cutting off the tail or by cutting the throat region. Used in production of high quality fish and to improve shelf life.

bleeding new = a metaphor borrowed from fish, which will not bleed when stale.

bleese = blaze.

bleeze = blaze.

bleg = a long piece cut from a fish, especially the belly, and used as bait (Scottish dialect). Also spelled blig, blegg, blegdt and bligg.

blegdt = bleg.

blegg = bleg.

bleggy = fish bait (Scottish dialect).

blessing the nets = a Christian ceremony in England, and elsewhere, where the nets used by fishermen are blessed to ensure a good harvest and a safe fishing season.

bleyan = a fish that has been bitten and sucked by another (Scottish dialect).

blig = bleg.

bligg = bleg.

B_lim = limit biomass, the minimum level of spawning stock biomass. Below this level there is a higher risk that the stock will suffer a severe reduction in productivity. See also precautionary approach, F_pa, B_pa and F_lim.

blimp = a short horizontal line on a sonar indicating fish presence.

blind casting = casting without seeing a fish, using knowledge of the water and likely locations fish are to be found.

blind lake = a lake without inflowing or outflowing streams.

blind mullet = piece of excrement (Australian slang). See also brown trout.

blind river = a river without a terminal basin or outlet to the sea, ending usually in a desert.

blind robin = smoked herring (from the red of a robin's breast).

blind side = said of the side of flatfishes without eyes that rests on the bottom; also called lower surface but not ventral surface because it is one of the flanks of the fish. Opposite of eyed side, q.v.

blind snatching = impaling a fish on a hook, without the fish taking a bait into its mouth, and when the fish is not seen by the fisherman.

blinder = a small meshed lining acting as a chafer for the cod-end of a trawl.

Blinky = a three-eyed fish making sporadic appearances on the The Simpsons television show; formed by mutation through radioactive wastes from a nuclear power plant.

bloat = 1) a fish floating belly up, tail up or head up due to an inability to control gas exchange in the swimbladder.

bloat = 2) Malawi bloat (a condition similar to dropsy (q.v.) seen in cichlids from the East African rift lakes (originally those from Lake Malawi). Progress is more rapid than in dropsy. Fish show lethargy, appetite loss, increase respiration, gasping at the surface, abdominal swelling, with death in less than 3 days. Causes are uncertain but include bacterial infection and poor diet).

bloat herring = bloater (1).

bloater = 1) a lightly salted, unsplit, hot-smoked herring or cisco. Usually of a straw colour and may be marketed whole or boned, frozen, or semi-preserved as paste or canned.

bloater = 2) the salmonid Coregonus hoyi, a cisco of the North American Great Lakes so-called because of the swollen body resulting from expansion of the swimbladder when the fish is hauled up from great depths.

bloater paste = fish paste made of ground meat from bloaters (usually slightly smoked salted herring).

bloater stock = barrel-salted herrings on board a ship, for later smoking.

blob = a ball-shaped and brightly coloured lure with hairy extensions like a classical fly, pulled quickly through the water. Very effective, especially for trout, and decried by fly fishers because it does not esemble any natural food. See also booby.

block = 1) frozen fish fillets in a rectangular shape, weighing 7.4 kg as a standard.

block = 2) a fragment of sea ice 6-30 feet across.

block = 3) equipment to raise the flukes of an anchor to the gunwale. Also called fish tackle.

block = 4) a mechanism used with fish-tackle for raising heavy objects. Consists of a wheel with a groove in which a rope can run to change the direction or point of application of a force applied to the rope.

block fillet = a fillet comprising muscle mass from the side of the fish, usually joined at the back or belly. Also called angel fillet, cutlet, double fillet or when smoked golden cutlet.

block frozen = a mass of fish frozen as a block in a box, rather than frozen as individual fish.

block-end feeder = a tube with one end blocked, the other removable for adding particle baits such as maggots and hemp, and pierced with holes allowing gradual release of the bait into the water.

blocked quota shares = shares in a fishery that cannot be subdivided if transferred. The blocked quota has a size limit and the number of blocks an individual can own is limited in a given area. This ensures small units are available for purchase by new entrants to the fishery.

blogaben = the bone below the gill of a fish; the lug bone (q.v.) (Scottish dialect).

blood bight knot = a knot used in angling to form drop loops for attaching weights or a dropper line. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

blood clot = in commercial preparations of fish products, a measure of the number and area of blood clots in relation to the size of the fish.

blood end = 1) the part of the sound bone (q.v.) of a cod which is removed when the fish is split or the portion of the flesh adhering to the bone and cooked as a delicacy (Newfoundland).

blood end = 2) the end of the sound bone (q.v.) closest to the tail (Newfoundland).

blood island = a nest of developing blood cells arising late in the segmentation period from the intermediate mass, located in the anterior-ventral tail just posterior to the yolk extension.

blood knot = a knot in angling used to connect to pieces of line of the same thickness. Its form allows it to run smoothly through the rod rings or guides. Has strength of 65%. Generally not recommended. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

blood line = a line of blood along the backbone of fish being cleaned. It is removed in processing before the fish is frozen or prepared further.

blood meal = animal blood processed into meal and used as an inexpensive supplement in fish feeds, e.g. usually less than 10% in salmonid feeds.

blood meat = dark meat (muscle from just under the skin on each side of a fish that is darker and richer in fat than other flesh. Also called brown muscle, dark muscle, red muscle).

blood parrot cichlid = a hybrid cichlid with various deformities first bred in Taiwan about 1986. Deformities include a beak-shaped mouth that cannot close properly, a deformed gas bladder that affects swimming ability, abnormal spines contributing to their unique shape, and unusually large irises. Usually bright orange in colour, they may also be dyed, shortening their life span. The parents are uncertain but may include the midas cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellus) and the redhead cichlid Vieja synspila), or the banded cichlid (Heros severus) and the red devil (Amphilophus labiatus). Ethically questionable, campaigns against their production and sale have been mounted. Also called bloody parrot and blood parrotfish.

blood parrotfish = blood parrot cichlid.

blood pickle = a solution of salt and body fluids formed when immersing fatty fish such as herring in dry salt in an air tight barrel.

blood spots = superficial red blood marks on fish fillets, noticeable on white flesh, removable by washing.

blood water = a liquid comprised mostly of fish blood and water, resulting from processing fish.

bloodworm = 1) the red chironomid midge larvae living in bottom sediments and used by anglers in Europe as bait for small fish and by aquarists as fish food. Some sources carry pathogens and may not be advisable as aquarium food.

bloodworm = 2) sandworm (a marine worm (Polychaeta) used as bait in angling, e.g. for striped bass).

bloodworm scraper = a tool used to collect bloodworms, comprising a long handle and an angled metal blade to which the bloodworms stick when it is scraped through the silt.

bloody boil = furunculosis (a systemic bacterial disease (Aeromonas salmonicida) generally of salmonids but also found in some flatfishes such as turbot (Scophthalmus maximus). Usually occurs in young fish following stress and in spring when temperatures rise and is characterised by loss of appetite as the intestine is inflamed).

bloody parrot = blood parrot cichlid.

bloom = a rapid and localised increase in the density of plankton resulting from a nutrient-rich habitat. The nutrients may come from upwelling, mixing or pollution and the bloom can kill fish populations through toxins or oxygen depletion.

Bloss = biomass at the lowest observed stock size.

blotch = an irregular pigment mark, often with poorly defined margins.

blow = to dry fish in the open air without salt.

blow down = a tree that has fallen into the water and so creates a habitat for fishes.

blow line = a light line used in angling that is carried by the wind, only the live or artificial bait touching the water surface. Also called sail as it catches the wind.

blow-fish = fish dried by exposure to the wind.

blow-herring = a herring slightly cured for speedy consumption.

blow-meat = flesh or fish dried by the wind.

blowfish = 1) a person with unjustifiably high self-esteem as evidenced by the assumption of an exaggerated, large, or erect posture.

blowfish = 2) a cipher used in cryptography.

blowfish = 3) fish dried by exposure to the wind.

blown = 1) a spoiled can of fish evident by its swollen ends.

blown = 2) fish oil slightly oxidised by blowing air through it.

blown out = referring to a river after heavy rain, having high water levels and muddy conditions.

blowser = one who assists in dragging the seine nets into shallow water in pilchard fishing (Cornish dialect).

blowsing = pilchard fishing, working in seine boats (Cornish dialect).

blubber = 1) to smear or coat wooden objects or structures with rendered cod livers as a preservative against the salt water (Newfoundland).

blubber = 2) to hurl rotted cod livers or to assault someone by smearing with cod oil (Newfoundland).

Blubber = the name of the suicidal goldfish, and the only friend, in the eponymous 2001 movie Amélie. The home environment was the cause of the goldfish's leaps from its bowl and these suicide attempts destroyed the nerves of Amélie's mother. Blubber was released into the wild.

blubber barrel = blubber tub.

blubber butt = blubber tub.

blubber cask = blubber tub.

blubber puncheon = blubber tub.

blubber soap = a soap made from the oil and rotted livers of cod (Newfoundland).

blubber tub = a large wooden container in which cod livers are stored or placed for the rendering of the oil (Newfoundland).

blubberlip = an aquarium term for the thickened lips of some cichlids and grunts, apparently an aid in feeding.

blue bones = blue, blue-green or green bones are known from such fishes as Cottus, Belone, Zoarces, Strongylura, Tautoga, the pigment being closely similar to bilverdin. Skin areas and spinal cord may also have this colouration.

blue disease = a disease of unknown cause evidenced by a blue line on the dorsal side of the body.

blue drop = an area of open sea water in an ice-field.

blue flesh = some fishes have a bluish tinge to the flesh and bones although they are edible, e.g. the labrid Tautoga onitis.

blue frontier = the oceans in the sense of an area to be explored.

blue hole = a circular area in a tropical marine habitat where water depth is greater (creating a blue colour) than ringing coral. Attracts a variety of fish species. Also found landlocked in the low porous rock of islands, formed by erosion and enlarged by currents, and fed by tidal water.

blue note = a receipt for fish sold to a merchant, used as credit for goods and provisions to be purchased (Newfoundland).

blue revolution = modern aquaculture.

blue sac disease = a condition of alevins in which the yolk sac takes on a bluish colour. Caused by a lack of oxygen (partial asphyxia) and/or high carbon dioxide concentrations which limit the uptake of oxygen into the bloodstream.

blue slime disease = 1) costiasis (an infection of the skin, fins and gills of aquarium and hatchery fish by the flagellate protozoan Costia sp. (or Ichthyobodo; and also Chilodonella, Trichodina). Found in young fish just as they start feeding externally, in colder waters. Stress may be a factor. Fish may show lethargy, appetite loss, flashing, respiratory distress in the form of gill flaring and gasping, fin erosion, and produce abundant mucus, giving a cloudy appearance, hence the names blue slime disease or skin slime disease. The skin and scales may peel away in strips in acute cases).

blue slime disease = 2) a skin condition associated with a lack of biotin (q.v.) in the diet.

blue thumb = the aquatic equivalent of green thumb (as in facility in raising plants), a natural ability to raise fish.

blue tinge = irritation of fish skin causing excess production of mucus giving the fish a pale blue colour, especially when viewed from above in the water. Particularly associated with the parasite Costia. Can also be brought on by malnutrition, especially a lack of biotin in the diet.

blue water = the open sea; named for the apparent deep blue colour caused by clear and deep water with less suspended matter than inshore waters.

blue wing = dried salted cod which is white naped (q.v.) but rather stale and thus shows a bluish tinge to the nape.

blue-button fish = a 100 lb or more tuna, a lapel button being awarded to members of the Avalon Tuna Club of southern California when they caught one.

blue-cock = a young salmon, coming up from the sea very late in the season, with bluish head and shoulders (English dialect).

blue-head worm = marsh worm (a type of worm used in angling).

blue-water fishing = big game fishing.

bluewashing = false marketing claim that fish being sold or served are sustainable seafood.

BMSY or B_MSY = biomass at MSY (the long-term average biomass value expected if fishing at F_MSY (the fishing mortality rate which, if applied constantly, would result in maximum sustainable yield. Can be estimated from simple biomass-aggregated production models or from age-structured models that include a stock-recruitment relationship)).

board bridle = backstrop (a short wire or chain system between the otter board and bridle on an otter trawl. Also called backboard becket, backstrop, board leg, board strop, door legs, door strop and sling).

board chain = chain bracket (a chain used on an otter board in pace of a bracket. Also called angle iron chain, back board chain, chain triangle, towing chain).

board leg = backstrop (a short wire or chain system between the otter board and bridle on an otter trawl. Also called backboard becket, backstrop, board bridle, board strop, door legs, door strop and sling).

board link = backstrop link (a triangular steel link with rounded corners on the back of a trawl's otter board. The backstrop is attached here. Also called door sling ring, shearboard link and VD link).

board strop = backstrop (a short wire or chain system between the otter board and bridle on an otter trawl. Also called backboard becket, backstrop, board bridle, board leg, door legs, door strop and sling).

boarding = 1) taking fish from a trawler to the fish carrier. Also known as trunking and ferrying.

boarding = 2) pulling in fishing lines or nets.

boat = a small vessel used for water travel and work, smaller than a ship; a fishing vessel less than 5 net tons capacity; small enough to be loaded onto a ship.

boat a net = to haul a net into a fishing boat and reset it in the water (Newfoundland).

boat control = positioning a boat while angling so as to maintain it and the fishing rig in the optimum configuration for catching fish.

boat day = fishing effort in terms of number of boats and number of days, e.g. 10 boats for 6 days would be 60 boat-days of effort.

boat fisherman = an inshore fisherman in Newfoundland.

boat fishery = the Newfoundland cod fishery carried out from small craft in inshore waters.

boat harbour = a Newfoundland cove from which small craft carried out the cod fishery.

boat keeper = a man who operates inshore fishing craft (Newfoundland).

boat(s) master = the captain of an inshore fishing craft (Newfoundland).

boat net = a landing net (q.v.) with a long handle used from a boat to lift fish from the water when caught by angling.

boat rod = a heavy duty fishing rod used in big game fishing.

boat seine = a net consisting of two wings, a body and a bag, operated from a boat and hauled along the sea floor by two long ropes that help in driving fish towards the net opening, e.g. a Danish seine.

boat share = in a fishery, the percentage of the gross which goes to the vessel owner.

boat's room = an area of foreshore in Newfoundland used for fishing boats and the cure of the catch.

boat teind = a tithe levied on a fishing boat (Scottish dialect). See also fish teind and teind fish.

boathook = a hook on a pole used to grab objects, such as lines, in the water.

bob = 1) bobber.

bob = 2) a bunch of worms used as bait when fishing for eels.

bob = 3) any fish fly other than the tail fly, named for the bobbing motion it makes on the water surface.

Bob = 4) the name of a "lionfish" (broadbarred firefish, Pterois antennata) used as a murder weapon in a 2010 episode of the TV show Bones, the "Predator in the Pool".

bob house = ice shack (a small shelter for ice fishing used as a protection against the weather. Also called ice shanty).

bob net = a long salmon net, suspended from corks, fixed by a stone or anchor at one extremity in the river and to a post or ring on shore. Often fished to effect in eddies, and called bob because the net bobbed or danced in the water movements, or when fish were caught by the gills. In England, the use of this net has been prohibited since 1857.

bob rod = a fishing rod.

bob-fly = in angling, a second fly that bobs on the water surface, indicating the position of the end fly.

bob-net = bob net.

bob-rod = bob rod.

bobber = 1) a plastic, cork or wood device in angling that enables a baited hook to be suspended in the water column and enables fish biting on the hook to be detected by movement of the bobber. Some are even lighted for night fishing. Also called float, q.v. for more details (float in England, bobber in North America).

bobber = 2) a float used to mark the position of a net or other commercial fishing gear.

bobber = 3) a person who helps unload fishing boats.

bobber = 4) a man who stands on a bench by the salesman and receives the bobbing-charge.

bobber = 5) bob (3). Also called babber.

bobbin = 1) a rubber or steel roller on the footrope of a bottom trawl used to protect the net from damage.

bobbin = 2) a flat-topped hat used to balance and carry small loads of fish in Billingsgate Fish Market, London. A rim on each side directs leaking water and fish guts away from the porter's face and onto the ground behind him.

bobbin wire = an assembly of bobbins.

bobbing = a fishing line without a hook but with a bait or bob that a fish will seize and, if pulled in slowly, the fish can be caught, e.g. eels that tangle their teeth in woollen thread, garfish that entangle their teeth in a spider-web used on some islands of Oceania.

bobbing pole = a long, stout rod with line and baited hooks used to take cod in Newfoundland.

bobbing-charge = the payment of one penny by a porter in Billingsgate Fish Market for the privilege of carrying bought parcels of fish for the buyer.

bobtail = the process of severing the tail of a fish from the body, allowing blood to escape through the caudal artery.

bocco = boco.

boco = a good haul of fish (Sussex dialect, from the French beaucoup).

BOD = biological oxygen demand. BOD5 is the amount of dissolved oxygen consumed in five days.

bodabid = two or more fishing boats that pool their catch and divide the sale price equally (Scottish dialect). Also spelled bodabit.

bodabit = bodabid.

bodara = pan-dressed and split cod or sometimes pollock, washed, then dried in the sun without any salt (Japan).

böddie = buddie (a straw creel (q.v.) (Scottish dialect). Also spelled büddi, buidy, buithy or bødi).

bødi = buddie (a straw creel (q.v.) (Scottish dialect). Also spelled büddi, buidy, buithy or böddie).

bodied waggler = a waggler, q.v., having a buoyant bulb near the bottom of the float that increases the amount of shot needed to set it. This rig exaggerates the float tip movement when a fish takes the bait, allows longer-distance casting and greater stability in windy conditions.

body = 1) the main part of a net or trawl.

body = 2) lint (netting in the main body of a drift or gill net. Also called middle twine, middle yarn, netting, sheet, webbing, yarn).

body cavity = the hollow in the abdomen in which lies the intestines, liver, kidneys, reproductive organs, etc.

body depth = the greatest vertical depth of the body (excluding fins).

body girth = the circumference of the body.

body length = the length of the trunk which is taken as the distance between the posterior end of the head to the base of the caudal fin.

body mount = a prepared fish skin fitted over a fish-shaped form.

body of water = a sea, lake, harbour, river, stream, pond, or other area of water.

body ring = a dermal plate encircling the body, e.g. in Syngnathidae.

body weight daily = a measure of food requirement and/or uptake expressed as a percentage or as a decimal fraction. Abbreviated as BWD.

body-down pole float = an angling float thicker at the bottom used for fishing in still or slow waters and good at showing on-the-drop bites.

body-up pole float = an angling float thicker at the top used in fast water where the float can be held back without riding out of the water.

boette = bait used in fishing, pieces of fish or molluscs, waste, small live fish, eggs, etc. (France).

bog = acidic freshwater wetlands that are poorly drained and characterized by a buildup of peat but are poor in mineral ions.

bog-margined = a water body with wet, spongy margins making access to open water difficult.

boggin = disgusting; smelling like fish (slang).

boggler = a night-line for fish (Derby dialect).

bogwood = wood preserved under the anaerobic conditions of bogs, used as a habitat for fishes, a growing surface for plants and as decoration in aquaria. Leaching of tannins turns the water brown, but also softens hard waters and increases acidity, beneficial in some freshwater aquaria.

Bohr effect = the increased facility with which the blood unloads oxygen when its carbon dioxide tension is increased.

boil = 1) a mass of fish attacking food or bait just below the surface. Also called boiling school.

boil = 2) fish, potatoes and onions boiled in salted water, usually at a picnic.

boil = 3) an upward flow of water in a sandy formation resulting from a rise in a nearby stream; the bubbling up of a spring.

boil = 4) an upwelling causing water surface turbulence.

boil disease = a sporozoan disease evidenced by large boils and causing loss of equilibrium and death, e.g. in large Barbus and salmonids.

boil house = a building where fish oil is rendered (Scottish dialect).

boilie = a small, rounded, boiled artificial bait used by anglers in Europe. Usually egg is added to a paste bait giving it a hard skin that deters small fish. May be coloured and flavoured (e.g. spicy, fishmeal and sweet) and composed according to a variety of recipes (the best being secret of course). Effective against fish that have been caught many times, a function of the number of anglers, limited waters and available fish in Europe. A whole complex of recipes and equipment has grown up around this type of bait (see below).

boilie baiting needle = a thin needle or crochet-like hook used for mounting a boilie on a hair-rig, q.v.

boilie catapult = a powerful catapult with a rigid cup to hold boilies to be projected into a swim to attract fish. Often with a wrist support because of its powerful elastic.

boilie dip = a solution in which boilies are dipped just before fishing.

boilie drill = a small, hand-held tool with a fine drill bit for drilling holes in boilies and other particle baits for easy hair-rigging.

boilie hair stop = a small, angled piece of plastic with bulbs at each end. Boilies are placed on a hair rig where they work best and the stop holds them on. A piece of grass can do the same thing.

boilie mix = a commercially available mix of dried ingredients used to make boilies.

boilie needle = a needle with one side of the eye removed thus forming a hook; this is used to attach bait to a hair rig by placing the bait or boilie onto the needle, hook the hair rig loop onto the needle and pull the bait down onto the hair.

boilie punch = a small tool for making a large hole in a boilie to insert rig foam thus making a buoyant bait.

boilie rocket = bait dropper for boilies (or other baits). Used on a spare fishing rod and cast to the desired spot.

boilie rolling table = a table with grooves lined up next to each other. The boilie mix is rolled into long sausages and placed across the grooves, a lid is pushed down on the sausage so it squeezes down into the grooves, and the lid is pushed and pulled so the boilie mix is rolled into even balls. These balls can be air-dried, boiled or microwaved.

boilie stop = boilie hair stop.

boilie throwing stick = a foot long stick with a curved channel at the top where boilies are placed. An over the shoulder swing with the channel forward throws boilies into the swim.

boiling school = boil (1).

bokkem = dried, salted horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) (South Africa).

bolch line = the rope to which a trawl net is bent before being attached to the ground rope.

Bolognese method = use of a very long, telescopic or take-apart rod allowing the casting of a long, fixed float rig and its control at long range in deep flowing water.

Bolognese rod = the fishing rod used for the Bolognese method, 15-20 feet or 4.6-6.1 m long.

bolt rig = in angling, a ledger rig where the fish hooks itself. The fish takes the bait and bolts when the hook pricks the mouth. The hook is pulled home by a line clip and heavy bite indicators such as monkey climbers or a heavy lead, or both.

bolta stone = cappie (a heavy stone used as a sinker to a fishing line (Shetland Isles dialect). See also caapie and cappie-stone).

bomb = 1) a heavy lure used to catch wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri).

bomb = 2) a heavily weighted nymph fished in fast, deep water and often used to sink an unweighted fly, the fish taking the latter.

bomb rod = a light fishing rod, 2.7-3.4 m long, used for ledgering with a light line, quiver tip, a small hook and a small Arlesey bomb. This type of rig is used in match fishing in Europe.

bombarda = a weighted float used in rod and line fishing. The main line passes through it, and when cast out, the bombarda sinks slowly as it is retrieved. Depending on the weight of the bombarda and the retrieval speed, the level fished in the water can vary from the surface to deep water.

Bombay Duck = not a duck but a strong-tasting and stinky delicacy of the western coast of India, sun-dried and salted Harpadon nehereus (Harpadontidae). It keeps a long time if kept dry and can be crumbled over stews and curries. The name may come from Bombay Dak (the Bombay Mail train) that would smell of this odiferous fish.

bombing = a home-made bomb made from an empty glass bottle filled with fertiliser and kerosene used to stun fish on coral reefs for capture and sale in the aquarium trade.

bonae species = Latin for good species, i.e. valid species (plural). Seldom used now but does occur occasionally in papers published as recently as 2009 (and this was written in late 2008, a consequence of online publication).

bone = 1) the hard connective tissue consisting of cells (osteoblasts, osteocytes) in a mixture of collagen fibres and hardened by calcium and phosphate salts (calcium hydroxyapatite), serving to support the body. The cells are lost eventually leaving cavities and the bone is termed cellular, typical of Dipnoi, Crossopterygii, Chondrostei, primitive Teleostei, e.g. Cyprinidae, Siluridae, Salmonidae, Anguillidae, and some advanced Teleostei, e.g. Perca, Gadus. Another form of bone is termed osteoid and lacks the ramifications seen in cellular bone. After the osteocytes disintegrate, the spaces they leave are filled with matrix and the bone is known as acellular, e.g. in Cyclopterus, Mola. Bone is strong and rigid in contrast to cartilage. Older works on fish anatomy may have bones listed in Latin; many of these are grouped herein under the Latin for bone "os". Plural forms are given there for those unfamiliar with Latin. Note that some bone and skeletal names in English are the same in English and Latin, e.g. branchiocranium, and the majority of English names are derived from the Latin name, merely having different word endings. Either English or Latin forms are used in osteology.

bone = 2) to remove bones from a fish.

bone finger = an inflammation of the fingers and hands caused by handling cod in cold salty water (Newfoundland).

bone hooker = a small iron hook used to remove nape bones from dried salted cod.

bone meal = ground bones of animals and fish, high in calcium and phosphorus, and used in fish feeds and as a plant fertiliser. May pollute waters because of the high phosphorus content and so not used as extensively as in the past.

bone separator = a mechanical device for separating fish flesh from skin and bone. Flesh is squeezed through perforations on a drum and removed on the inside, leaving skin and bones on the outside.

boned = 1) fish with the main bones removed; some minor bones remain. Also called boneless fish or deboned fish.

boned = 2) having a particular kind of bone.

boneless = a term referring to commercial preparations of fish that have had all or most of their bones removed, e.g. boneless salt cod fillet, boneless smoked herring, etc.

boneless cod = a superior grade of salted cod from which bones and skin have been removed. See also semi-boneless cod (where some small bones are left).

boneless fillet = a fillet with the pin bones (q.v.) removed.

boneless fish = fish with all bones removed. May mean having a low bone content, or major bones removed; the flesh of a fish separated from skin and bones by mechanical means (see bone separator). Also called minced fish, mechanically recovered fish flesh, recovered fish, recovered fish flesh, and deboned fish.

boneless fish meat = boneless fish.

boneless kipper = herring that have been headed, boned, brined, cold smoked and split down the belly after cutting away a thin strip of belly skin. May be sold fresh, frozen or canned.

bonk = angling slang for killing a fish.

bony fishes = a general term in popular use for most fishes other than sharks and their relatives, the lampreys and the hagfishes, and certain "lower" fishes. Formerly the class Osteichthyes.

bony labyrinth = the skeleton of the membranous labyrinth, composed of otic bones anteriorly, occipital bones posteriorly and dermal roof bones dorsally.

bony stay = suborbital stay (the bone beneath the eye (suborbital bone) extending across the cheek to the preopercle, or almost to the preopercle. Found in Scorpaeniformes).

bony-ridge scale = the cycloid and ctenoid scales of fishes.

bonyfish = the adjective for bony fish, as in bonyfish species.

boobootype = a joke holotype in nomenclature, one that should not have been described such as a species previously described by the author and not recognised as the same as the boobootype.

booby = a brightly-coloured lure with polystyrene eyes, pulled quickly through the water. See also blob.

book = a grade of isinglass (the glutinous or gelatin-like fluid prepared from the collagen of the outer layer of gas bladders of sturgeons or other fishes. Used in clarifying wines and beers, for jams and jellies, in printing inks and as an adhesive cement).

book name = some common names of rare or deepsea species are artificial "book names" as these species are never seen by the general public. They are coined simply to provide a consistent format in books where common names are used or to provide a means of communication with people unfamiliar or uncomfortable with Latin names.

bool = of fish, to play on the surface of the water (Shetland Islands dialect).

booliver = a large and fat-bellied fish (Scottish dialect).

boomerang = butterfly (an L-shaped steel plate shackled between the dan leno spindle and legs. Also called arm, banana, dan leno arm, dan leno bracket, dan leno spreader, devil's elbow, spreader bar).

boondogging = drifting a boat at or about the same speed as the current so one cast runs the entire length of the run.

boondoggling = boondogging.

boot = an old salmon past the edible stage, spawned out (in British Columbia).

bore = 1) a rapid tidal rise in a river that forms an advancing wall of water. Also called eagre.

bore = 2) a compiler of ichthyological dictionaries.

boreal = of the north temperate region, between the arctic and tropical regions. Opposite of antiboreal or austral.

bosom = the centre part of a trawl lying between the two wings; the bag. Also spelled busom or busum.

bosom hoffle = the highest stake in a row of hoffle stakes (q.v.).

bosom piece = 1) a narrow section of strong netting across the front edge of the belly next to the foot line of a trawl.

bosom piece = 2) similar netting behind the centre of the ground rope of a Danish seine.

bosom tickler chain = a chain attached at each end across the bosom section of the ground rope of a trawl; it functions to stir up sediment and thus scare benthic fish upward and into the net.

Boston cut = a fish fillet that has most of the nape removed leaving some pin bones which break down in cooking.

botargo = a relish made of roe of mullet or tunny, lightly salted, pressed and sun-dried. It can be bought in sausage form and thinly sliced or grated (Italy). See also bottarga.

botcher = a second-year salmon (English dialect).

botches disease = a highly contagious disease evidenced by blood-coloured blotches on the fish skin.

bottarga = a relish made of roe of mullet or tunny, lightly salted, pressed and sun-dried. It can be bought in sausage form and thinly sliced or grated (Italy). See also botargo.

bottle forceps = long forceps designed for extracting specimens from jars.

bottleneck = a sharp reduction of a breeding population's size to a few individuals with important genetic consequences depending on both its magnitude and its duration. An altered gene pool can result from genetic drift.

bottom = 1) the surface underlying the water column, the bed.

bottom = 2) the innermost part of bay or harbour; may refer to the land surrounding the bay (Newfoundland).

bottom = 3) the section of netting forming the floor of a cod trap.

bottom = 4) the lower part of a trawl.

bottom boundary layer = the lower part of the water flow that is frictionally retarded by proximity to the bed of a river.

bottom configuration = the shape of the bottom of a body of water.

bottom drift = gill nets allowed to drift close to the bottom.

bottom feeding = fish eating organisms found in or at the bottom of a water body.

bottom fish = 1) groundfish (fish that live on or near the bottom, usually those sought commercially).

bottom fish = 2) to fish with a weighted line for fish that feed close to the bottom.

bottom fishing = 1) catching bottom fish.

bottom fishing = 2) buying stocks when prices are depressed during an economic downturn.

bottom ice = ice formed on a river, lake or shallow sea bed.

bottom land = lowland along a river, subject to flooding.

bottom mop = a tightly tied mass of synthetic yarn in various configurations used as a spawning medium in aquaria for fish that normally lay eggs on vegetation. The bottom mop is used for species that spawn at or near the bottom.

bottom otter trawl = an otter trawl towed on the sea floor by one boat; the net is kept open by otter boards that plane through the water and are heavy enough to maintain contact with the sea floor. The otter boards have a steel bottom to protect them against the rough sea bed.

bottom pair trawl = a trawl towed by two boats at the same time, the distance between the boats ensuring the horizontal opening of the net.

bottom roller = one of the steel balls or rubber disks, about 41 to 61 cm in diameter, mounted on the bottom of a trawl.

bottom set = any net set close to or on the bottom of a body of water.

bottom trawl = a net shaped like a bag dragged along the sea floor. The lower edge of the net has a thick ground rope or bobbins to prevent net damage and is heavily ballasted. Some trawls are low-opening to capture demersal species, others are high opening to capture semi-demersal or pelagic species.

bottom trawler = a ship that deploys a bottom trawl.

bottom water = the water mass at the deepest part of the water column.

bottom wing = the lower wing of a trawl to which is fastened the ground rope.

bottom-end float = any float in angling that is attached to the line at the base only. The line can be fed through a rubber ring around the float or held in place by locking shot when the line is fed through the eye at the float base. Leaves the float tip free of line and helps sink line near the float so that float action is more easily detected.

bottom-set longline = a longline set on or near the sea floor.

bottom-set gillnet = a net anchored on or close to the bottom by anchors and ballast.

bottom-set pot = a pot or basket made of wood or osier and used to catch eels (or crabs and lobsters). Also called ground basket.

bottom-side chafer = netting, canvas or other material on the underside of a trawl to protect it from abrasion,

bottom-walking weight = in angling, a banana-shaped weight on one end of a v-shaped wire frame designed to bump along the bottom without snagging.

bottomfish = bottom fish.

botulism = an often fatal form of food poisoning from a neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum. Occasionally carried by fish which are susceptible in the raw, fermented, canned and smoked products.

bough = to cover a flake (q.v.) with conifer branches to allow air circulation for drying of the fish (Newfoundland).

bought = a coil of fishing lines or a fishing line about fifty fathoms long (Shetland Islands dialect).

bouillabaisse = a French fish soup from Marseille based on several species of fish with shellfish, vegetables, white wine, olive oil, saffron, herbs and seasonings. Usually the more people who the soup is made for, the better the soup and the more fish species used. Species include scorpionfish, sea robins, monkfish, John Dories and congers.

boulder = a substrate particle larger than 25 cm (or 60.4 cm, sources differ), usually rounded. The largest body transported by a stream or moved by surf in the ocean, usually taken as heavier than 50 pounds and larger than 8 inches.

boulter = a long and stout fishing line with many hooks attached. May be up to 500 feet with 60 hooks baited with pilchards or mackerel. Also called spiller.

bounce = bringing a hooked fish into a boat without using a gaff or net.

bouncing bomb = fishing in running water with a ledger rig weighted such that it is not quite heavy enough to hold bottom. Feeding out a bow in the line leading to the ledger will cause the bait to bounce slowly downriver.

boundary current = a large-scale mass of water in the upper ocean that separates water masses. Driven by a combination of wind, temperature and coriolis effects.

boundary fishery = a fishery that is carried out at the boundary of some oceanographic feature such as a change in temperature or edge of a current.

boundary sign = a sign indicating areas closed to fishing, often shaped and coloured in a standard fashion to indicate the particular regulations.

boundary water = a river or lake that is part of the boundary between two or more countries or provinces that have rights to the water.

bourdeto = a fish broth from Corfu, cooked in tomato sauce with onion, garlic and red spicy pepper.

bourn = a stream, brook or rivulet in southern England (Saxon).

bourne = bourn.

bow = 1) the pointy end of a ship.

bow = 2) excess fishing line in the shape of a curve between the rod tip and the lure.

bow = 3) a willow twig bent in the form of a crescent to which a fishing net is fastened.

bow-net = a wicker-work, cylindrical fish trap with a single narrow entrance. More often used for crayfish.

bowater = a man who poaches salmon by night with a light (Roxburgh dialect in Scotland).

bower = a structure used for mating, but not rearing of eggs and young. Males of certain species, e.g. Aulonocranus dewindti, build mounds with a crater on top to attract a mate, cf. nest.

bowfer = a high-prowed, shallow-bottomed coble boat used in Scotland to collect salmon from inshore nets.

bowfishing = fishing with a bow and arrow; in North America often for carp that are competing with more highly prized species such as bass. The arrow is tied to the end of a line and the reel is mounted on the bow.

bowl = 1) a rounded glass container for keeping live goldfish.

bowl = 2) a float or buoy on a fishing net (Norfolk dialect).

Bowman's capsule = the cuplike proximal end of a kidney tubule surrounding a glomerulus.

box = 1) a box for storing and transporting fish, usually 15-50 kg.

box = 2) an area in the sea set aside to protect fishes, e.g. a plaice box to protect juvenile plaice.

box gage = a tidal gage operated by a float in a long vertical box. The tide enters through a hole in the bottom of the box and a graduated rod rises and falls with the tide.

box net = 1) a trap net set under ice.

box net = 2) a trawl comprising top, bottom and two side pieces; the size of the latter can be changed so that the net is flat, semi-balloon or balloon.

box net = 3) a rectangular frame of netting having three sides and moored with stakes and anchors.

box trap = 1) a box with an open entry door through which a fish enters, triggering a release closing the door and trapping the fish. Some box traps have simple funnel entrances rather than a trigger release.

box trap = 2) box net (3), a form of cod trap.

boxed stowage = fish mixed with ice in boxes for storage at sea.

boxing = 1) boxed stowage on board a fishing vessel in ice for high quality fish.

boxing = 2) packing chilled fish in polystyrene boxes for air or overland distribution.

B_pa = the precautionary spawning stock biomass, a higher level than B_lim (q.v.) to allow for uncertainties in assessment. See also precautionary approach, B_lim, F_pa and F_lim.

Br = 1) photophores along the lower jaw of Myctophidae; formerly called maculae branchiostegae by some authors.

Br = 2) abbreviation for branchiostegal rays.

braad = a sharp pull on a fishing line to hook the fish, or to make such a pull (Caithness dialect). Also spelled brad and brawd.

brace line = lines used for lacing the adjoining shots (single net pieces) in a fleet of gill nets.

Brachet's cleft = the visible division between the epiblast and hypoblast in the gastrula.

brachial ossicle = actinost (one of a series of endochondral bones in the pectoral and pelvic girdle on which the fin rays insert. Most teleosts lack or have greatly reduced pelvic actinosts. Teleosts have one row of actinosts between the fin rays and supporting skeleton (coracoid and scapula for the pectoral, basipterygia for the pelvic) while other fishes may have more rows, referred to as radials).

brachy- (prefix) = short.

brack = salt or brackish water.

bracket = one, or a pair of, triangular shaped steel frames hinged to the front face of otter boards, to which the warp is attached on a trawl.

bracketed key = a dichotomous key in which contrasting parts of a couplet are numbered and presented together, without intervening couplets (the brackets are omitted). Used in some fish keys.

brackish = fresh water with some salt content, as in estuaries, in the range 0.5-17.0 parts per thousand.

brad = braad.

braddle = broddle.

brado = block fillet of prime herring, lightly brine-salted and smoked until reddish brown (Netherlands).

bradydont = having slow tooth replacement.

brae = an artificial bank of gravel and stone built across a river as a salmon trap (Scottish dialect).

braid = 1) a synthetic woven material used for fishing lines. Softer and more supple than ordinary monofilament lines, more abrasion resistant and not as stretchy.

braid = 2) to make or mend fishing nets with a mesh and needle.

braided lie knot = a knot used in angling for attaching a hook to braided line. A double loop is run through the hook eye and then eight times around the main line and then through the loop next to the eye. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

braided channel = braided stream.

braided stream = a complex tangle of converging and diverging stream channels (anabranches) separated by sand bars or islands. Characteristic of flood plains where the amount of debris is large in relation to the discharge. See also eyot.

braiding needle = specialised needles used for repairing fishing nets being blunt, broad, flat and with a large eye having a central spike.

brail (noun) = 1) a form of dip net used to lift fish out of a purse seine or other net on board ship. Also called brailer.

brail (verb) = 2) to use a brail.

brail = 3) a stick attached to the outer end of the wing of a trawl or haul seine to keep it spread.

brail = 4) to throw large quantities of chum (q.v.) overboard.

brail = 5) small ropes fastened to the edges of fish nets to truss them up.

brail = 6) to play or splash about on the water surface (Scottish dialect).

brail net = brail (1).

brailer = brail (1).

brailer bag = a very large bag used to lift Alaskan salmon from the fishing boat to the dock.

brailing = 1) transferring of fish in bulk from a net to a vessel or from a vessel to a processing facility.

brailing = 2) the bringing of the lead line of a purse seine to the water surface.

brain = the centre of the nervous system; the complicated enlarged anterior end of the spinal cord which directs the activities of the body and which lies in the cranium. The brain develops by dividing into three regions: the prosencephalon (forebrain), the mesencephalon (midbrain), and the rhombencephalon (hindbrain). The adult brain is achieved by division of the forebrain and hindbrain. The prosencephalon divides into the telencephalon (anterior) and diencephalon. The rhombencephalon divides into the metencephalon (anterior) and the myelencephalon. The mesencephalon remains undivided. Details of the brain structure of a fish (Danio rero) may be found in Wullimann et al. (1996).

brain food = traditionally, eating fish is said to make one smarter. Scientific studies variously show some, or no, support for this. Intake of fish has now to be balanced against pollutant load, particularly mercury.

braincase = neurocranium (the portion of the skull surrounding the brain, including the elements that surround the olfactory, optic, orbital or sphenotic, and otic or auditory capsules and the anterior end of the notochord (endocranium) and the series of overlying dermal bones (dermocranium)).

bran = used in Europe to store maggots in for fish bait and as a bulking item in groundbaits.

branch = a small fast-flowing stream or tributary in the southern U.S.A.

branch line = a thin and strong line by which a hook is attached to the main or back line of a troll or long line.

branch water = pure natural water from a stream, usually mixed with whiskey (southern U.S.A.).

branched ray = a soft or segmented ray which divides distally into two or more parts.

branchia (plural branchiæ) = gill.

branchiæ = plural of branchia.

branchial = relating to the gills.

branchial arch = gill arch (the endochondral skeletal support of the gill which bears the gill filaments and the gill rakers. Consists of pharyngobranchials, epibranchials, ceratobranchials and hypobranchials. Usually 4 in teleosts, can be as many as 16 in some Cyclostomata).

branchial bar = one of the vascularised cartilaginous bars serving as gills in Amphioxi. Also called pharyngeal bars.

branchial basket = the network-like cartilaginous skeleton of the gill region of Petromyzontiformes and Holocephali.

branchial chamber = the cavities in which lie the gills of Cyclostomata.

branchial cleft = one of the internal slits between adjacent arches which permit water to flow from the buccal cavity to the branchial cavity in Teleostomi or to the exterior in Cyclostomata and Elasmobranchii.

branchial groove = the horizontal groove in which gill openings are found in the larval ammocoetes of lampreys (Petromyzontidae).

branchial opening = the opening from the gill area to the exterior, the gill opening or slit.

branchial ray = the cartilaginous rod projecting out from the gill arch into the interbranchial septum which it supports and from the hyoid arch into the first hemibranch. Homologous with branchiostegal. Found in Elasmobranchii and Acanthodii.

branchial region = the area were the branchial arches and gills develop.

branchial sac = gill pouch (the sac containing the gills and communicating with the mouth cavity and with the exterior in Myxini and Petromyzontiformes). Also called ear sac and probably meant to be any pouch or sac surrounding the gills in fishes generally.

branchiate = having gills.

branchictenia = plural of branchictenium.

branchictenium (plural branchictenia) = gill raker or branchiospina.

branchihyal = any small bone at the base of the gill arches (term no longer used).

branchiocrania = plural of branchiocranium.

branchiocranium (plural branchiocrania) = that portion of the skull related to the gills, including the mandibular region, the hyal region (hyoid arch and branchiostegal series), and the branchial arches including their attached dermal plates, or the branchial skeleton proper.

branchiomycosis = a disease caused by the fungi Branchiomyces sanguinis and B. demigrans found particularly in carp and eels. Respiratory distress is caused by gill necrosis as blood vessels thrombose. Gills become discoloured in patches and rot. Occurs in ponds with high temperatures, excess organic matter and high ammonia levels. Also called gill rot and European gill rot.

branchiopercle = a fourth bone of the opercular series in Amia, partially covered by the subopercle and interopercle, but regarded as the most dorsal branchiostegal ray by authors.

branchiospina (plural branchiospinæ) = gill raker (one of a series of variously shaped bony or cartilaginous projections on the inner side of the branchial arch. The rakers have epithelial denticles and both their gross and fine structure serves to retain food particles in the mouth. The gill raker count normally includes all rakers, even the rudiments, and is made on the front half of the first arch. Upper and lower gill raker counts may be presented as the upper and the lower (including the central raker), e.g. 9 + 17; or as upper rakers, central raker, and lower rakers, e.g. 9 + 1 + 16. The most anterior and posterior rakers are often small and delicate, easily torn or lost if the arch is removed. Plankton feeders have numerous, crowded, elongate and fine rakers while predators have few, separated, short and stubby rakers).

branchiospinæ = plural of branchiospina.

branchiospine = branchiospina.

branchiostegal = one of the dermal bony (or cartilaginous) struts inserting on the epihyal and/or ceratohyal and sometimes the interhyal and hypohyal, and supporting the branchiostegal membranes. Of various forms from narrow, to plate-like to hooked, with numbers varying according to phylogeny, up to 50 in Actinopterygii to none in Crossopterygii. Less preferably called branchiostegal rays because of confusion with the fin rays.

branchiostegal membrane = the membrane below the operculum, often attached to the isthmus, supported by branchiostegals and helping to enclose the gill chamber ventrolaterally. Branchiostegal membranes are separate when the membranes of the two sides are separate from one another and the isthmus; they are united and free from the isthmus when the membranes of the two sides are joined to one another and have a narrow or wide margin behind nattached to the isthmus; and are joined to the isthmus when they fuse to the isthmus without a free margin. Often inappropriately called the gill membrane.

branchiostegal photophores = a row of photophores along each mandible in Myctophidae. Abbreviated Br.

branchiostegal ray = branchiostegal is preferred.

branchoses = degenerative condition of the gills.

branco cure = salt cod that has been made whiter by stacking in piles (water-hosed) for several days after washing. Final salt content is about 20% (Portugal).

brandade = salted cod, cooked and then mashed with garlic and olive oil into a paste. Lemon juice, parsley and pepper are usually added (France).

branded herring = pickled herring packed in barrels that carried a Government brand of quality (Scotland and northeast England). No longer practiced.

branding = a means of marking fish by mutilation for subsequent recapture and identification in growth and migration studies.

brandling = 1) a common reddish-brown earthworm (Eisenia foetida) often used as fish bait.

brandling = 2) a young salmon, or occasionally a trout (English dialect).

brandy is Latin for fish = a saying arising from the thirst and the uneasy feeling after eating richer species of fish having led to the use of spirits with this kind of food (popular saying, nineteenth century London).

brash = rubbish brought up in a trawl.

brash ice = sea or river ice fragments less than 6 feet in diameter.

brat = hatchery-raised steelhead salmon.

Brat-bückling = small herring, lightly cured in brine, and cold smoked. Fried before eating (Germany).

brat-rollmops = rolled and fried herring or herring fillets, without the tail and bones, wrapped with pickles, slices of onions etc., and fastened together with small sticks or cloves. Packed with vinegar-acidified brine, semi-preserved or pasteurised (Germany).

Bratfischwaren = fish fried, grilled or heated in edible oil or fat, packed in acidified brine, with spices or other ingredients and also with sauces. Often prepared herring (Germany).

brathering = fried, gutted herring in vinegar brine.

brawd = braad.

brawl = to flow noisily.

Brazil fish = dried and salted cod marketed in the northern provinces of Brazil from the fishery grounds off Newfoundland.

Brazilian invisible fish = an advertising stunt where a bowl of water was placed in the window of a store with a sign saying it contained an invisible fish. The idea was to attract customers. Sometimes a concealed fan produced ripples on the water. Apparently crowds gathered claiming they could see the fish.

breach = 1) launching completely or partly out of the water with a re-entry splash. Tends to be used for larger fishes, and more familiarly with whales.

breach = 2) a swirl, ruffle or break in the water caused by a fish.

bread crust = a favourite bait in Europe either ledgered in winter or floated in summer. It may be coloured and/or flavoured. Used for various cyprinid species like carp, chub, roach and rudd in England.

bread paste = stale bread kneaded into a paste and used as bait for fish in Europe. May be coloured and flavoured.

bread punch = a device that cuts out circular pieces of bread for use as bait in Europe. There are different punches for different hook sizes.

breadcrumbs = used for, or as a base, for groundbait, q.v.

breaded fish = sticks and portions of fish with a non-leavened mixture of cereal products and flavourings, sold raw, frozen or partially cooked.

breadth of river = 1) the distance across a river at any given time.

breadth of river = 2) the width across a river at the near bankfull (q.v.) stage.

break = 1) to emerge above the water surface; said of fish when spawning in shallows or feeding at the surface.

break = 2) break line.

break line = a point in a water body where there is a sudden change, e.g. in depth, in vegetation cover, in bottom type, current caused by a boulder.

break the beam = to add more fish to a scale to make up for accuracy errors of the scale and for loss in weight during shipment (Newfoundland).

break the price = to determine the price paid for fish during a given season (Newfoundland).

breaker = a wave so steep that its crest falls forward, moving faster than the main wave body.

breaker line = any piece of line on trolling gear near the hook that will break more easily than the main line under stress.

breaker zone = the area where waves break on a shore or reef.

breakfast fish = small capelin (Mallotus villosus) for household consumption (Newfoundland).

breaking force = breaking strain.

breaking load = breaking strain.

breaking strain = the maximum strength of a fishing line measured in pounds or kilogrammes as given by the manufacturer, the point at which the fishing line breaks.

breaking strength = breaking strain.

breakoff = when a large fish breaks the line.

breakup = the movement or disintegration of ice in spring.

breakwater = a large structure built out from the land into the sea, protecting a harbour or beach from large waves. Also providing habitat for fishes.

bream pit = pits or depressions about 10 cm across, found on mud bottoms where bream (Abramis brama, Cyprinidae) have been feeding using the sucking power of the tube-like extended mouth.

bream section = bream zone.

bream zone = a European river classification system based on species, in this case the cyprinid Abramis brama, as characteristic; a sludgy bottom of silt and sand with much macrophyte growth.

breast = the anterior ventral surface under the head.

breast band = a stripe across the breast.

breast line = a wire rope running along the forward edges of the side panels of a net or along the forward edge of the side rope in a rope trawl.

breast mark = a land feature lined up from the sea and used to mark a fishing ground.

breast spot = a small mark on the breast.

breathing valve = oral valve (the flap attached just inside the jaws which stop water escaping from the mouth during exhalation, helping to maintain a unidirectional flow. Usually a valve is found just inside the ring of teeth in the jaw. Also called a buccal valve).

breech = cod or fish roe generally where the ovarian membrane is unbroken, i.e. (Newfoundland; and Northumberland and Yorkshire dialects).

breeder = brood fish or mature fish.

breeding age = the age at which fish reach sexual maturity and are ready to spawn.

breeding bottom = part of the bottom suitable for fish reproduction. Also called spawning bottom.

breeding colour = the pigmentation that develops during spawning. Also called spawning colour.

breeding cycle = the period between hatching and first spawning.

breeding efficiency = effectiveness of fecundation or egg production, usually expressed as a percentage.

breeding ground = the area where reproduction occurs. Also called spawning ground.

breeding hapa = hapa (a small net enclosure in shallow ponds used for deposition of eggs or to raise larval and juvenile fish before release into the general pond environment, e.g. for Indian carps).

breeding nursery = 1) an area favoured for birth or egg deposition where young can grow. Also called nursery.

breeding nursery = 2) an establishment for raising and selecting early development stages of fish. Also called nursery.

breeding place = the exact locality where fish spawn. Also called spawning place.

breeding pond = a pond for holding sexually mature fish in a hatchery setting for use as broodstock. Also called spawning pond.

breeding season = that period of a year in which fish are sexually active. Also called spawning season.

breeding spot = special, spongy vascular areas on the body of some male Syngnathidae, e.g. Nerophis lumbriciformis, in which the female deposits the eggs.

breeding stock = fish reared and stocked for breeding purposes.

breeding tank = an aquarium set up for breeding fish, free of predators and disease, and with all the necessary conditions in water quality and physical structures for the species being bred.

breeding trap = a device to prevent the mother and other fishes from eating the newly-born fry in an aquarium. A pregnant livebearer can be placed in a special container within the aquarium, the container confining the female but allowing the fry to swim out through small holes. This type of trap only works where there are no other fishes in the aquarium. An alternative trap allows the fry to enter and seek refuge from the mother and other fishes in a community tank.

breeding tubercle = usually small, raised, epidermal structures on regions of the head, body, or fin rays where two individuals come in contact. May consist of aggregations of non-keratinized epidermal cells, the same with a light, superficial keratinized cuticle, or with substantial number of fully keratinized cells that are organized to form a discrete, usually conical cap. Breeding tubercles may function to maintain body contact between the sexes during spawning; in the defence of nests and territories; in the stimulation of females in courtship; and in some forms perhaps in sex and species recognition. Also called nuptial tubercles. Found in 15 families of 4 orders; Salmoniformes, Gonorhynchiformes, Cypriniformes, and Perciformes (Wiley and Collette, 1970).

breezer = angling term for a fish traveling rapidly just under the water surface, often not biting.

brevetoxin = a neurotoxin produced by the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis which itself forms red tides (q.v.). Causes fish kills and illness in humans who ingest filter-feeding shellfish.

brevotype = an unofficial term in nomenclature where a type is valid but is based on only the minimal requirements of the Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

brewis = fish and brewis (salt cod and hard bread (or hardtack) soaked in water overnight and then fried and garnished with salt pork and molasses in Newfoundland. Brewis is Middle English for bread soaked in drippings).

brews(e) = brewis.

Bridge's ossicle = one of four ossicles (a, b, c and d) on the posterior part of Meckel's cartilage. They may represent the large bone in palaeoniscids. Their homology is a = retroarticular, b and c = articular, and d = coronomeckelian.

bridger = the small cord or twisted hair to which a fishing hook or a cast of flies is attached.

Bridgestone cage = a pen or sea cage having a flexible collar or float used in exposed environments.

bridle = the rope or wire between the otter board and net in a trawl. May be single, twin or three bridle rigs. The towing bridle refers particularly to the wire between the net and ground wire.

brig = 1) a square-rigged ship with two masts.

brig = 2) bridger.

brigger = bridger.

brigantine = a two-masted ship with the foremast square-rigged and the mainmast fore- and aft-rigged.

brindled = a pattern of dark or mottled gray flecks or streaks.

brine = 1) a nearly saturated solution of salt in water. 100° is saturated brine, 358 g of salt added to one litre of water at 16°C. An 80° brine is used in smoking.

brine = 2) sea water.

brine cured = fish treated with salt in a water-tight container so that they cure in the pickle that is formed. Also called brine cured, brine salted, tank salted, wet cured, wet salted.

brine gauge = salinometer (a hydrometer used to measure the strength of sodium chloride solutions. Used in commercial preparation of fish. Also called brinometer.

brine liquor = pickle, a mixture of brine and fish body fluids extracted by immersion in the brine.

brine mechanically = brining fish with mechanical conveyers and/or pumps and controls.

brine pack = packing fish in barrels of brine.

brine packed fish = pickle cured fish (fish treated with salt in a watertight container such that they are cured in the resulting pickle drawn out from the flesh by the salt).

brine pickle = pickle, a mixture of brine and fish body fluids extracted by immersion in the brine.

brine shrimp = Artemia nauplii are used as food for fry in aquaria and, to a limited extent, adult brine shrimp may be fed to larger fish. They are not very nutritious and should not be used as the sole food. The nauplii are hatched from purchased cysts in warm, aerated, saline water and must be rinsed to remove salt before feeding to fry. Also known as "Sea Monkeys" and sold as such in comics.

brine storage = storing fish in brine until required for further processing or sale.

brined fish = fish immersed in brine as a treatment before further processing.

briner = a person who immerses fish in brine during brining.

brining = immersion of fish in brine before smoking, drying or canning for reasons of flavouring. Dye may be added before smoking.

brink = the gill of a fish (Cornish dialect).

brinometer = brine gauge.

Brisoletten = Fischfrikadellen (cod, coalfish or other white fish made into rissoles by mixing with binding materials and spices, then roasted, fried or hot-smoked, after cooling. Also packed in cans or glass jars usually with vinegar and spices (Germany). Marketed as semi-preserves or canned).

bristle = a stiff hair-like structure.

bristle-tipped float pole = a very sensitive pole float, q.v., with a fine plastic bristle tip.

brit = 1) the young of herring and like fishes. Also spelled britt.

brit = 2) a small sprat-like fish which heralds the approach of a shoal of herrings.

Brit = 3) Brian W. Coad.

britch = fish scored deeply with a knife to facilitate the process of boiling.

britches = breech.

britchet(s) = breech.

britchin'(s) = breech.

British Columbian trawl = a midwater trawl set from the stern. It has curved doors (q.v.) at the end of wire side pennants (or lines) which allows for a wider opening of the net when fishing. The mouth of the net is square and the net has four equally tapering sides. There is no cod end but a section of the net can be opened to empty the catch. The headline has aluminium planing floats, which cause the net to arch upwards, and an iron depressor at each lower corner of the net to pull downwards. Used to catch herring.

British gold = the cod (Gadus morhua), said by William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, in reference to giving fishing rights at Newfoundland to the French when he criticised this part of the Treaty of Paris (1763) in Parliament.

britt = brit.

broach of eels = eels, spitted on a stick or some other sharpened object. Also called a stick of eels, q.v.

broad flake = a platform raised on poles and covered with boughs on which large split cod (or flakes) are laid to dry in Newfoundland.

broadcast spawner = release of eggs and sperm into the water for external fertilisation without parental care.

Brockman body = large and very visible islets of Langerhans (endocrine pancreatic tissue) evident in some fishes.

brodle = broddle.

broddle = to probe in the water with a stick for fish (English dialect).

brog = broggle.

broggle = to fish for eels, by troubling or agitating the water (English dialect).

brogue = broggle.

broiled eel = a popular summer delicacy in Japan.

broken fish = dried and salted cod with an irregular surface, a defect (Newfoundland).

broken ice = ice covering five-tenths to eight-tenths of the water surface. Also called loose ice, loose pack ice, open ice, open pack ice, slack ice.

Bronsonian knot = a knot formed in the body towards the tail and which is moved towards the head in a living Gymnothorax and also presumably in hagfishes. Used to gain purchase in tearing off a mouthful of food from a large piece or in trying to escape from a hook.

brood = 1) a group of fish spawned at the same time.

brood = 2) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for dogfish.

brood = 3) a race, a kind.

brood fish = sexually mature fish, especially those used in aquaculture.

brood hider = an ecological group of reproductive guilds (q.v.) where fish hide their eggs but ds not care for them.

brood pond = a pond in which breeders are held before spawning.

brood pouch = brood-pouch.

brood stock = broodstock.

brood year = the year in which the eggs were fertilised and spawned. In some species, e.g. Salmonidae, the eggs overwinter so the eggs hatch in the following year.

brood-pouch = marsupium (the name applied to the brood-pouch in Syngnathidae and Solenostomidae. In Syngnathidae it consists of a vascularised groove formed by flaps of skin along the underside of the tail of males (subcaudal marsupium); in Solenostomidae it is a pouch formed by the pelvic fins, provided with many long filaments, and found only in the female (ventral fin marsupium)).

brooding establishment = a hatchery, where fish are hatched artificially.

broodline = the generation of pink salmon that reproduces every other year. Even-year pink salmon are reproductively isolated from odd-year pink salmon.

broodstock = mature fish retained at a hatchery to produce eggs and young. The term can include younger fish eventually to be used as spawners but not yet mature. May be used for eggs or juveniles from which subsequent generations will be produced.

broodstock pond = a pond constructed for broodstock.

brook = a small fast-flowing stream, often emerging from a spring, and generally defined as not formed from tributaries. Has a rocky bottom rocky bottom, can be quite wide but often is of no great depth. Also called creek but may be smaller than a creek in some definitions.

brooklet = a small brook.

broose = brewis.

broth = usually as fish broth, meaning water (slang).

brown cuprinol = a chemical once used to preserve fibrous fishing nets.

brown muscle = dark meat (muscle from just under the skin on each side of a fish that is darker and richer in fat than other flesh. Also called blood meat, dark muscle, red muscle).

brown trout = 1) Salmo trutta, a popular Eurasian sport fish, widely introduced.

brown trout = 2) piece of excrement (slang). See also blind mullet.

brownbow = a hybrid of rainbow (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and male brown trout (Salmo trutta).

browning = discolouration of fish, especially of dried or canned products, caused by a deteriorative reaction between amino groups of proteins and carbonyl groups of sugars during storage. There are also flavour changes and loss of some nutritive value. Known as the Maillard reaction or non-enzymatic browning reaction.

browse = bruised or damaged fish used as bait (Cornish dialect).

browser = fish that feed by scraping biofilm or aufwuchs, q.v.

Bruce = 1) the nickname of the mechanical great white sharks used in the movie "Jaws", purportedly named for Steven Spielberg's lawyer, Bruce Ramer.

Bruce = 2) the shark in the computer animated film "Finding Nemo".

bruck = the offal of fish or of cattle (British dialect).

bruis = brewis.

bruise = brewis.

bruse = brewis.

brush trap = see brushwood fishery and eel tuft.

brush weir = barricade.

brushpile = small to large piles of brushwood and tree limbs lying in the water, either occurring naturally or made up as a protective area for fishes. See also brushwood fishery.

brushwood fishery = large piles of brushwood deposited in the water forming a habitat or hiding place for fishes. The brushwood can be hauled out en masse to capture the fishes or surrounded by nets and shaken.

B_Threshold = minimum stock size threshold or MSST. At stock sizes below B_Threshold, the stock is considered to be overfished.

Bu = a photophore above the hind end of the upper jaw in Myctophidae. Formerly called macula buccae by some authors.

Bubba = a Queensland grouper fish that died on 22 August 2006 at the Shedd Aquarium, Chicago. He was given to the aquarium in 1987 by an anonymous donor and at that that time was a female about 10 inches long but, being a protogynous hermaphrodite, became male in the mid-1990s and eventually grew to be 69.3 kg. Bubba was famous for probably being the first fish to receive chemotherapy, to treat a growth on his forehead. He was a favourite with visitors, especially children with cancer. Also called the super grouper.

bubble curtain = bubble fence.

bubble feeding = the entrapment of a school of fish (or krill) by whales. A series of bubbles are blown out by the whale as it swims to the surface. The bubbles form a ringing curtain that rises to the surface of the water and concentrates the prey in the center. The whale charges through this curtain with its mouth open, engulfing the fish.

bubble fence = a stream of bubbles from a perforated hose or pipe used to control fish movements. Also called bubble curtain or bubble screen.

bubble filter = an internal filter in an aquarium using a series of lift tubes to draw water through a foam block.

bubble float = in angling, a round and hollow float made of clear plastic and with stoppers that allow water to be added to adjust casting weight. Used to present a floating bait to rudd or carp in Europe.

bubble nest = nests composed of bubbles and secretions built by Anabantidae. Serves as a protective coating for the eggs and newly hatched young.

bubble screen = bubble fence.

bubble-eye goldfish = goldfish (Carassius auratus) having upward directed eyes accompanied by fluid-filled sacs. The fluid can be extracted for studies on its growth-promoting effects on fish cell cultures; the fluid regenerates and the fish need not be sacrificed.

bubbly-fisher = a fisherman who fails to catch any fish (Scottish dialect).

bubonic disease = boil disease.

buccal = 1) relating to the mouth cavity.

buccal = 2) in relation to teeth, referring to the cheek side.

buccal cavity = the mouth cavity.

buccal cirrus = one of the tentacles surrounding the entrance to the vestibule which leads to the mouth in Amphioxi. Used as an aid in securing food.

buccal funnel = the cone-shaped cavity leading to the mouth in Petromyzontiformes.

buccal gland = the gland in Petromyzontiformes which secretes a saliva-like fluid having anticoagulant, haemolytic and cytolytic properties; the secretion is called lamphredin.

buccal incubation = oral incubation (mouth-breeding or the care and hatching of fertilized eggs in the mouth. Also called, less aptly, oral gestation, e.g. certain Apogonidae, Ariidae, Anabantidae, Osteoglossidae).

buccal photophore = a light organ just above the end of the jaw in Myctophidae. Abbreviated Bu.

buccal valve = oral valve (the flap attached just inside the jaws which stop water escaping from the mouth during exhalation, helping to maintain a unidirectional flow. Usually a valve is found just inside the ring of teeth in the jaw. Posterior valves may also be present).

bucco-branchial incubation = the retention of eggs near or on the gills until hatching, e.g. in certain species of Apogon (Apogonidae).

bucco-hypophysial canal = the canal between the pituitary and the roof of the pharynx, probably representing a persistent Rathke's pouch and possibly having a secretory function, e.g. in Elops, Polypterus, Calamoichthys.

bucco-pharyngeal incubation = the retention of eggs in the mouth and pharyngeal cavities, e.g. in Apogonidae, presumably similar to or a continuation of bucco-branchial incubation.

bucco-pharyngeal papilla = one of the small protuberances on the inner mouth lining and the beginning of the gut.

bucco-pharynx = that part of the mouth used to house larvae and eggs in species which use buccal incubation.

buccopharynx = bucco-pharynx.

bucht = a certain measure of the length of a coil of fishing line. Also called bicht or bight.

buck = 1) male sturgeon or male fish generally, sometimes referring to a spawning male.

buck = 2) a large basket used to catch eels. Also called eel buck.

buck-weel = a bow-net for fish (obsolete).

bucket mouth = angling slang for a large fish, usually a bass.

buckhorn = dried cod, because it is very tough.

buckler = 1) bony shield, scute, modified scales associated with unpaired fins with a presumed hydrodynamic function.

buckler = 2) a circular piece of wood used with a lever to press dried and salted fish into barrels or casks.

buckling = a large fat herring, sometimes headed, lightly salted and hot smoked (correctly Bückling). Also called pickling in the U.S.A.

bucktail = 1) a streamer fly dressed with hair from a deer's tail, resembling a fish. Adds bulk and attraction to a lure. Usually has a long segment of hair, layered back from the hook eye to the hook bend. Also simply the hair from a deer's tail used in tying dry flies and bucktails.

bucktail = 2) jig (one to several bare hooks attached to a weighted line. The hook(s) may have a lead head (lead molded around the hook) and be dressed with, or have a skirt of, rubber, hair, silicone or plastic).

bud = an undifferentiated protuberance that appears at the initial formation of the paired fins.

büddi = buddie (a straw creel (q.v.) (Scottish dialect). Also spelled buidy, buithy, böddie or bødi).

buddie = a straw creel (q.v.) (Scottish dialect). Also spelled büddi, buidy, buithy, böddie or bødi).

buff = to steep salted herrings in water and hang them up (Scotland).

buffed herring = salted herring steeped in water, swollen out (Scotland).

buffer = an alkaline substance with a pH over 7.0 added to preserving fluids to neutralise acids (formalin may turn acidic and should be buffered for long-term storage of fish) or to aquaria to stabilise pH.

buffer zone = an area that separates the core from human interference, as in a core off-limits to fishing.

bug colony = a colony of beetles (usually Dermestes) used for cleaning large fish skeletons of flesh. Also called dermestid colony.

bug fly = a cork-bodied surface fly imitating various aquatic and terrestrial organisms for angling.

buidy = buddie (a straw creel (q.v.) (Scottish dialect). Also spelled büddi, buithy, böddie or bødi).

buithy = buddie (a straw creel (q.v.) (Scottish dialect). Also spelled büddi, buidy, böddie or bødi).

bukat = bykat.

Bukelz, William = see Beukel, William.

bulb = the rounded swelling forming the main body of the esca or bait at the end of the illicium or fishing rod in anglerfishes.

bulbiform = bulb-shaped.

bulbous = swollen or rounded in shape.

bulbus = bulbous.

bulbus arteriosus = a chamber in the heart, q.v., of teleosts (see conus arteriosus in elasmobranchs). The bulbus arteriosus is the enlarged base of the ventral aorta and is incapable of muscular pulsation (unlike the conus arteriosus) but it is elastic and can enlarge or shrink in response to change in blood pressure.

bulbus oculi = eyeball.

bulbus olfactorius = olfactory bulb (a large organ of smell, e.g. in sharks. This is the most anterior part of the brain but is distinct from the telencephalon while anteriorly it merges with the olfactory nerve).

bulbus organ = electroreceptor (an organ which detects the presence of an electric current).

bulbus prop = a mushroom-shaped support for the eyeball in Elasmobranchii.

bulk = 1) to pile split and salted cod during the curing process or, when dry, for storage (Newfoundland).

bulk = 2) the quantity of herring nets shot at one time, about 50 yards.

bulk cure = salmon, cod and related species salted in alternating layers of split fish and salt and arranged so the resulting fluid (pickle) can drain away. Also called kench cure, salt bulk, bulk salted fish, round cure, round salted fish and bulk cure.

bulk fish = split and salted cod, either undried or dried and stacked for shipment.

bulk food = food of large volume and low nutritive value used in aquaculture.

bulk of food = the main mass of food, especially stomach contents.

bulk pen = a large pound on a trawler for placing cod in layers of ice.

bulk salted fish = bulk cure.

bulk shot = a heavy split shot or several shot grouped together on a fishing line. Usually placed below the halfway point between float and hook and used to sink a bait rapidly.

bulk stowage = fish mixed with ice in layers 45 cm deep on board ships at sea.

bulked fish = bulk fish.

bulking = storing loose whole fish mixed with layers of ice in a fish hold or room on a vessel. Also called bulk stowage.

bull = the boat which shoots or hauls the net in bull or pair trawling.

bull net = deep gill nets, very efficient at catching fish.

bull rope = lazy deckie (a rope to haul the cod end to a ship's side).

bull trawling = pair trawling (bottom or mid-water trawling by two vessels towing the same net. Very large nets can be towed in this manner by relatively small boats and the net is generally hauled alternately aboard the two vessels for processing of the catch).

bulla prootica = a swollen bony sheath which encloses the utriculus, q.v.

bulla pterotica = a swollen bony sheath which encloses the sacculus, q.v., and is surrounded by the horizontal semicircular canal in Clupeoidei.

bullate = having a puckered or blistered appearance.

bulldog cod = a deformed Gadus morhua here the upper part of the head has a crown-like shape. Also called seal head cod. Called king cod in Norway and thought to bring good luck and to lead schools of cod to that country.

bullet = a bright fresh fish.

bullet sinker = a cone shaped lead weight that slides up and down a fishing line.

Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature = the official periodical of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.

bullpen trap = use of nets forming a large enclosure to trap fish in Hawaii.

bully = 1) to transfer cod from a net to vessel for splitting (Labrador).

bully = 2) fishes which are short and thick-set (English dialect).

bully net = dip-net (a bag-shaped net held open by a square or rounded frame on the end of a long pole. Used to scoop fish from the water).

bultow fishing = a series of hooks on snoods set along one line. Also called spilliard fishing, trawl fishing or spillet fishing. See also boulter, spiller, trot line, longline, etc.

bultys = a moored fishing line, with snoods and many hooks attached; used for catching conger, pollack, etc. (Cornish dialect).

bummaree = fish-jobbers or middlemen in Billingsgate Market in London who buy fish from salesmen and then retail them. Corruption of bonne marée (good fresh fish or the seller thereof).

bummareeing = to buy up large quantities of fish to sell retail.

bump = taking of bait by a fish. Also called bite, hit and strike.

bump-net = a stiff net of chicken wire on a long handle, held near the wash of an outboard motor, used to catch male shad (Alosa sapidissima) in California. The shad are attracted by the prop wash, bump into the net and must then be flicked into the boat.

bump-troll = maintaining a trolled bait in the same spot by putting the boat engine in and out of gear (bumping) to hold position.

bumper = a full catch or load of fish.

bumper line = shock tippet (in angling, a heavy section of leader above the fly as protection against abrasion and the teeth of the fish).

bumping = when a lure hits a log, rock, bottom or other structure in a controlled manner in order to attract a bite.

bunch = school (a group of fishes, usually constituted of the same species, which tends to orient and move in the same direction. There are obligate and facultative schoolers. The latter can only be forced to stop schooling momentarily by considerable violence and will not maintain a state of random orientation. See aggregation).

bund = 1) the elevated rim around a constructed pond.

bund = 2) an impoundment used to simulate riverine conditions for breeding major carps. May be perennial or seasonal, common in India.

bundh = bund.

B_unfished = the unfished or pristine biomass.

bung = a small conical piece of plastic inside a fishing rod used as an anchor to hold the end of an elastic, q.v.

bunt = 1) the bag part in a seine or the strengthened, central part of a purse seine, where fish are concentrated when hauling in the net. Also called bag.

bunt = 2) the section of the lower wing of a trawl, overhung by the square.

buoy = a float moored to the bottom that marks a navigational channel, a position such as a shoal, a wreck or a net or trap. Also used to show the position of an anchor for attaching a boat and then called a mooring buoy. Pronounced "boy" in English and "boo-ee" in American. Variously coloured and shaped, of widely different sizes, and may have a whistle, bell or gong.

buoy pole = a buoy with a pole sticking out the top so it can be seen at a distance.

buoyancy compensator = buoyancy control device. Abbreviated as BC.

buoyancy control device = an expandable bladder in the form of an expandable vest used with scuba apparatus. It can be inflated with air from the scuba tank to increase buoyancy while diving and is used for resting, swimming or lending assistance to others under water. It is deflated by special air-dump valves or hoses. Also called a buoyancy compensator (BC). Abbreviated as BCD.

buoyant egg = a free-floating or pelagic egg.

burden = a parcel of fish (Scottish dialect). Also called back burden.

burley = berley, an erroneous spelling.

burn = 1) a small stream, rivulet, or brook (Scottish and Saxon).

burn = 2) in processing cod, too much sun or salt exposure, spoiling the fish.

burn = 3) burn the water.

burn the water = to kill salmon at night with a leister (q.v.) using a light to see (English and Scottish dialect).

burning = retrieving a fishing lure fast enough to cause it to splash at the surface. Also called ripping or buzzing.

buro = dry salted and split freshwater fish, repacked with rice, salt and a fermenting agent (Philippines).

burping = applying pressure on the sides of a fish taken from depth to release expanded air from the air bladder.

bursa = a purse from the Latin and so used for any enclosed sac or pouch.

bursa entiana = a chamber-like enlargement found in the pyloric part of the stomach of some Elasmobranchii.

burst = a sudden and violent appearance of a shoal of fish.

burst belly = severe belly burn resulting in a ruptured abdomen, usually in pelagic fishes.

burst speed = the maximum speed a fish can maintain for a short period (5-10 seconds). Used in seizing prey or escaping a predator. Also called darting speed.

bush rope = the main rope to which the row of herring drifting gill nets are attached.

busk = to dress flies for fishing.

busker = a fisherman who dares all weathers (Cornish dialect).

busktail = a lure or streamer fly having a tail made of long strands of deer hair.

busom = bosom.

busum = bosom.

buss = a boat used in fishing for herrings (English dialect).

bustard = a large moth or artificial bait for fish (English dialect).

but = butt (3).

but = butt (4).

butt = 1) a cask or barrel used to pickle or store fish. Held 4 quintals of fish, 1 quintal in Lunenburg Nova Scotia being 112 pounds.

butt = 2) the bottom or reel end of a fishing rod.

butt = 3) putt (a tapering basket used in making fish weirs on the Wye and Severn rivers of England. Putts are placed in groups of six or nine between pairs of stakes, each group between two stakes is called a puttcher. Also called kype).

butt = 4) any flatfish (English dialect).

butt end = part of the sound-bone or backbone closest to the head of a cod fish (Newfoundland).

butt cure = fish that have been treated with salt in a watertight container (or butt) so that the fish are cured in the pickle that is formed.

butt indicator = a hinged bite indicator clipping onto a fishing rod just above the butt ring. Used in windy conditions as its position can be more easily protected.

butt rest = a small u-shaped rod rest for holding the handle of a fishing rod when ledgering or float fishing.

butt ring = the first ring on a fishing rod above the reel. This ring is usually larger than other rings to facilitate casting.

butt seat = a half-moon seat used by anglers to lean against. Also called bike seat.

butt section = the thicker end of a tapered leader that is tied to a fly line.

butt-end = butt end.

butter a whiting = to flatter or wheedle (English and Scottish dialect). See also "give one whitings but (= without) bones".

butterflied = prepared as a butterfly fillet.

butterfly = an L-shaped steel plate shackled between the dan leno spindle and legs. Also called arm, banana, boomerang, dan leno arm, dan leno bracket, dan leno spreader, devil's elbow, spreader bar.

butterfly dropper knot = a knot in angling used to form a loop in the main line. May slip if not properly tightened and best for heavier lines. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

butterfly fillet = a fillet from each side of a fish left joined together (usually at the gut region but can be at the backbone) after removal from the backbone. Also called angel fillet, cutlet, double fillet or when smoked golden cutlet.

butterfly net = a net with two wings shaped like those of a butterfly in the form of an oval scoop net. Used on Mexican lakes.

button-up fry = a salmonid fry that has not completely absorbed its yolk sac and has emerged from its spawning gravel (stages at 45°F in chinook salmon are green = 0 days, eyed = 38 days, sack fry = 69 days, swim up = 92 days and button up = 115 days).

buttoned fry = button-up fry.

buy-back = the purchase of vessels and fishing licences from producers by a government agency to reduce fishing effort and capacity.

buzz bar = a horizontal bar screwing onto the top of a rod pod, q.v. Multiple rod rests can be screwed in the buzz bar supporting several rods at once.

buzzbait = buzzer.

buzzer = 1) a spinner designed to make a disturbance in the water's surface by means of rotating blades.

buzzer = 2) an inline spinner with a prop blade instead of a normal blade.

buzzing = retrieving a fishing lure fast enough to cause it to splash at the surface. Also called ripping or burning.

BWD = body weight daily (a measure of food requirement and/or uptake expressed as a percentage or as a decimal fraction).

by boat = bye boat

by boat fishery = cod fishery made from small boats in inshore waters.

by boat keeper = a man who operates inshore fishing craft (Newfoundland).

by boatman = a fisherman engaged in the inshore cod fishery using small craft in Newfoundland.

by (the) salmon = an oath (obsolete). See also so help me salmon.

by-catch = bycatch.

by-product = any part of the catch which is kept or sold by the fisher but which is not the target species.

bycatch = fishes caught incidental to the target species; also called incidental catch or accidental catch. These fishes are usually of lesser value than the target species, and are often discarded. Some bycatch species are of commercial value and are retained for sale. The bycatch often consists of the juveniles of commercial species, and their loss has a deleterious impact on the overall yield obtained from a certain area. In a commercial fishery there are economic discards (fish thrown away for economic reasons, e.g. too small, damaged, not enough commercially value, etc.) and regulatory discards (fish thrown away because of the regulations as to size or species allowed to the fishery). Fish released alive under catch-and-release management programmes are not considered as bycatch. Also spelled by-catch.

bycatch excluder device = a mechanism attached to a net (such as the cod end of a trawl) to allow the escape of young fish or of other, endangered species such as turtles, seals and dolphins.

bycatch reduction device = bycatch excluder device.

bye-boat = a small inshore fishing boat in Newfoundland. Undecked and of varying design, size and rig. Originally owned and operated by fishermen coming from England annually to take cod.

bye-boat fishery = cod fishery made from small boats in inshore waters.

bye-boat keeper = a man who operates inshore fishing craft (Newfoundland).

bye-boatman = a fisherman engaged in the inshore cod fishery using small craft in Newfoundland.

bykat = a male salmon based on its development of a kype (Angus dialect). Also spelled beikat and bukat.

bykill = bycatch.

bypass = bypass channel.

bypass channel = a channel running along the side of an aquaculture pond. Used to regulate water level. See also supply channel.

bypass systems = moving screens lowered into turbine intakes to divert fish away from turbines at hydroelectric dams. Bypassed fish can then be returned directly to the river below the dam. In some cases facilities exist to load bypassed fish onto barges or trucks for transport to a release site downstream from all dams in a series.

C

C = 1) abbreviation for caudal fin.

C = 2) abbreviation for caudal fin rays.

C = 3) Carboniferous, a period within the Palaeozoic Era ca. 365-290 million years ago.

C = 4) the Roman numeral 100.

C = 5) degrees centigrade, a measure of temperature. Note that 12°C is a temperature while 12C° is a number of degrees or a range, e.g. 20-31°C inclusive.

c. = 1) abbreviation for cum, meaning with.

c. = 2) abbreviation for circa, meaning approximately, about.

c & s = cleared and stained (a specimen with some tissues rendered transparent by various chemical treatments while others are stained to enhance their visibility. In fish osteological studies, the flesh is cleared with enzymes or potassium hydroxide and the bones stained red with alizarin red S and the cartilage blue with alcian blue).

C1 = principal caudal fin ray.

C2 = procurrent caudal fin rays.

C/E = catch per unit effort.

ca. = abbreviation for circa, meaning approximately, about.

caal = a mill-dam or weir; the outlet of water from a dam (English dialect).

caapie = cappie.

caavie = kavi (a sinker on a fishing line (Scottish dialect). Also spelled kaavie).

cabbie = a small cod caught near the shore, not big enough for salting down and selling, but of a nice size for eating fresh (Scottish dialect). Also spelled kabbi or kabby.

cabe = to steal fish from the nets or the carts which carry them to the curing cellars (Cornish dialect).

cabelew = cod or pike hung and salted for a few days but not thoroughly dried (Scottish dialect). Also spelled cabylou, kabbilow and kabbelow.

cabesta = the space between the hook and lead in a fishing line (Cornish dialect).

cable = 1) a formerly used, horizontal, nautical measurement. Traditionally 120 fathoms, 720 feet, 219.4 m or 0.1185 nautical mile. The British Navy used the cable to equal exactly 0.1 nautical mile, 608 feet or 185.3 m.

cable = 2) to entangle or twist a net (Newfoundland).

caboolen stone = a stone suspended from a rope, and kept continually plunging, in order to scare pilchards when in the net, and prevent them from escaping (Cornish dialect).

cabylou = cabelow.

cachexia = weight loss, muscle wasting, loss of appetite, and general debility, usually due to a chronic disease, or malnutrition.

cade = an older name for a cask used to pack and measure fish. A cade of herring comprised 720 fish, a cade of sprats at Aldborough was a thousand. Also spelled caid.

cader = a small wooden frame on which a fisherman keeps his line (English dialect).

cadger = an itinerant dealer in fish (English dialect).

caducous = readily shed, deciduous, e.g. scales in Clupea which are easily detached.

caeca = plural of caecum.

caecum (plural caeca) = a blindly ending sac arising from the gut or other hollow organ, e.g. pyloric caeca, q.v.

caecum cloacae = a gland of unknown function communicating with the cloaca of Dipnoi.

caenogenetic = of recent origin.

Cænozoic = Cenozoic.

Café de Paris butter = a mixture of herbs and spices, Worcestershire sauce, and the ichthyological ingredient, anchovies, whipped into a butter. The butter is shaped into a roll and a piece is sliced off and allowed to melt on hot meat.

caff = refuse or unsaleable fish (Cornish dialect).

caffler = to deal in caff or unsaleable fish (Cornish dialect).

cage = a box-shaped enclosure of wire or netting used for controlled aquaculture in open water.

cage culture = rearing of fish in cages, on the bottom or floating. Cages may be made of wire or netting.

cage reel = 1) a fishing reel that is light, made of wire and has donut-shaped spool.

cage-reel = 2) a fishing reel with spools (called skeleton spools) and side plates with pieces cut out to ventilate the line.

cage swimfeeder = in angling, an open-ended plastic or metal mesh container filled with bait. Its structure allows more rapid release of bait through the mesh and it offers less resistance to water currents so that less weights are needed to hold it on the bottom.

CAGEAN = catch-at-age-analysis; the estimated number of fish caught, tabulated by fish age and year of capture, and by other factors such as gear or nation. Catch-at-age may be estimated on the basis of catch-at-size, using age-length keys or cohort slicing.

cahill = coghel.

cain fish = cane fish.

caid = cade.

caisie = cassie.

caiss = cassie.

caisy = cassie.

Caisson's disease = gas bubble disease. Supersaturated gases (>125%) in water entering the the body fluids of fish causing bubbles, an embolism. Also called bends or decompression sickness.

caivel = dividing fish from a catch by lots (British dialect).

cake = fish cake (1) fish flesh mixed with potatoes, seasoning and sometimes eggs, butter and onions and formed into cakes or patties and fried in fat).

cake = fish cake (2) fish before drying in the manufacturing process for fish meal).

calcareous spherule = otoconium (ear dust; a minute transparent calcite crystal with well developed faces secreted within the labyrinth and mixed with mineral particles or otarenae).

calcified cartilage = cartilage containing calcium salts and thus strengthened and hardened. Found in vertebrae and teeth.

calcitran = a substance produced by the ultimobranchial gland (q.v.) which helps regulate the calcium level.

calcium cyanamide = CaCN₃, used in aquaculture as a pond disinfectant, especially for Myxosoma cerebralis, the cause of whirling disease. Also called lime nitrogen.

calcium generator = a device maintaining the calcium level in an aquarium having corals. Carbon dioxide and a calcium-rich medium are injected into the aquarium, the carbon dioxide reducing the pH and dissolving the calcium medium for uptake by the corals. Calcium level is about 420 p.p.m.

calcium reactor = calcium generator.

Calcutta style = a fishing tournament where each fisherman or boat contributes fees which are given out as prizes.

caldera lake = a lake formed in a caldera. See also crater lake.

calf = a large piece broken off an iceberg, glacier or floe. See calve.

caliculate = cup-shaped.

calculi = plural of calculus.

calculus = a solid concretion made up of minerals and salts; found in ducts, cysts, hollow organs, etc in fishes, notably urinary ducts.

caldeirada = a Portuguese fish stew with potatoes onions, garlic, tomatoes and parsley. A wide variety of fishes are used including skates, sardines, tuna, mackerel, halibut, flounder, monkfish, cod and haddock.

Californian incubator = a horizontal tray for hatching eggs, especially salmonids.

Californian tray = Californian incubator.

caliology = the study of nests, burrows, tubes, etc. constructed by animals.

calipers = an instrument used to measure thickness or length of an object, such as structures on a fish, comprising a sliding, graduated scale (vernier) and points or jaws. May record distance or width by means of a vernier, a dial or electronically.

call-back = the weir or dam put across a river or stream to turn water to the mill (English dialect).

call-head = the top of a weir or dam crossing a stream (English dialect).

callar = caller.

caller = fresh, in proper season, newly caught or gathered, not flabby or stale, said of fish and vegetables (English dialect). Also spelled callour, callar, calour, caloure, calloure, callowr, and callor.

callicarpone = a plant piscicide from leaves of Callicarpa candicans (Verbenaceae), used in the Caroline and Philippine islands. Other piscicidal plant chemicals include huratoxin, ichthyothereol, inophyllolide, juglone, justicidin, maingayic acid, rotenone, and vibsanine, all q.v.

callor = caller.

callour = caller.

calloure = caller.

callous pad = pharyngeal pad (the covering of the pharyngeal process against which the pharyngeal teeth grind food).

callowr = caller.

callus = any, hard thickened epidermal area, usually the result of irritation or friction.

calour = caller.

caloure = caller.

calve = to break off a portion or calf, as of an iceberg, glacier or floe.

calver salmon = a fish dressed as soon as it is caught (Lancashire dialect).

calvert salmon = a salmon recently caught and still warm (English dialect). Also spelled colvert salmon.

calyculate = covered by cup-shaped structures.

cambered otter board = an otter board, q.v., of trawl curved in fore and aft directions.

Cambrian = the earliest period of the Palaeozoic Era, ca. 570-504 million years ago. Abbreviated as Є.

camera = a chamber or cavity, e.g. those containing the otoliths in the ear.

camera aerea Weberiana = a cranial diverticulum of the gas ladder which separates from the main portion. It can disappear or remain small.

cameral = a spawned haddock (Scottish dialect). Also spelled camerel, cawmril, kameril and kemerel.

camerel = cameral.

cammo lead = a camouflaged lead weight used by anglers and meant to disguise its presence from fish

camp = fish camp (a camp used as a base for angling by a group of people; may be very simple or have accommodation and other facilities).

camptotrich = camptotrichium.

camptotrichia = plural of camptotrichium.

camptotrichium (plural camptotrichia) = rays which support the fin membranes in Dipnoi and Crossopterygii. Actinotrichia are not found distal to the camptotrichia in the fin membrane. This suggests that they are homologous to the ceratotrichia of Elasmobranchii but for the fact that they are segmented, branched and more or less ossified like lepidotrichia. They are covered with scales. It is not clear whether they are segmented and branched actinotrichia or lepidotrichia which have lost their terminal actinotrichia.

can = a hermetically sealed container. Fish are often sterilised and canned.

canal = 1) an artificial watercourse, usually with clearly defined banks and depths, controlled water levels, and often locks to allow movement of vessels between different levels. Canals may allow movements of fishes between previously unconnected drainages.

canal = 2) in anatomy, an open or closed channel; a tube or tubule.

canal bone = one of series of bones of dermal origin that enclose the neuromasts and seismosensory canals. May be formed from one or more ossification centres. Also called sensory canal bone or sense organ bone.

canal catapult = in European angling, a small catapult used in restricted areas like canals to deliver ground bait to an area as an attractant to fish.

canal neuromast = sense organs found in lateral line canals in the dermis. See also superficial or free neuromasts, large pit organs and small pit organs.

canal stand = in European angling, a small metal platform for bait and gear that stands by itself on the hard canal banks.

caniculate = with grooves or channels.

canaliculi = plural of canaliculus.

canaliculus (plural canaliculi) = 1) a small branch of a canal or duct; a groove or tubular channel.

canaliculus (plural canaliculi) = 2) a small tubule interconnecting lacunae to neighbouring capillaries.

canalis hæmalis (plural canales hæmales) = haemal canal (the tube formed by all the haemal arches, through which run the caudal vein and dorsal aorta).

canales hæmales = plural of canalis hæmalis.

canalis neuralis (canales neurales) = neural canal (the spinal cord canal through the neural arches).

canales neurales = plural of canalis neuralis.

canalis Sclemmii = a circular vessel located in the angle between the annular ligament (which binds the iris and cornea) and the cornea.

canales semicirculares = plural of canalis semicircularis.

canalis semicircularis (plural canales semicirculares) = semicircular ear canal (fluid-filled canals embedded in the cranium and concerned with balance and hearing. Gnathostomata have 3 canals, lampreys have 2 (lacking a horizontal canal), and hagfishes have only one canal, perhaps appearing secondarily by the joining of two canals). Fossil Cyclostomata my have had 7 or more semicircular canals.

cancellous = having cavities, spongy, porous, or reticulate, usually of bone.

candidate species = a fish species being considered for protection, e.g. under the Endangered Species Act in the U.S.A.

candle = the rubbery sheath enclosing the fertilised eggs of Squalus acanthias. It dissolves after several months and the pups are free to develop in the uterus.

candlefish = the eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus, Osmeridae) which is so fatty that it can be dried, threaded with a wick and used as a candle. See also grease trail.

candling = placing fish or fish fillets on a transparent table illuminated from below so that parasites and defects can be detected by the light shining through the flesh.

candy bait = in angling, slang for squid used as bait.

cane fish = rent for fishing, paid in kind (Northumberland dialect). Also spelled cain, kain and kane fish.

cane pole = a long bamboo pole used in stillwater fishing, with the line attached to the tip but without a reel or line guides.

Canestrini's organ = a bony process or plate at the base of the first (unbranched) and second (first branched) ray of the pectoral fin of male Cobitis.

Canestrini's scale = Canestrini's organ.

canine = a large, pointed, conical or blade-like tooth. Usually distinctly larger than surrounding teeth and few in number. Some are hinged to permit entry but hinder escape of prey. Often found in carnivores, e.g. in some Blenniidae, Serranidae, Labridae.

caniniform = shaped like canine teeth. Caniniform teeth are used to grasp, pierce and restrain prey and may be hinged and depressible to allow prey to be swallowed, locked erect to capture prey.

canister filter = an efficient form of aquarium filter comprising a canister internal or external to the aquarium. A pump forces water through the canister with its contained biological (bio-substrate), chemical (carbon) and physical (floss) filters. Canisters need to be cleaned regularly. External canisters are not normally used for small aquaria.

canned fish = fish packed in metal containers with hermetic sealing and heating to destroy bacteria. Pickled fish with a pH below 4.5 require less heat than fish products with a higher pH. Some fish types do not can well, e.g. those with white flesh, as major changes in colour, texture and flavour occur in processing. Fatty fish species such as herring, mackerel, salmon and tuna make good canned products.

canned fish ball = haddock or a related type of fish flesh made into balls with potato-flour and cereals, and put in a fish bouillon. Often stored in a one-pound can where they may be heated before serving, or removed and fried or baked. Found in Scandinavia.

Cannery Row = where sardines were canned in Monterey, California and the title of a 1945 book by John Steinbeck.

cannibal viviparity = uterine cannibalism (the condition in some sharks where the embryos feed on eggs and smaller siblings inside the mother).

cannibalism = eating members of one's own species, common in fishes.

cannonball = a very heavy, round weight (up to 12 lbs or 5.5 kg) used in deepwater fishing with downriggers.

canoe = a light, long and narrow boat with pointed ends, curved sides and paddles for propulsion. Often light enough to be carried around obstructions by one person.

canopy = overhanging vegetation, branches and leaves, providing shade and cover for fishes. Crown cover is greater than 1 metre above the water surface while overhanging cover is less than this (or less than 0.3 m). The latter in particular provides protection for fish from insolation and aerial predators.

cantal = quintal (q.v.).

canthaxanthin = an orange-red carotenoid pigment found particularly in salmonid flesh derived from the diet and sometimes added to the diet of cultured fish. It is not a permitted food additive in some countries. See also astaxanthin.

cantor = a small frame of wood on which a fisherman keeps his line (Cornish dialect).

canyon = 1) a deep gorge with steep sides and often a stream, characteristic of arid and semi-arid regions.

canyon = 2) a relatively narrow, deep depression with steep sides, the bottom of which generally has a continuous slope, developed characteristically on some continental slopes in the ocean.

cap = a cover over a container extending down on all sides, a jar lid. For liquid-preserved specimens like fish polypropylene caps are preferred as metal lids eventually rust and harder plastic lids crack.

cap liner = a flat disc fitting inside a cap ensuring a tighter seal. Cardboard liners usually shrink away from the lid when used with liquid-preserved specimens like fish and foam polyethylene liners are preferred.

cap net = any net used to retain or hold fish, even on a commercial scale (Newfoundland). See also keepnet net, kelp net or kipp net.

capacity = fishing capacity is the quantity of fish that can be taken over a period of time (year, season) by a fishing unit, e.g. an individual, community, vessel or fleet, assuming that there is no limitation on the yield from the stock usually expressed as gross tonnage, hold capacity, or horsepower. Reflects potential rather than nominal fishing effort. It may be the maximum amount of fish that can be produced by a fishing fleet if fully utilized, given the biomass and age structure of the fish stock and the present state of the technology.

cape = a prominent land mass jutting out into the sea.

cape boat = a large fishing boat, rigged fore and aft, used to fish the inshore banks of Newfoundland, particularly Cape St. Mary's grounds, on the south coast.

Cape Cod = a Massachusetts cape named in 1602 by Bartholomew Gosnold for the multitudes of fish which vexed his ship.

Cape Cod turkey = a salted cod in Massachusetts.

Cape Island vessel = a speedy fishing vessel, 32-45 feet long (and up to 57 feet), carrying a crew of two, of carvel construction with an inboard engine amidships and a shelter forward. Used for herring and groundfish gillnetting, inshore longlining, shallow water stern trawling, herring pumping and trolling. Also called snapper and Cape Islander.

Cape Islander = Cape Island vessel.

capelin = caplin.

capelin school = capelin scull.

capelin scull = the annual migration of Mallotus villosus to spawn on beaches in June and July. The commercially important offshore cod, Gadus morhua, followed the scull and indicated the start of the inshore fishery in eastern Canada.

capillary bed = the network of capillaries in a particular area or organ of the body.

capita = plural of caput.

capital stuffing = investment of more money by commercial fishermen in fishing capacity to offset regulations that make fishing effort less effective. Usually involves technical gear such as deck handling machinery, multiple echo-sounders, sonar, etc.

caplin = capelin, Mallotus villosus (Osmeridae) (Newfoundland). This fish appears on beaches to spawn in June and July, followed by the commercially important cod (Gadus morhua) which feeds on them. Capelin are netted for bait, for manuring fields, or dried, salted, smoked or frozen for eating.

caplin bait = capelin netted for use as bait, especially in trawl-fishing for cod in Newfoundland.

caplin baiting = 1) a quantity of capelin taken aboard a vessel in port at one time for use in in the Newfoundland Bank fishery for cod.

caplin baiting = 2) a fishing voyage to the Newfoundland Banks, the length being fixed by the supply of capelin bait aboard ship.

caplin bunting = a grade of net, with very fine mesh, for catching capelin (Newfoundland).

caplin cart = a two-wheeled, horse-drawn cart formerly used to carry capelin from the shore to the fields for fertiliser in Newfoundland.

caplin fishery = the organised fishery for this species on a large scale for processing (Newfoundland).

caplin glut = an abundance of capelin.

caplin mesh = the small mesh of cast-nets used to catch capelin (Newfoundland).

caplin pit = a hole in the ground into which capelin are thrown to be used as fertilizer (Newfoundland).

caplin run = capelin scull.

caplin schule = capelin scull.

caplin scull = capelin scull.

caplin scull fishery = the cod fishery during and after the spawning season of the capelin (Newfoundland).

caplin scull salmon = smaller salmon migrating to fresh water during June and July (Newfoundland).

caplin scull weather = wet, foggy weather which often coincides with the spawning season of capelin in June and July (Newfoundland).

caplin season = the months June and July, when capelin appear inshore in Newfoundland.

caplin seine = a seine with small meshes used to catch capelin (Newfoundland).

caplin sick = cod glutted with capelin.

caplin skiff = a large undecked boat employed to catch caplin (Newfoundland).

caplin spawn = the eggs of capelin on rocks or seaweed.

caplin time = caplin season.

caplin trap = type of fixed fishing-gear used in inshore waters to take capelin.

caplin trip = a voyage using capelin as bait in the Bank fishery of Newfoundland.

caplin voyage = the taking of cod in traps during the period June to July when the fish follow capelin inshore in Newfoundland.

caplin weather = foggy, wet, and sometimes cold weather which usually coincides with the appearance inshore of capelin to spawn in early summer in Newfoundland.

capline = caplin.

capling = caplin.

capon = 1) a castrated cock, fattened for the table.

capon = 2) a red herring or other kinds of fish (slang). See Crail's capon, Glasgow capon, Severn capon, and Yarmouth capon.

capon = 3) called "a fish out of the coop" by monks who wished to evade the Friday fast by eating chickens instead of fish.

cappie = a heavy stone used as a sinker to a fishing line (Shetland Isles dialect). See also caapie, cappie-stone and bolta stone.

cappie-stone = cappie.

capsula auditiva (plural capsulæ auditivæ) = auditory capsule (cartilaginous skeleton about the inner ear in Elasmobranchii, a chondral skeleton in bony fishes comprised of the prootic, opisthotic (or its replacement), intercalar, epiotic (or exoccipital), sphenotic, pterosphenoid and basipshenoid as walls and floor with the parietals and frontals as the roof).

capsulæ auditivæ = plural of capsula auditiva.

capsular ethmoid = a paired perichondral bone on the inner concave walls of the nasal capsule.

Captain Haddock = Captain Archibald Haddock is a character in The Adventures of Tintin, a series of comic books by Georges Prosper Remi (pen name Hergé). Known for his drinking and innovative cursing. A real-life Captain Herbert Haddock was temporarily in command of the Titanic. The name derives from a 1931 Franco-German musical film Le Capitaine Craddock, a favourite of Hergé.

captive brood stock = fish raised and spawned in captivity.

captive broodstock program = collection of individuals (or gametes) from a natural population and the rearing of these individuals to maturity in captivity.

captive propagation = reproduction of fish in a laboratory or hatchery for commercial or conservation reasons. Release in the wild follows.

capturability = the ease or difficulty of catching a given species or stock under defined conditions. Also called catchability.

capture = diversion of water flow in the upper reaches of a stream by the headward growth of another stream.

capture fishery = the sum or range of all activities to harvest a given fish resource. It may refer to the location, the fish species sought, the gear used, the social characteristics, e.g. artisanal, industrial, the purpose, e.g. commercial, subsistence, or recreational, as well as the season.

caput (plural capita) = head (everything on a fish anterior to the posterior border of the opercular bone and/or its membrane; behind this is the trunk as there is no neck in fish).

caput manubrii = head of the manubrium or cranially-directed arm of the incus, the third Weberian ossicle.

capybara = the large, semi-aquatic South American rodent, like the northern beaver, was deemed a fish by the Catholic church and therefore was eatable on Fridays during Lent.

caquès = herring usually stacked in barrels with salt, after removal of viscera by means of a cut below the gills (France).

car = carr.

car names = Plymouth Barracuda, Corvette Stingray and Hyundai Tiburon (Spanish for shark).

car pot = car trap.

car trap = a wooden box or other container to hold live fish (Newfoundland). See also live box.

carangiform = type of undulatory locomotion in which the body inscribes less than half a wavelength at any one time. See also anguilliform, labriform, ostraciform, thunniform.

carapace = a bony shield covering the back generally, but also used for the plates encasing the whole body in boxfishes (Ostraciidae).

carbon fibre = a strong and rigid fibre used in manufacturing fishing rods.

Carboniferous = a period within the Palaeozoic Era ca. 365-290 million years ago. Abbreviated as C.

carcass = a fish dressed (prepared) as food.

carcass survey = a method used to estimate numbers of spawning salmon from the carcasses of recently-spawned fish. A representative number of carcasses are tagged, returned to the river, and the number of tagged and untagged carcasses observed during subsequent surveys.

card = a flat piece of wood, thin and oblong, about four or more inches long and of varying width, used as a guide to the size of mesh required when making a net (Newfoundland).

card shark = cardshark.

cardiac = referring to the heart. In the stomach, that portion or region next to the oesophagus (as opposed to the pyloric region). A better term would be corpus or body.

cardiform teeth = short, fine to coarse and numerous pointed teeth arranged in distinct rows, like the wire bristles on wool cards, e.g. in Ictaluridae, Percidae and Serranidae.

cardinal vein = a bilaterally paired longitudinal vein. The anterior cardinal vein returns blood from the head and the posterior cardinal vein from the trunk, joining together as the common cardinal vein (which is also called the duct of Cuvier or incorrectly the vitelline vein). The common cardinal vein leads across the yolk cell to the heart's sinus venosus.

cardioid = heart-shaped.

cardioid scale = a scale with a notch on the posterior edge, e.g. scales between the ventral fins of Esox.

cardshark = an expert card player, usually a professional gambler, and often used for a cheater. Based on the predatory reputation of the shark. Modified from cardsharp. See also loan shark and poolshark.

carina = keel.

carinate = with keel or ridge along the mid-line.

carlin book = karlen book (the book in which a fish catch was registered (Scottish dialect)).

Carlisle hook = a hook shape characterised by a long shank, a round bend and a straight, offset point.

carne carne = carne à carne, a preparation of salted anchovies from which the excess surface salt in the first preparation has been removed. The anchovies are laid out flat in regular layers, sprinkled with salt and then pressed (France).

carnivore = animal or flesh-eater.

carnivorous = animal or flesh eating; zoophagous.

carofur = nifurprazine (a chemical (1-(5-Nitro-2-Furyl)-2-(6-Amino-3-pyridazl) ethylene hydrochloride) used to combat bacterial infections in fishes, particularly with Aeromonas salmonicida).

Carolina rig = a deepwater, weed avoiding angling rig usually comprising an soft plastic worm or crayfish, an18-30 inch leader, a barrel swivel and a hook embedded in the bait. Usually fished just off the bottom.

carotenoid = a carbon compound found in the eggs, gonads, liver, flesh and chromatophores of fishes, to which it imparts yellow, orange and red colours. Taraxanthin, canthaxantin, lutein, zeaxanthin, astaxanthin and carotene carotenoids are found in fishes, although their origin is in the diet as the fish do not produce them.

carotid artery = an artery originating at the junction of the first two aortic arches and supplying the anterior brain.

carouselling = two fish circling one another rapidly, head to tail.

carp = 1) the Carp Family (Cyprinidae), the most speciose freshwater fish family with over 2420 species.

carp = 2) Cyprinus carpio, the common carp, widely used in aquaculture and the eponymous member of the Carp Family, Cyprinidae.

carp = 3) to find fault, complain unreasonably. See also carping.

carp = 4) the shape of the city of Tsuenchen-fu, China, built to resemble this fish when viewed from the air. Ancient Chinese cities were often built in this fashion, to resemble mythological creatures, animals and symbolic designs. See also fish net.

CARP = 5) acronym for Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel, Washington, D.C., which seems fairly self-explanatory and unfishy. Various other unfishy acronyms turn out as carp, have carp, the fish, as an icon or symbol, and are not listed here; includes computer programmes, medical associations, cardiac acronyms, phenomenonology, email service, travel agencies, etc.

carp = 6) term used for the anchovies found on pizzas. See also guppies.

Carp = 7) a town near Ottawa, Ontario where common carp are not native; probably based on members of the family Catostomidae, some of which were called "carpe" in French. Could be carpe à cochon, now meunier noir or white sucker, Catostomus commersonii.

carp = 8) talk, speak, prattle; not necessarily about fish.

carp = 9) a heraldic device, e.g. of Verzej, Slovenia.

CARP = 10) Canadian Association of Retired Persons.

carp czar = nickname for the proposed Coordinated Response Commander for Asian Carp, a U.S. official appointed to protect the Great Lakes from invasion by Asian carp in the Mississippi River system.

carp mumblings = small depressions left by the feeding action of carp, about 0.5-0.7 cm across.

carp papillomatosis = carp pox.

carp pole = a long and strong fishing rod with put-in joints and elastics, q.v., used for carp (Cyprinus carpio) fishing in Europe.

carp pox = one of the oldest known fish diseases found in cultured carp, other cyprinids, pike-perch and aquarium fishes. It is caused by Herpesvirus cyprini. Also known as carp papillomatosis, epithelioma papulosum, fish pox, cyprinid herpesvirus I (CHV). Skin lesions appear as the water temperature drops in winter as small milky-white spots that merge and cover large skin areas.

carp rod = specialised rods used in fishing for Cyprinus carpio in Europe. Usually about 11-12 feet (3.4-3.7 m) long with test curves of 1.5-3.5 lb (0.68-1.59 kg) and stronger than most rods used in fresh waters in Europe (where most fish are smaller than carp).

carp sack = a specialised, dark, padded sack used under water for holding carp caught by angling. The sack covers the head and eyes and keeps the fish calm so it is not injured.

carp sling = a specialised sling used for weighing trophy carp and designed not to injure the fish or remove its protective mucus.

carp streamer = a carp-shaped wind sock flown in Japan on a national holiday called "Children's Day" (5 May). They are flown in the breeze to honour sons and to hope they grow up strong and healthy. The wind socks are made by drawing carp patterns on paper or cloth and are a few centimetres to metres long, the longest having been 100 metres. The Japanese name is koinobori.

carp-like = having a body shape similar to that of the carp, Cyprinus carpio, i.e. deep-bodied and rounded.

carpaccio = raw, thin-sliced or pounded flat fish, served as an appetiser e.g. salmon, bluefin tuna.

carpaholic = an addict of carp (Cyprinus carpio) fishing.

carper = people ready to catch herrings that break from the net on its rawing on shore (Irish dialect).

carping = 1) nagging or complaining, petty or unjustified criticism, quibbling over insignificant details; nothing to do with carp (Cyprinus carpio).

carping = 2) adjective used by anglers in reference to anything to do with fishing for carp (Cyprinus carpio).

carps = plural of carp in its various meanings above.

carr = a pool, fen or bog. Also spelled car.

carrion = animals used by fish as food when dead and often partially decomposed.

carrying capacity = 1) the biomass of a population or the number and type of species that a given environment can sustain over the long term. May refer to level of use, at a given level of management, which a natural or man-made resource can sustain itself over long period of time.

carrying capacity = 2) the sustainable recreational use of a water body.

carrying capacity = 3) virgin biomass, q.v.

carrying capacity = 4) the holding capacity of a fishing vessel.

cartail bully = cartel bully.

carteel bully = cartel bully.

cartel bully = a large boat or barge used as an extra vessel in carrying fish (Newfoundland). Also spelled cartail and carteel bully.

cartesian well = artesian well (a deep-drilled well where the water is forced to the surface by hydrostatic pressure. Some fishes have been found in such wells).

cartilagines coracoideæ = plural of cartilago coracoidea.

cartilago coracoidea (plural cartilagines coracoideæ) = coracoid cartilage.

cartilage = the flexible, semi-rigid connective tissue consisting of rounded cells (chondrocytes) in a matrix with collagen fibres and low in calcium and phosphate salts. Serves to support the body. It is not as strong as bone but is lighter and more flexible. It is incompressible and returns to its original form. Cyclostomata and Chondrichthyes have an entirely cartilaginous skeleton while other fishes have both cartilaginous and bony elements in the skeleton. Forms include hyaline, elastic, fibrocartilage and calcified cartilage, all q.v., cited here in order from least to most dense. Also called gristle, especially when ingested by humans.

cartilage bone = bone formed by the ossification (osteogenesis) of a cartilaginous precursor. Cartilage bones can be classed as parachondral, epichondral or endochondral depending on whether ossification starts in connective tissue surrounding the cartilage, in the perichondrium or inside the cartilage respectively. Ossification may follow two of these paths but the end results cannot be distinguished whichever route(s) are used. Perichondral and parachondral cartilage bones go through two stages, metaplasia where connective tissue becomes cartilage and neoplasia where cartilage becomes bone. Chondrolysis or destruction of cartilage precedes neoplasia. Endochondral bones are formed by this process exclusively.

cartilagines hypobranchiales = plural of cartilago hypobranchialis.

cartilagines meckeli = plural of cartilago meckeli.

cartilagines pharyngobranchiales = plural of cartilago pharyngobranchialis.

cartilagines scapulares = plural of cartilago scapularis.

cartilago hypobranchialis (plural cartilagines hypobranchiales) = hypobranchial (one of a series of deep, paired ventral cartilages on the lower part of the gill arch. The os hypobranchiale in bony fishes, q.v.

cartilago meckeli (plural cartilagines meckeli) = Meckel's cartilage (the functional lower jaw of Elasmobranchii and Holocephali, the embryonic lower jaw of other gnathostomous vertebrates which ossifies at least in part as the mentomeckelian, mediomeckelian, coronomeckelian, articular and retroarticular. It remains in some adult fishes as a pointed rod embedded in the dentary and angular. Also called mandibular cartilage, ceratomandibular cartilage or primary mandible. See also Bridge's ossicles).

cartilago pharyngobranchialis (plural cartilagines pharyngobranchiales) = pharyngobranchial (the deep, endochondral bone at the top of the gill arch. May bear the upper pharyngeal and a dentigerous plate. May occur on arches 1, 2, 3, 4. Also called super-pharyngeals or superior pharyngeals. Suprapharyngobranchials are never associated with teeth while infrapharyngobranchials may be associated with dermal plates bearing teeth).

cartilago scapularis (plural cartilagines scapulares) = scapular cartilage (a rod-shaped cartilage forming the lateral part of the coracoscapular bar in Elasmobranchii, articulating ventrally with the coracoid cartilage and dorsally with the suprascapular. The pectoral fin attaches laterally to its glenoid cavity).

caruncle = a fleshy superficial outgrowth or knob. The modified dorsal fin rays in Ceratiidae are called caruncles.

carver = a person who slices open the belly of a cod before passing it to the splitter (q.v.) (Newfoundland).

cascade = 1) a short, steep drop in a stream bed often marked by boulders and white water; a small waterfall or one section of a broken waterfall. Usually less than a metre high.

cascade = 2) a tiered structure used in aerating and degassing water for aquaculture.

case = a problem in zoological nomenclature referred to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature for a decision. The problem is published in the Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature as are comments by others, and is voted on by members of the Commission and their decision is published as an Opinion.

case ending = the inflectional form of nouns and adjectives in Latin grammar used in scientific names, the ending varying according to the declension. The nominative or substantive and the genitive or possessive are the declensions used.

case fatality rate = the number of deaths from a disease in every hundred cases. See also mortality rate.

case hardening = leather-like hardening of fish skin when fish are dried too quickly, rendering the fish unsuitable for sale.

casey = cassie.

cashmarie = a person who carried and sold fish, usually at inland markets (Scottish dialect, from the French chassemarée).

casie = cassie.

cask = a wooden, cylindrical vessel used for shipping fish such as dried and salted cod from Newfoundland. Such a cask contained 4 cwt (hundredweight, 1 cwt being 50.802 kg (long), 45.359 kg (short)).

cask fish = the fish shipped in a cask, e.g. cod from Newfoundland.

casque-like = shaped like a helmet; in fish a bony process on top of the head.

cassen = of meat or fish, spoilt or worthless.

cassie = a straw or rush woven basket for carrying fish. Also casey, casie, caisy, caisie, caysie, cazzie, caiss, kazie, kazzie, kazy, kaisie, keizie and keize.

cast = 1) the result of casting.

cast = 2) the terminal strand of a handline to which hooks are attached by short droppers.

cast = 3) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for fishes.

cast = 4) to throw a net, e.g. a castnet.

cast = 5) a handful of herrings, usually three fish, used in counting the catch.

cast = 6) of fish, to spawn.

cast = 7) to discharge a catch or a season's catch at a fishing station.

cast-net = castnet.

caster = 1) the chrysalis or pupa form of the maggot used as bait in angling in Europe.

caster = 2) one who practices casting.

casting = 1) the act of delivering a lure or bait into the water using a fishing rod and line.

casting = 2) to throw a sounding lead or other object into the water.

casting arc = the path that a fly rod follows when in use; usually related to a clock face to indicate the position.

casting net = castnet.

casting sinker = bell sinker (a weight or sinker shaped like a bell).

casting the mell = allotting poke net (q.v.) fishing rights near the town of Annan on the Solway shore, Scotland. Local fishermen piled up sand heaps on the shore, and then turned away while a neutral observer kicked over one of the piles. The builder of this pile had the first choice of a fishing section. After him, alternate pile builders had a choice of remaining sections. Formerly, the neutral observer through a heavy hammer (or mell) into the circle of sand piles with the pile nearest where the hammer landed getting the first choice.

casting weight = the optimum weight that a fishing rod casts, determined by trying various lead weights until the rod feels sluggish. Usually marked above the butt in ounces or grams.

castnet = a method of catching fish in shallow waters by throwing a circular net over them; the net opens in the air to a diameter of about 2 metres and sinks rapidly because of weights attached to its margin. The rim of the net has a draw rope that enables it to be closed. A Newfoundland fisherman could catch 100 lbs (45.5 kg) of capelin in one throw. Also called throw net or trow net.

castnet ball = a lead sinker around the margin of the net.

castnet mould = a hollow form in which lead balls are cast for use as weights in the net (Newfoundland).

cat's paw = a knot used in angling to attach a swivel. A loop is passed through the eye of the swivel and the swivel rotated vertically through the loop three times. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

cata- (prefix) = down, against.

catadromous = running down; those fishes which spend most of their lives in freshwater and which migrate to the sea to reproduce, e.g. Anguilla (Myers, 1949; McDowall, 1968).

catalog = see catalogue.

catalogue = 1) a list of materials in a collection in the form of a book or electronic, detailing fish species, collection locality, number of specimens, date of collection, identifier, etc.

catalogue = 2) the process of making a catalogue.

catalogue = 3) a compilation of taxonomic literature within a list of species.

catalogue number = usually all specimens caught at one place and one time are given the same catalogue number. Some museum catalogue numbers use the same number as the accession number. The numbers take various forms, e.g. a series of numbers or a year followed by a number, and each number is preceded by the acronym of the museum in systematic papers.

catapult = used by European anglers to project ground bait or loose feed into the water with accuracy in order to attract fish to an area where the baited hook is fished.

cataract = waterfall, a very steep fall in a watercourse.

catastrophic drift = the massive displacement of organism caused by flooding or pollution.

catazygalia = zygalia (four small cranial bones in Osteolepiformes, perhaps formed from elements of the second to the fourth vertebra, a segment of the primordial cranium. The anazygalia are located dorsal to the chorda dorsalis, the catazygalia ventral to the chorda dorsalis).

catch = 1) the act of landing a fish dead or alive or of bringing fish on board a vessel. Live catches may be released or retained.

catch = 2) the number or weight of fish caught by a fishery, by fishing gear or by angling. May be the total amount caught, only the amount landed, or not kept but released. Usually expressed in terms of wet weight.

catch = 3) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for fishes.

catch = 4) ketch (a boat used for fishing and coast work).

catch ceiling = a specific limit placed on the harvest of any given fish species or stock; a quota.

catch composition = the fish species, age, size, numbers, etc. in a catch.

catch control = a measures applied to catches used by managers to regulate fishing.

catch curve = plot of the natural logarithms of the number of fish in various age groups (Nt) against their corresponding age (t). Often used to estimate total mortality from the descending limb of the curve; shows the decrease in numbers of fish caught as the fish become older and less numerous or available.

catch limit = the number of fish allowed to be caught and kept in one day by an angler, cf. possession limit.

catch out = to deplete the stock of fish in a body of water or in a population. See also fish out.

catch per unit effort = an older term for the catch in numbers or weight taken for a given amount of fishing effort over time using specific gear, expressed as a ratio. Often considered an index of fish biomass or abundance - a decline in CPUE usually indicates a decline in the stock. May be used as a measure of economic efficiency of fishing. Also called fishing success, availability, catch per effort. Abbreviated as C/E, CPUE. The more recent form is catch/effort (C/f or Y/f) where C is catch in numbers, Y is catch in weight, taken by a defined unit of fishing effort, f.

catch, photograph, release = a management tool for preserving angling stocks. Abbreviated as CPR.

catch quota = the maximum catch permitted for a group of fishers, vessel, a fleet or a country from a stock. The quota is set to manage the fishery.

catch rate = the time spent to catch fish expressed as catch in numbers or kilogrammes per unit of effort. Also called harvest rate.

catch share = individual transferable quota (a fixed share of the catch assigned to each fisherman or vessel owner as a tradable right, one that can be sold or leased to others. This may make an operation more efficient as some fishers buy the quotas of others and fleets can be reduced or rationalised with less government interference. As above, results are mixed as wealthier fishers benefit and the owner-operator system is disadvantaged. Abbreviated as ITQ).

catch stream = the catch statistics for a kind or stock of fish over a period of time.

catch-all = anything which contains unmatched or unrelated items; used for a genus with species thought to be unrelated but whose relationships remain to be determined.

catch-and-release = angling where the fish are released to preserve stocks. Also called non-retention, closed to retention and daily limit zero.

catch-at-age = the estimated number of fish caught, tabulated by fish age and year of capture, and by other factors such as gear or nation. Catch-at-age may be estimated on the basis of catch-at-size, using age-length keys or cohort slicing.

catch-at-length = catch-at-size.

catch-at-size = the estimated number of fish caught, tabulated by size class and by other factors such as gear or nation. For any given species, catch-at-size should include all fish killed by the act of fishing, not just those fish that are landed.

catch-at-weight = the estimated weight of fish caught, tabulated by weight class and by other factors such as gear or nation. For any given species, catch-at-weight should include all fish killed by the act of fishing, not just those fish that are landed.

catch-up growth = a form of compensatory growth where underfed or malnourished fish are returned to adequate feeding conditions.

catchability = the extent to which a stock is susceptible to fishing, the part of a stock that is caught over a defined unit of time or fishing effort; quantitatively, the proportion of the stock removed by a defined unit of fishing effort. In pelagic fishes, an inverse function of stock biomass. When it is 0.01 or less it can be used as an instantaneous rate in measuring population change (Ricker, 1975). In fisheries models, the factor (q) relating abundance to stock size (x = q.N) and fishing mortality to fishing effort (F = qf.). Also called catchability coefficient, force of fishing mortality. Abbreviated as q or q.

catchability coefficient = force of fishing mortality (the extent to which a stock is susceptible to fishing; quantitatively, the proportion of the stock removed by a defined unit of fishing effort. In pelagic fishes, an inverse function of stock biomass. When it is 0.01 or less it can be used as an instantaneous rate in measuring population change. Also called catchability).

catchability-led stock collapse = the tendency for small schools of fish to aggregate into larger schools, resulting in a continued high fishing pressure although the total stock has declined. Also called hyperaggregation.

catcher vessel = a fishing vessel that delivers its catch to a mother ship, to shore plants or to catcher-processors.

catch-out pond = a pond stocked with fish for fee-paying anglers to catch.

catch-the-salmon = a game in which two boys take the ends of a piece of rope and chase a third boy until they wrap the rope around him, then pulling him to and fro (British dialect).

catcher-processor = a fishing vessel that both catches fish and processes them, enabling a higher grade of product to be produced at on shore facilities, e.g. a trawler, 100-375 feet long.

catching efficiency = a measure used to compare the catching ability of fishing gear.

catchment = 1) the collecting of water, especially rainfall.

catchment = 2) a reservoir or other basin for catching water.

catchment = 3) the water caught in a reservoir or basin.

catchment = 4) watershed (strictly an elevated boundary area separating tributaries draining to different river systems; often used in American usage to mean a drainage basin, i.e. the area which supplies water by surface and subsurface flow from precipitation to a given exit point. Catchment area is more exact).

catchment area = the area drained by a river or body of water or the area draining into a body of water.

catchment basin = the entire area from which drainage is received by a river or a lake; most generally used in reference to surface runoff.

category = a group or level within a hierarchical classification, the main ones being kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species. Note - not a taxon (q.v.).

catfish = a member of the Order Siluriformes with over 2870 species worldwide in fresh waters with some families primarily marine. Named for their barbels or "whiskers" likened to those of cats.

catfish ball = a mass of juvenile catfish, such as Ameiurus nebulosus, that schools, presumably as protection from predators. catfish whos eslien they licked to ge high

catfish death = suicide by drowning (slang).

catfish licker = an April Fools joke in 2000 by a Florida magazine editor who claimed that college kids called "slimers" were paying up to to $200 for a fresh catfish to lick for the hallucinogenic slime.

catfish row = 1) an area of town where Black people live (U.S. slang).

Catfish Row = 2) the fictitious tenement on the Charleston, South Carolina waterfront in the opera Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin (based on an actual area, Cabbage Row). The opera is about African-American life.

catfish virus disease = channel catfish disease.

catfisting = noodling catfish (capturing fish by hand, often in murky waters under logs and boulders or in mud holes; may be restricted to use of a hook or snare type device, with or without a short attached line, manipulated by hand when a person is in or under the water. See also grabbling, tickling, catfisting, hand-fishing, dogging and hogging; and Hillbilly Handfishin').

caudad = towards the tail, posteriorly, caudally.

caudal = 1) referring to or concerning the tail.

caudal = 2) towards the tail, although caudad is preferred.

caudal artery = the extension of the dorsal aorta in the tail.

caudal bony plate = any ossified plate helping to support the tail fin. A name given to the first larger pair of uroneurals, situated on the curve of the upturned posterior end of the vertebral column. Preferably called first uroneural.

caudal filament = a thin, flexible, filamentous extension of the caudal fin tip of Chimaeridae.

caudal fin = the tail fin, aiding movement. Also called the uropterygium. The fin at the posterior end of the vertebral column (but in Centriscidae the hind end of the body rotates so that the caudal fin is ventral, and in some Trachipteridae the upper lobe of the caudal may be dorsal (the separate lower lobe may disappear). In other families, such as the Zoarcidae and Anguillidae, dorsal, caudal and anal fins are united and are externally indistinguishable. Various fin shapes are named abbreviate, acaudal, diphycercal, double emarginate, epibatic, epicercal, gephyrocercal, hemicercal, heterocercal, homocercal, hypobatic, isobatic, isocercal, protocercal, pseudocaudal, truncate, etc. (all q.v.) Abbreviated as C.

caudal fin ray count = usually only the principal or main rays are counted, the tiny rudimentary, often procurrent rays are not included. In fishes with branched rays, the principal count is the number of branched rays plus two. These rays are usually markedly larger than the neighbouring ones and originate from the hypural plate. In some fishes there is a gradation in size and all rays are counted (e.g. in Ictaluridae). The count may be expressed in a formula such as iiiI7-8Iiii. The small Roman numerals here represent rudimentary rays, large Roman numerals the unbranched principal rays, and the Arabic numerals the branched principal rays.

caudal flexure = the fold formed at the end of the caudal peduncle when the caudal fin is flexed to determine the position of the posterior edge of the hypural plates. This posterior edge is often difficult to determine as a point for measurement for standard length in fleshy or large fishes; some dissection may be required.

caudal gland = the glandular masses on the caudal peduncle and fin of mature males in the characoid subfamily Glandulocaudinae. The multicellular gland is associated with an enlarged modified scale which overlies the gland on each side. The gland may produce a chemical to attract females.

caudal neurosecretory gland = an area of the spinal cord dorsal to the most posterior vertebrae, e.g. in Ictalurus punctatus. This concentration of neurosecretory or Dahlgren cells is of unknown function but is probably involved in osmoregulation or ion balance and possibly in reproduction.

caudal pad = a tongue-shaped posteriorly-directed appendage behind the seminal receptacle in female Holocephali.

caudal peduncle = the wrist-like portion of the posterior part of the body between the end of the anal fin and the base of the caudal fin. Its length is measured between the insertion of the anal fin and the caudal flexure (the fold shown by the hind edge of the hypural plates when the caudal fin is flexed). Depth is measured vertically at the narrowest point. Called tail wrist in angling.

caudal peduncle scale count = includes all the longitudinal scale rows around the circumference of the peduncle at its narrowest point.

caudal photophore = old name for the Prc photophores.

caudal pit = the notch in the dorsal or ventral profile of the caudal peduncle just before the caudal fin in certain sharks.

caudal scale = a modified terminal scale of the pored lateral line series found towards the medial base of the caudal fin in some Characidae, e.g. Landonia latidens). In some species it supports the caudal pouch.

caudal skeleton = the urophore, formed from various bones of cartilaginous or dermal origins.

caudal vein = a vein in the tail that returns blood from the trunk and tail to the heart. It leads directly into the axial vein in the posterior trunk.

caudal vertebra = one of the posterior vertebrae lacking ribs, found behind the abdominal vertebrae and extending to the tail, each with a ventral haemal arch, canal and spine. The first caudal vertebrae is near the internal, dorsal tip of the first anal proximal pterygiophore. Note that there are some transitional vertebrae with a rib or reduced remnant of a rib and a haemal arch or an incomplete haemal arch.

caudally = in the direction of the tail; caudad.

caudodorsal = confluent caudal and dorsal fins.

cauler = caller.

cauliflower disease = a mildly-infectious viral disease (Lymphocystis) of eels and higher aquarium fishes (not cyprinids and catfishes) causing enlarged cells forming lesions on the jaws, and also on fins and skin. The papillomatous lesions can coalesce to form a cauliflower shape. May be pinkish or red when having a vascular supply or grey-brown to black when melanocytes are present. There is no known treatment and the lesions eventually disappear. Also called lymphocystis disease.

causeway = a raised road over wet ground or shallow water.

cave fish = fishes living in subterranean waters including artesian wells. Not necessarily a true cave.

caveached fish = fish cut into pieces, fried in oil, laid in a large earthenware container and pickled in vinegar, salt, spices, onions, etc. (West Indies).

cavernarius = cavernicolous.

cavernicole = an inhabitant of caves.

cavernicolous = living in caves.

cavernous = containing cavities, e.g. the superficial bones of the head in some species of Sciaenidae. The cavities may be empty or filled with mucus.

cavernous tissue = spongy white tissue embedded in the skin near the anus in most, and near the anal fin in some, Cetomimidae.

cavernosus = cavernous.

caviar = 1) the prepared and salted roe of sturgeons (Acipenser, Huso), or broadly construed, the similarly treated roe of other fishes such as Salmonidae and Cyclopteridae. Only salted sturgeon eggs can be labelled caviar in the U.S.A. The eggs are separated from surrounding tissues, sometimes washed in white wine or vinegar, and pickled with salt or borax, or packed fresh or unsalted and highly perishable. خاگ‌آور or khāgāvar is Farsi (Persian) for roe-generator.

Caviar = 2) a small nineteenth century city in New Jersey on Delaware Bay, processing sturgeon and caviar for New York. See also Ikranoye.

caviar fish = a common name for Acipenseridae, especially those species producing caviar.

caviar left = from the French gauche caviar, for socialists who do not follow a proletarian lifestyle, implying their socialist beliefs are not sincere.

caviar substitute = fish roe prepared like true caviar from lumpsuckers (Cyclopteridae), cods, carps, mullets, capelin, salmonids; sometimes dyed and usually with a salt content over 6%.

caviare = caviar.

caviare to the general = a Shakespeare quote meaning not to everyone's taste or appealing only to a highly cultivated taste (Hamlet, Act 2 Scene 2 - general being the general public).

cavil = 1) to extract a hook from a fish mouth by means of a notched stick (Scottish dialect). Also spelled kavle and variants.

cavil = 2) kavle (the rearmost space in a boat where the fishing line is hauled in over the gunwhale and where fish are remove from the hooks. Also spelled kavl, kavel, kavvel, kavvle)).

cavity brooder = a fish that lays its eggs in a cavity, cave or other concealment; the eggs are aggressively guarded by the parents, e.g. in the Cichlidae Apistogramma, Julidochromis, Neolamprologus, and Pelvicachromis.

cawf = an eel box (archaic).

cawl = caal.

cawler = caller.

cawmril = cameral.

cay = key (a small, low island near the mainland composed mostly of sand and/or coral. Also spelled kay).

caysie = cassie.

cazzie = cassie.

Ce = photophore at the upper end of the gill cover where it meets the lateral line in Myctophidae.

CE = common era, a non-religious way of expressing years in the calendar based on the years of the Christian era. Note there is no year 0 so the year before 1 CE (or 1 A.D.) is 1BCE (or 1 B.C.).

CE = equilibrium catch ( the catch (in numbers) taken from a fish stock when it is in equilibrium with fishing of a given intensity, and (apart from the effects of environmental variation) its abundance does not change from one year to the next (Ricker, 1975). Also called sustainable yield, equilibrium yield).

C_E = CE.

cebiche = ceviche.

Cecil's fast = William Cecil passed legislation in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I requiring fish, not meat, to be eaten on certain days of the week; hence fish dinners are called this.

cecum = a pocket or blind pouch; caecum.

cedar water = blackwater in the eastern U.S.A. in the Pine Barrens and nearby eastern coastal plain (very soft water, rich in humic acids and poor in nutrients with minimal transparency. pH is around 3.5-4.8 and colour is stained by tannins). Also found in tropical areas where it supports a distinct fish fauna.

cedis incertae = incertae cedis (of uncertain seat, meaning of uncertain taxonomic position or affinities).

Celsius = a measure of temperature on a metric scale used world-wide and by scientists. Abbreviated as C. In North America and in older literature Fahrenheit is used. The conversion is ºF = (ºC x 9/5) + 32 and ºC = (ºF - 32) x 5/9. Usually presented as ºC or ºF but strictly 3ºC is an actual temperature while 3Cº is a range of three degrees.

cement gland or organ = adhesive organ (transient larval organs near the mouth used to attach the larvae to the substrate, e.g. in Protopterus, Lepidosiren, Acipenser, Esox, Macropodus).

cenote = a flooded depression caused by a collapse in a limestone area (Yucatán, Mexico).

Cenozoic = a geological era, the age of mammals, ca. 65-0 million years ago, comprising the Quaternary and Tertiary.

census = an inventory; in fisheries assessment surveys, a census is used to provide the comprehensive basis for analysis and classification of the fisheries systems and, consequently, the basis for statistically representative sampling programmes.

centauri knot = a knot used by anglers to attach hooks through the eye to the line. It is made with a minimum of friction and so does not distort the line, being useful then across a wide range of line diameters. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

centi- (prefix) = hundredth (1/100); one hundred (100).

Centigrade = see Celsius.

centner = 1) 50 kg in the English version of the German zentner.

centner = 2) 100 kg in Russia.

centra = plural of centrum.

central canal = the fluid-filled narrow cavity in the spinal chord.

central nervous system = the brain and spinal chord. Abbreviated as CNS.

centre-console boat = a fishing boat with the control station at the boat's centre allowing all the deck around the edge of the boat to be used for fishing.

centrepin reel = an angling reel with the line wound directly on to a revolving drum. casting distance is limited but this is offset by good tackle control when trotting or fighting fish.

centrum (plural centra) = the central body of each vertebra.

centrum tendineum = the large aponeurosis (flattened tendon) at the bend of the bilocular muscular stomach, e.g. in Mormyridae.

cephalic = pertaining to the head.

cephalic clasper = a mace-like spiny-headed rod found on the mid-dorsal surface of heads of male Holocephali. Thought to aid in holding the female during copulation.

cephalic fin = the thick flap-like fleshy appendage projecting from the pectoral fins lateral to the mouth of Mobulidae.

cephalic flipper = the thick flap-like fleshy appendage projecting from the pectoral fins lateral to the mouth of Mobulidae.

cephalic index = the length of the head as a ratio of total or standard length.

cephalic lateral line (or cephalic sensory canals) = the head canals opening to the surface in pores and containing neuromasts (sometimes the canals are lost and the neuromasts are exposed). Similar to the trunk lateral line in structure and function but having different innervation. The following canals may be present: supratemporal (abbreviated ST) running across the top of the head connecting the lateral branch of each side; the opercular (OP), an isolated canal on the anterior operculum; supraorbital (SO) above the eye and extending anteriorly to the nostrils; infraorbital (IO) below the eye and above the upper lip; preoperculo-mandibular (PM) along the preopercle and lower jaw. The pores on the lower jaw are sometimes referred to separately as mandibular pores. Individual pores are sometimes referred to separately by the name of the structure to which they are adjacent:- nasal, postmaxillary, interorbital, etc. The coronal pore is the median dorsal pore (COR) between the eyes formed by junction of branches from each supraorbital canal.

cephalic pit = pore-like structures on the gill covers of snakeheads (Channidae).

cephalic ray = one of the dorsal fin rays on the head behind the illicium.

cephalic spine = on of the spines, probably denticle derivatives, occurring singly or in pairs just behind the orbit on the cheek area in some fossil sharks. May have occurred only in males and may have served to hold the female during copulation, e.g. in the Jurassic genera Hybodus, Asteracanthus and Acrodus.

cephalic spongy sensory area = the area above and behind the eye penetrated by numerous branches and pores of the cephalic lateral line system. Known in Brevoortia (Clupeidae).

cephalic tenaculum = cephalic clasper (a supplemental clasper in Holocephali, on the forehead).

cephalic vesicle = the blister-like inflation over the head of larvae of some species of Gadidae.

cephalofoil = the lateral extensions of the head in hammerhead sharks.

ceramic fish = swanky, in reference to a gift or some new purchase (slang). Derived from the TV show Wheel of Fortune where, in the earlier transmissions, contestants had to purchase prizes from their winnings and left over amounts, after more valuable items were bought, purchased ceramic fish and similar cheap items.

ceratal = referring to the ventralmost elements of the gill arch, i.e. ceratbranchials, ceratohyal and Meckel's cartilage. Compare epal.

ceratobranchial = a long, deep, endochondral bone in the middle portion of the gill arches between the epibranchials and the hypobranchials. There are usually 5 pairs of ceratobranchials, absent in some Anguillidae, Polypterus and Calamoichthys. The fifth pair of ceratobranchials are modified in Cypriniformes and Siluriformes into a strong, tooth-bearing bone called the inferior pharyngobranchial bone. Sometimes spelled keratobranchial.

ceratohyal = the endochondral bone articulating dorsally with the interhyal, anteriorly supporting some branchiostegal rays and ventrally joining one or two hypohyals. The ceratohyal and the epihyal are two ossification centres of the same bone and should therefore be named ventral ceratohyal and dorsal ceratohyal respectively. Since the ventral ceratohyal is probably homologous with a hypobranchial, the correct names should be anterohyal and posterohyal, while the two hypohyals should be called dorsohyal and ventrohyal. In cartilaginous fishes it is a paired element on the ventral part of the hyoid arch.

ceratomandibular cartilage = Meckel's cartilage (the functional lower jaw of Elasmobranchii and Holocephali, the embryonic lower jaw of other gnathostomous vertebrates which ossifies at least in part as the mentomeckelian, mediomeckelian, coronomeckelian, articular and retroarticular. It remains in some adult fishes as a pointed rod embedded in the dentary and angular. Also called mandibular cartilage or primary mandible. See also Bridge's ossicles).

ceratotrich = ceratotrichium.

ceratotrichia = plural of ceratotrichium.

ceratotrichium (plural ceratotrichia) = a long, horny or keratinous, non-cellular, cylindrical, flexible and non-segmented ray which supports the fins of Elasmobranchii and arthrodires. They may replace fin radials or be a third element in fin support in a series basals, radials, ceratotrichia. Used to make shark fin soup. Bony, unsegmented, unbranched rays superficially resembling ceratotrichia of Elasmobranchii are found in the fin membranes of Acanthodii.

cerci = plural of cercus.

cercus = tail filament, e.g. in Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus (Acipenseridae) where the tail ends in a thin core of cartilage sheathed by small scales. More commonly used for the paired appendages at the rear of arthropods.

cerebellum = a thick-walled dorsal swelling of the dorsal metencephalon (anterior hindbrain and perhaps including the posterior midbrain) concerned with locomotory activity. This unpaired structure is found just posterior to the optic lobes, has rounded lateral enlargements which project partially into the fourth ventricle and its posterior end projects dorsally above the fourth ventricle.

ceremonial harvest = a harvest of fish by natives for ceremonies and to support traditional lifestyles. Also called subsistence harvest.

ceroid = yellow-brown pigments of fish, found particularly in the liver and spleen, as end products of peroxidation of unsaturated fatty acids.

cervical = 1) pertaining to the neck (most fish have no neck).

cervical = 2) extrascapula (a small bone bordering the posterior margin of the skull roof in primitive Teleostomi. It apparently originates from enlarged scales. One of a series of from 2-8 bones known variously as nuchals, postparietals, scale bones, supratemporals or tabulars).

cervical notch = a depression where the head and body meet.

cervical photophore = a light organ in Myctophidae located at the upper corner of the gill cover where it meets the lateral line. Abbreviated Ce.

cervical sinus = cervical notch.

cervical vertebra = one of the anterior vertebrae in sharks.

ceviche = raw white fish marinated in lemon or lime juice and served with sweet limes, avocados, onion rings, garlic, cilantro, chillies, boiled corn and tomatoes. Originally from Peru, variously modified. Also called fish cocktail and spelled cebiche and seviche.

cf. = confer, meaning compare (with). Used with scientific names to indicate a similarity to the named species without certain identification; a provisional identification due to a damaged specimen or other problems.

cfr. = confer.

cfs-day = the volume of water represented by a flow of 1 cubic foot per second for 24 hours (equals 86,400 cubic feet, 1.983471 acre-feet or 646,317 gallons).

cfsm (cubic feet per second per square mile) = the average number of cubic feet of water per second flowing from each square mile of area drained by a stream, assuming that the runoff is distributed uniformly in time and area.

chafer = chafing gear.

chafing gear = any materials attached to wear points on nets. See also top-side chafer.

chafing hair = elongate plastic chafing gear.

chain bracket = a chain used on an otter board in pace of a bracket. Also called angle iron chain, back board chain, board chain, chain triangle, towing chain.

chain mat = a device used in front of a trawl to disturb fish and cause them to be caught by the following trawl net. An interlinked network of lateral and longitudinal tickler chains, q.v. Also called a chain matrix.

chain matrix = chain mat.

chain off = moving the warps (q.v.) from their normal position above the stern down into the stern ramp of a trawler for shooting away and then back up again as the net is hauled back. Used on boats without hydraulic ice davits.

chain triangle = chain bracket.

chain-of-lakes = a series of lakes connected by streams.

chalky fish = an abnormal chalky-white appearance and a watery texture associated with a rapid drop in pH after capture, e.g. in halibut.

change, mandatory = a change in spelling of a name required by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

change of rank = when a name is moved from one level of a classification system to another, e.g. from subspecies to species.

channel = 1) an area that contains continuously or periodically flowing water that is confined by banks and a stream bed. May be natural or artificial.

channel = 2) a narrow stretch of water between adjacent land masses.

channel = 3) a large strait, e.g. English Channel.

channel = 4) a lead in ice.

channel = 5) the deep, narrow and sharply trenched part of some lake bottoms.

channel catfish disease = a disease of fry and fingerlings of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and other Ictaluridae caused by a herpesvirus affecting internal organs. Occurs when water temperatures rise to 25-30ºC. Mortality is very high and survivors are carriers for life. Lowering water temperatures below 19ºC reduces mortality. Fish show loss of equilibrium, spiral swimming and tend to hang vertically in the water. Haemorrhages of the skin and gills occur along with abdominal swelling.

channel dam = lowhead dam (a dam extending across a river of low height, usually 15 feet (about 5 metres) or less. It impounds the water behind it, has minimal effects on the downstream regime and allows water to fall over its whole width. Quite dangerous as boaters and swimmers may not see it until too late and can be caught in the backwash beneath the dam. Also called run-of-the-river dam).

channel plate = a u-shaped, steel bracing bar on the back of an otter board, q.v. Also called back bar and back channel.

channelisation = the process of changing, deepening and straightening the natural path of a waterway.

char = members of the genus Salvelinus of the family Salmonidae with about 20 northern hemisphere species. Important food and game fishes of marine and fresh waters. The name is from the Gaelic ceara meaning red or blood-coloured or possibly from the Old English for turner, a fish that swims to and fro. See also charr and charrr. The variant number of "r"'s on the end of the name is attributed to a rivalry between the late nineteenth century scientists Albert Günther, who used charr, and Francis Day, who used char.

char dish = a Delftware pottery made to hold char (Salvelinus alpinus) preserved in spices. The char came from Lake Windermere in northwest England and the pots were made in Liverpool during the eighteenth century. They measured 2.5-4.0 cm deep by 15-25 cm wide and were often decorated with painted fish.

character = a variable structure or feature of a species or taxon that enables it to be distinguished from another species or taxon. Used in description and identification of species.

character displacement = forced evolution of dissimilar characters in related species where their ranges overlap. Species differ more where they occur together than when their distribution does not overlap. Usually this is detected as morphological features related to resource exploitation.

character polarity = the inferred direction of change of a characters state in a phylogenetic tree. The direction is determined by reference to the character state in an outgroup.

character release = two closely related species become more alike in regions where their ranges do not overlap than in regions where they do. Opposite of character displacement.

character state = the condition of character, e.g. scales present or scales absent, where scales is the character and present and absent are states.

characteristic = often used as synonym of character, strictly it is the distinctive state or expression of that character.

characteristic species = indicator species ((1) a fish species whose status provides information on the overall condition of the ecosystem and of other species in that ecosystem; fish that are sensitive to environmental conditions and which can therefore be used to assess environmental quality).

chardonnay = a mutated strain of zebrafish involving white blood cells, named for the wine. Other mutants are shiarz and chardonnay. These zebrafish (Danio rerio) are used in studies of haemoglobin formation as their inner body parts are easily seen in these small and transparent fishes and their genome has been sequenced.

Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg = the Algonqin name of a lake in Webster, Massachusetts, incorrectly said to mean "you fish your side of the water, I fish my side of the water, nobody fishes the middle". Really means "Englishmen at Manchaug at the Fishing Place at the Boundary". Longest place name in the United States.

charismatic megafauna = a large charismatic species, e.g. presumably a great white shark in fishes.

charismatic species = any species that has popular appeal and is used to focus attention on conservation campaigns.

Charlie the Tuna = a cartoon tuna, used as the mascot for the product StarKist tuna from the early 1960s. Charlie had a beret and glasses, believed he had good taste and so was just right for the StarKist company. He was always rejected because the company was looking for tuna that tastes good. The rejection came in the form of a note attached to a hook saying "Sorry, Charlie", which became an American catchphrase (pun unintentional).

charr = char.

charrr = alleged Scottish pronunciation of char.

chart datum = a referenced surface from which soundings or tide heights are calculated, e.g. a tidal datum is the lowest a tide will ever reach (very rarely lower tides are found).

charter boat = a boat available for hire by anglers over a short time period. Usually crewed and with gear and bait supplied.

chase spawner = fish in which the male chases the female during spawning, e.g. Carassius auratus.

chaud = a dish in which a cod's liver is an ingredient (Shetland Isles dialect).

chauter = chowter.

cheapskate = a miser, a stingy person, unwilling to spend money (nothing to do with skates (Rajidae); of uncertain origin).

cheater = said of small fish that steal bait meant for larger fish. Sometimes spelled cheeter.

cheater hook = an extra hook added to a single-hook lure. Also called trailing hook.

cheater line = an extra length of line attached to the main line in angling for carrying another lure or hook.

chebacco boat = a fishing vessel employed in the Newfoundland fisheries. The word may be a corruption of Chedabucto, a bay in Nova Scotia, from which vessels are fitted out for fishing or the same as the chebec. Also called pinksterns.

chebec = xebec (a small, three-masted vessel used by Mediterranean pirates and still used in commerce to a limited extent. From the Arabic shabbak. Also spelled zebec).

check = a mark or discontinuity on a scale or other hard structure used for aging, caused by cessation of growth and absorption of deposited material due to spawning (hence a spawning check), injury, disease, parasites, or unseasonal lack of food. Also called split.

check dam = a small dam constructed in a small water course to decrease the streamflow velocity, minimize channel erosion, promote deposition of sediment and to divert water from a channel.

checklist = a list of species arranged in simple format for convenience of use, sometimes annotated with life history notes or other information.

cheek = the area between the eye and the preopercle.

cheek height = the least distance from the orbit to the lower edge of the horizontal arm of the preopercle.

cheek scale count = the number of scales crossing a straight line from the eye to the corner of the preopercle.

cheeks = muscles from the cheek area of a fish sold as a delicacy, e.g. cod cheeks, pickerel (Sander vitreus) cheeks.

cheese = a wooden disk placed on a pile of stiff and dry salt cod in a barrel before the fish-screw, q.v., was applied to pack it tightly. Named for its resemblance to a cheese wheel.

cheeter =cheater.

cheironym = an unpublished scientific name; manuscript name.

cheirotype = a type specimen of a species designated by a manuscript name.

chelation = a method of binding or locking up metal ions, used in water treatment in aquaria.

chemical etching = use of acids, bases of other chemicals in making fishing hooks that gives a very sharp point.

chemical filtration = a cleaning process for aquarium water where filters use chemical processes, e.g. protein skimmers and any filter containing chemical media such as activated carbon, molecular adsorption pads, zeolite, peat or resins.

chemocline = a sharp gradient in chemical concentration, e.g. the transition zone between layers in a meromictic lake, q.v.

chemoreception = the ability to sense chemicals in the environment, e.g. sharks and blood.

chemoreceptor = the receptors for chemoreception, e.g. taste buds on barbels, skin and in the mouth.

chemosensory = relating to taste and small operating on chemicals, dissolved in water in the case of fish.

chemotropic = turning towards a chemical stimulus.

chemotype = chemically characterised portions of of morphologically indistinguishable populations.

cherry bomb = a form of small explosive formerly used by purse seiners in California to frighten and concentrate a fish school.

chest = 1) the anterior ventral surface of a fish, just behind the head; may including the lower jaws and the chin.

chest = 2) a wicker box trap used to catch salmon (Scottish dialect).

chest waders = waterproof boots extending to the chest used by anglers and scientists when fishing. Made of latex, neoprene, Gortex, etc.

chevron = 1) a V-shaped scale found along the edge of the abdomen of clupeids, often providing the belly with a sharp, serrated edge.

chevron = 2) the earliest developmental form of myomeres in larvae where the angle is formed by the epaxial and hypaxial muscle masses.

chhandi jal = a drift gill net used for catching Hilsa ilisha (Clupeidae) in India.

chianti = a mutated strain of zebrafish lacking haemoglobin, named for the wine. Other mutants are shiraz and chardonnay. These zebrafish (Danio rerio) are used in studies of haemoglobin formation as their inner body parts are easily seen in these small and transparent fishes and their genome has been sequenced.

chiasma = the crossing of the fibres of the optic nerve.

chicken haddie = a commercial term for canned haddock, cod, cusk or hake or any combination thereof, that has not been ground. No chickens involved.

chicken of the sea = 1) originally albacore, yellowfin tuna and skipjack tuna canned in oil.

chicken of the sea = 2) a commercial brand name for fish and other marine products and used as a term for any marine food that is light and tasty.

chicken of the sea = 3) angler slang for a seagull.

chiddles = chitlings.

chidlins = chitlings.

chikuwa = a variety of Japanese fish paste cake; kneaded flesh wrapped around a stick and then baked.

chilile = inshore lake bottom.

chill storage = storage of fish at or just above 0°C as a means of preventing spoilage.

chilled fish = fish stored near freezing but not frozen.

chilled water stowage = storing commercial fish in chilled fresh or salt water using ice or mechanical refrigeration. Limited to about 3-4 days as some fish take up water and salt, their eyes become cloudy and gills are bleached as blood is lost.

chiller = 1) a device for cooling water in aquaria.

chiller = 2) choller.

chimaera = 1) an organism having tissues of two or more genetic types. Results from mutation or abnormal chromosome segregation.

chimaera = 2) members of the Order Chimaeriformes which has about 33 species in marine waters world-wide. Anatomical characters are a mix of those found in bony fishes and cartilaginous fishes, leading to the name (the mythical Greek monster had a lion's head, a goat's body and a serpent's tail).

chimaera poisoning = poisoning resulting from eating the flesh or viscera of ratfishes. The oviducts of Hydrolagus are toxic to mice. The flesh of chimaeras is reputed to have a stupefying effect.

chimneyfish = someone who smokes and drinks a lot, often simultaneously (slang).

chin = the tip of the lower jaw or the area between the rami of the lower jaw.

chin appendix = Schnauzenorgan (a German word for the chin protuberance of elephant nose fishes (Mormyridae), where there is the highest density of electrical receptors).

chin crest = an outgrowth of the dentary bone of the lower jaw. The crests from each side of the lower jaws converge anteriorly. Also called mental or submental crests.

chine = 1) backbone.

chine = 2) cut through the backbone.

chine = 3) a cut of fish (and meat) including at least part of the backbone.

chined = a fifteenth century word for dressing salmon (preparing this fish for consumption), no longer in use.

Chinese fishing net = a shore-operated lift net, 20 metres or more across and 10 metres or more tall, found in Cochin (Kochi), south India. The net is a cantilever with the net suspended over the sea and large stones suspended from ropes as counterweights at the other end. Requires up to six fishermen to operate. Named for their supposed Chinese origin.

Chinese herbology = use of herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. Seahorses, for example, are ground up with various herbs and used to treat impotence. Import and export of seahorses has been controlled under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species since 15 May 2004.

Chinese major carps = commercially important fishes of the family Cyprinidae, used in aquaculture, namely Ctenopharyngodon idella, Cyprinus carpio, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, and Mylopharyngodon piceus. See also Indian major carps and Indian minor carps; there does not appear to be any Chinese minor carps.

chinook salmon disease = infectious haematopoietic necrosis (an acute Rhabdovirus-group viral disease of salmonids transmitted from fish to fish and by eggs in western North America, e.g. in chinook and sockeye salmon and rainbow trout. The disease destroys the haemotopoietic tissues in the kidney and spleen. Fish become lethargic or hyperactive, dark in colour, develop popeyes, anaemia (pale gills) and a swollen belly, and produce faecal casts. Haemorrhages on the skin, viscera and fins occur. Particularly affects fish less than 5 cm long in water below 10°C with high mortality. Potentially dangerous to humans. Abbreviated as IHN).

chip = 1) fish chip (a delicatessen, potato chip-like product made of equal parts of fish and potato).

chip = 2) potato chip fired in fat or oil and often served with fried fish (fish and chips).

chip = 3) said of salmon, to cut the surface of the water without leaping (Northumberland dialect).

chipper = chippy.

chippie = chippy.

chippy = 1) a fish and chip shop in Britain. Also spelled chippie.

chippy = 2) a carpenter.

chirashi-zushi = "scattered sushi", a bowl or box of sushi rice with a variety of sashimi (usually nine, a Japanese lucky number).

chironym = cheironym.

chirotype = cheirotype.

chirping = gulping of air which is then emitted through the gills in fine bubbles causing a chirping sound, e.g. in Glandulocauda inequalis (Characidae).

chistlings - chitlings.

chitlings = small parts of cod intestines cooked as a delicacy (Newfoundland). Also spelled chiddles, chidlins and chistlings.

chloramine = an ammonia-chlorine chemical (NH₂Cl)sometimes used as a bactericide in municipal water supplies. It it poisonous to fish, but can be removed with special compounds available in aquarium stores, e.g. a double dose of sodium thiosulphate. Unlike chlorine, it will not evaporate from water by itself. Fish with chloramine poisoning dart around rapidly and may leap out of the water, show pigment changes and exhibit hypoxia, and may die.

chloride secreting cell = a cell in the gills, especially along the bases of the secondary gill lamellae and the pseudobranchs when present, or in the opercular epithelium, which excrete chloride, potassium and sodium ions in marine fishes. These cells maintain the osmotic balance from the loss of water via the gills and the necessity of drinking sea water. Also called ionocyte.

chlorine poisoning = similar to effects of chloramine and like it may be chronic with no specific signs or acute as detailed above. The fish should be removed from the contaminated aquarium.

chlorinity = the total amount in grams of chlorine, bromine, and iodine contained in one kilogramme of seawater, assuming the bromine and iodine to be replaced by chlorine. Salinity in parts per thousand (‰) = 1.80655 x Cl (‰). Abbreviated as Cl.

choana (plural choanae) = an internal canal connecting the nasal and the buccal cavities; internal nares, e.g. in derived Sarcopterygii. The analogous structures in Dipnoi are not true choanae.

choanae = plural of choana.

chocolate fish = a chocolate-covered marshmallow fish, often given as a treat or offered as a reward (New Zealand slang).

choice = 1) the designation of a high quality cure or cull of salted cod-fish.

choice = 2) prolific in fish, in reference to a fishing ground.

choke = 1) a triangular piece at the wing end of a purse seine, used to get the float and load lines while heaving the net by a power block.

choke = 2) a method of baiting herring for slow trolling.

choke = 3) killing fish in a gill net, the squeaking noise made when a herring is removed from a gill net, the act of killing them by removing them from the water, or a combination of the above. See herring choker.

choline = hydroxyethyl trimethyl ammonium hydroxide, a structural component in adipose and nerve tissue which may cause poor growth in fish when deficient.

choller = the gills of a fish (British dialect).

cholly = choller.

chondral = of or pertaining to cartilage.

chondro- (prefix) = of or pertaining to cartilage.

chondroblast = a precursor cell of a chondrocyte; these cells migrate to centres of cartilage formation during development.

chondrocranium (plural chondrocrania) = the cartilaginous skeleton enclosing the brain, olfactory region, eye and inner ear. Part of skull first formed in the embryo. Forms the whole skull in Cyclostomata, Elasmobranchii and Holocephali. Covered by dermal bones in Teleostomi and replaced by the osteocranium with only remnants between bones allowing for growth. Sometimes called the neurocranium or endocranium.

chondrocyte = a cell that makes the supporting matrix (collagen) of cartilage; usually found in lacunae embedded in the supportive matrix. Derived from chondroblasts.

chondroneurocranium = the cartilaginous braincase of Chondrichthyes.

chop = slapping the surface of the water with the tail when swimming in schools or enclosed in a net. said of cod in Newfoundland.

chop-stick = a cross-stick of iron wire, whalebone, or other materials attached to a sea-fishing line to keep the snood and hook clear of the sinker (British dialect).

chopped herring = pickled herrings finely chopped with apples, bread, onions and eggs, and vinegar, oil and sugar (Ashkenazi cuisine).

choppy sea = short and rough waves falling with a short and quick motion, easily breaking at the crest.

choran = a lake formed near river channels (India).

chorda dorsalis (chordæ dorsales) = notochord (the skeletal rod consisting of a sheath firmly packed with cells which lie above the gut and below the nerve cord. The notochord is persistent when it remains as a continuous skeletal support (e.g. Amphioxi, Holocephali, Acipenseridae, Petromyzontiformes, etc.) and is constricted when displaced by vertebral centra, occupying anterior and posterior cavities).

chorda mesoderm = the notochord rudiment.

chordacentrum = the vertebral centrum formed by the conversion of the chordal sheath into a series of ring-like cartilaginous segments around the notochord and subsequently biconcave discs. The bases of the neural and haemal arches abut the chordacentrum. Found only in Elasmobranchii.

chordal = referring to the notochord.

chorion = an embryonic membrane, elaborated by the follicle cells, which encloses the egg. The eggs of truly viviparous fishes are non-chorionated. Usually hardens on contact with the water; after fertilization the egg secretes fluid and shrinks inward leaving a perivitelline space. May lie external to the zona radiata. Called egg shell in fish.

chorionic thread = one a series of threads on the chorion of some eggs, the number and length varying with the species.

choroid = a black pigmented vascular layer of the eye between the retina and the sclera, preventing reflection of light in the eye.

choroid fissure = an indentation at the ventral margin of the eye marking the invaginated borders of the optic cup in larval fish. Usually associated with narrow eyes and often pigmented.

choroid gland = a gland on the dorsal half of the fish eyeball.

choroid tissue = a primordial vascular tissue mass lying below the eye, often unpigmented. In studies of larval fishes its length is measured along its longitudinal axis from the interface with the pigmented portion of the eye to the tip of the choroid mass.

choroidal guanine tapetum = the tapetum lucidum, q.v., in Elasmobranchii.

chorology = study of the processes governing natural geographical distribution.

chorotype = an unofficial term for a local type. In palaeontology, a fossil from the same stratum as the type but a different locality.

chorusing = sound production in fishes associated with reproduction. Various websites have recordings of the sounds made.

chott = a depression surrounding a salt marsh or lake, or the bed of a dried salt marsh (in North Africa). Also spelled shott.

chouder = an older spelling of chowder.

chowder = 1) fish chowder (a thick soup mix of cooked fish and/or shellfish and potatoes in a broth made from pork, flour, seasonings and fish stock).

chowder = 2) a fish monger (archaic).

chowter = a female fish-monger (English dialect).

chresonym = an unofficial term in nomenclature for the later citation of a name than the one which established the name. The later publication often has a fuller description.

Christmas fish = dried and salted cod eaten on St. Stephen's Day, 26 December in Newfoundland.

Christmas tree = a purse seine with fishes stuck in the mesh.

chrom(o)- (prefix) = colour.

chromaffin tissue = an endocrine tissue located in or near the kidneys which secretes adrenaline and which controls the blood pressure and regulates the chromatophores.

chromatophore = a dermal pigment cell; sometimes seen in the epidermis. Aggregation or dispersion of the pigment by expansion or contraction of a circular muscle surrounding an individual chromatophore effects colour changes. Chromatophores are of two types, biochromes and schematochromes, q.v. See also melanophore, erythrophore, xanthophore and iridocytes.

chromer = angling term for a bright fresh fish (in British Columbia).

chromosomotype = an unofficial term in nomenclature for the type of a new species based only on chromosomal evidence.

chryopsin = a golden-coloured retinal pigment found in deepsea teleosts. Its absorption curve is similar to the spectral emission curve of bioluminescence, indicating that eyes containing it are probably used for observing photophores, e.g. in Myctophum punctatum.

chub = 1) a name applied to various unrelated fishes which have short, thick and rounded bodies and large heads.

chub = 2) a foolish fellow, easily imposed on, from the fish easily caught (obsolete slang).

chub-cheeked = having chubby cheeks, from the rounded appearance of the chub fish.

chub-faced = having a chubby face, from the rounded appearance of the chub fish.

chubber = a hollow, plastic float fished with large bulk shot.

chubby = round and plump; overweight. Supposedly derived from the thick-bodied and round-cheeked cyprinid fish Leuciscus cephalus, the chub of Europe.

chug = a jerk or pull on a fishing line given by a fish.

chugger = a top-water plug having a cup-shaped mouth, splashing or chugging when retrieved. Smaller than a popper, q.v.

chum = cut up fish or meat mixed with blood and garbage and used to attract fishes, such as sharks, to a fishing area. In a sense the British ground bait, q.v., is a form of chum used to attract non-predatory coarse fishes.

chum bag = a mesh bag filled with chum and hung overboard from a boat or, as a small bag, trolled deep.

chum slick = the oily and particle rich trail of chum in the water.

chum the fish = vomit.

chumline = throwing live bait in ones and twos behind a boat to attract fish.

chumming = the act of spreading chum in the water.

chumslick = cut up fish pieces in a bag kept in the water alongside a boat to form a slick attractive to fish, particularly sharks, or the narrow band of water extending behind a boat from chumming.

chundery headed = having a large head, e.g. a lean cod (Orkney dialect).

chunk = 1) a commercial definition of a mixture of pieces of fish flesh which mostly has dimensions of not less than 1.2 cm in each direction and in which the original muscle structure is retained.

chunk = 2) a cross-section of a large dressed fish containing the backbone. Ready for cooking.

chunking = chumming with large pieces of fish or even whole fish.

church key = a name for the small key-like device supplied with canned fish such as sardines used to roll open the can. Mainly used for the differently-shaped beer openers and hence church key is sarcasm.

chute = rapidly flowing water over steep, narrowly enclosed bedrock. The surface water is smooth and without the turbulence occasioned by rocks and boulders.

chutoro = medium fatty tuna, from the upper belly, as served in a sushi restaurant.

ciénaga = a marshland (Spanish).

cigar fish = faeces in a swimming pool or the ocean.

cigar minnow = a scad family member sold as frozen bait in Florida, firm textured. Used for catching offshore fish.

ciguatera poisoning = a poisoning resulting from eating ciguatoxic fishes (or sometimes algae or invertebrates), with tens of thousands of cases each year. Symptoms 3-5 hours after ingestion usually include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, watery diarrhoea, and numbness and tingling in the mouth region which spreads to the extremities. Painful ejaculations and burning sensations during intercourse are also reported and can last for a month. Acute symptoms disappear in 8-10 hours, most in 24 hours in moderate cases. In severe cases weakness, visual disturbances, skin disorders, temperature perception reversals, coma and even death (up to 20% mortality) may occur. Death appears to result from asphyxia. The toxin appears to be an "irreversible" anticholinesterase. An attack does not impart immunity. Diagnosis should be confirmed by history of ingestion and by the observation of the effect of atropine (will cause marked atropinization unless anticholinesterase intoxication is present) and by the estimation of acetylcholinesterase level in red blood cells. Treatment consists of artificial respiration with oxygen added as needed, atropinization (after recovery from cyanosis), dosing with protopam chloride and indicated symptomatic measures. The stomach should be emptied by gastric lavage, emetics or saline purges as soon as possible.

ciguateratoxin = ciguatoxin.

ciguatoxic fishes = those fishes causing ciguatera poisoning. These are usually insular marine fishes in the tropics, subtropics or warm temperature zones, best known in the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans and West Indies. But geographical occurrence is spotty, and fish may be poisonous in only part of an island. Numerous species have been found to be ciguatoxic but in other places or in other years they are safe. Ciguatoxic fishes are usually bottom dwellers or feed on bottom dwelling fishes. Toxicity may be due to consumption of an algae (benthic dinoflagellate) by the fish or by one of its prey. The principal dinoflagellate is Gambierdiscus toxicus. Examples of ciguatoxic fishes include Muraenidae, Holocentridae, Acanthuridae, Lutjanidae, Scaridae, Serranidae, Sphyraenidae.

ciguatoxication = poisoning from ciguatoxic fishes.

ciguatoxin = the poison causing ciguatera poisoning. Exact chemical and pharmacological properties are unknown. May be a complex biotoxin with several fractions or several chemically unrelated compounds. May be a phospholipid. The formula C28 H52 NO5 C1 has been proposed.

cilia = plural of cilium.

ciliate = ciliated.

ciliate scale = a scale having comb-like, smooth teeth along its free edge, e.g. in characoids.

ciliated = fringed with projections.

ciliated scale = a ctenoid scale having very elongate, soft, flexible ctenii (spines) on its posterior margin, e.g. Capros aper.

ciliiform = hair-like.

cilium (plural cilia) = a fin thread of cytoplasm projecting from the surface of a cell. Moves fluid surrounding it by beating or is sensory as in the lateral line system, q.v.

cinch knot = clinch knot.

cingulum pectorale (plural cingula pectoralia) = pectoral girdle (the bony support of the pectoral fin behind the gills and usually attached to the posterior part of the skull; the "sh