Dictionary of Ichthyology

Brian W. Coad and Don E. McAllister^†

Revised: 14 June 2009

F

F = 1) the fishing mortality rate in a particular stock. It is roughly the proportion of the fishable stock that is caught in a year and is derived mathematically from relations between the number of fish alive in a stock and the number of fish caught. When F is 0, no fish are being caught from a given stock. When F is 0.2 then 18% of the fish are being caught and this is almost the same as the exploitation rate and the rate best for most groundfish fisheries. At an F of 0.5, 39% of the fish are being caught and at 1.0 63%. F can exceed 1.0 though this would not be good fishery policy. See also F_max and F_MSY below.

F= 2) Fahrenheit.

f = abbreviation for effective fishing effort (fishing effort, e.g. hooks per day, adjusted or standardised, when necessary, so that each increase in the adjusted unit causes a proportional increase in instantaneous rate of fishing. Controls purported to limit effective effort imply that the fishing mortality rate is to be limited. Abbreviated as F/q, F/q or f).

f = abbreviation for effective fishing effort (fishing effort, e.g. hooks per day, adjusted or standardised, when necessary, so that each increase in the adjusted unit causes a proportional increase in instantaneous rate of fishing. Controls purported to limit effective effort imply that the fishing mortality rate is to be limited. Abbreviated as F/q, F/q or f).

f. = 1) abbreviation for forma or form (i.e. a neutral term for a single individual, phenon, or taxon; a group; or an infrasubspecific group, or in the past, a subspecies (not recommended usage)). According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature the use of the term "form" before 1961 is not to be interpreted as an express statement of either subspecific or infrasubspecific rank and after 1960 it is to be regarded as of infrasubspecific rank).

f. = an abbreviation for figura, meaning figure or illustration.

(f) = female.

F0 = a wild-caught fish kept in captivity; the parental generation in a breeding programme.

F/O = fish only.

F1 = 1) first filial; a fish one generation away from the parental generation.

F1 = 2) one generation removed from wild-caught fish in a breeding programme.

F2 = second filial; and so on as above.

F0.1 or F _0.1(F zero point one) = the fishing mortality rate at which the marginal yield-per-recruit, i.e. the increase in yield-per-recruit in weight for an increase in one unit of fishing mortality, is only 10 percent of the marginal yield-per-recruit on the unexploited stock. The fishing mortality rate at which the slope of the yield-per-recruit curve is only one-tenth the slope of the curve at its origin. It is an approximation to the level of fishing mortality that will generate the maximum sustainable yield when a more accurate estimate is not possible. Most TACs are based on this target fishing mortality which aims at catching 18 fish out of every 100. Fishing at greater than F _0.1 yields few more fish for a much greater effort. It also gives a greater safety margin against overfishing than using F_MAX. as is is always lower. It lets more fish survive to grow and spawn, reducing the risk of recruitment failure, increasing the stock's biomass and giving higher catch rates and so costing less to catch the same weight of fish. Fish in the catch are bigger and more economically viable on a per pound basis. F _0.1 management is usually a more stable fishery from year to year than F_MAX management.

F₁ = the offspring resulting from a parent cross, the first generation (F₂ is the second generation).

F10% or F_10% = the level of fishing mortality, F, at which an average female in the population will produce 10% of the eggs that would be produced by a female that was left to live out her natural life span, i.e. unfished.

F30%SPR = F corresponding to a spawning stock biomass per recruit (SSB/R) which is 30% of the SSB/R obtained when F=O.

F/q = abbreviation for effective fishing effort (fishing effort, e.g. hooks per day, adjusted or standardised, when necessary, so that each increase in the adjusted unit causes a proportional increase in instantaneous rate of fishing. Controls purported to limit effective effort imply that the fishing mortality rate is to be limited. Abbreviated as F/q or f).

F/q = abbreviation for effective fishing effort (fishing effort, e.g. hooks per day, adjusted or standardised, when necessary, so that each increase in the adjusted unit causes a proportional increase in instantaneous rate of fishing. Controls purported to limit effective effort imply that the fishing mortality rate is to be limited. Abbreviated as F/q or f).

F-ratio = the ratio of fishing mortality on the oldest age group to the fishing mortality of the preceding age group. Annual F-ratios are estimable parameters in many tuned virtual population analysis assessments.

faarlin = farlin.

fabrication = some fish species have been named but are based on fabricated specimens, comprising parts of more than one fish species. See also hoax where the Code comes into play; whether it does in the case of fabricated specimens is unclear (Eschmeyer, 1998).

face = 1) a bone surface.

face = 2) the fleshy part of a cod's head, eaten as a delicacy in Newfoundland.

face = 3) the inner or split side of a dried and salted cod.

face appearance = a commercial measure of fish flesh surface ranging from smooth faced to very rough faced. Flakiness, flesh separation, roughness and evenness are assessed.

face view = side view along the odd-numbered cleavage planes during the cleavage or blastula periods.

facet = an articulating bone surface, either flat or slightly curved.

facial = pertaining to the face.

facial lobe = tuberculum impar (the lateral middle walls of the fourth ventricle of the brain, each expanded as two lobes and meeting in the midline to separate the ventricle into posterior and anterior halves). Associated with cranial nerve VII.

facial nerve = cranial nerve VII. In fishes, motor to muscles of hyoid arch (hyomandibular); sensory to geniculate ganglion, sensory to taste bud system; sensory to lateral line organs of snout. See cranial nerves.

facies (plural facies) = face, a bone surface.

factory = a building or plant with facilities for the processing of fish.

factory ship = a large stern trawler equipped with a plant for gutting, filleting, freezing and storing fish, for processing fish oil and fish meal, and sometimes canning. Catches its own fish and takes fish from other ships to process.

facultative = not limited to; not dependent on. Opposite of obligatory, e.g. Oncorhynchus mykiss is a facultative marine fish, being capable of entering freshwater.

facultative lecithotrophic live bearer = a reproductive guild (q.v.) where eggs are sometimes fertilised internally by accident when gonopores of otherwise oviparous fish are close together. Eggs may be retained in the female and some early development occurs there (rarely beyond cleavage). Weight decreases during embryonic development, e.g. Rivulus marmoratus, Galeus polli. See also obligate lecithotrophic live bearer.

facultative parasite = a parasite which can exist independently as well as being parasitic. Compare obligate parasite.

facultative pond = a pond about 1.0-1.5 m deep which is aerobic during the day but at night for a few hours is anaerobic.

FAD = 1) fish aggregating device.

FAD = 2) fish attracting device; variant on FAD (1).

faecal cast = a string of faeces, mucoid and gelatinous, trailing from the anus of a fish.

faeces = undigested food and processed food remains expelled from the digestive system. Also spelled feces.

fag = female fish monger.

faginism = the regular preying of adults on young of their own species. This cannibalism enables the adults to exploit a lower trophic level than it could itself, e.g. young may feed on zooplankton that is too small for adults to catch effectively and too small to sustain adults.

fagot = faggot.

faggot = a triangular stack of split and salted cod for drying in Newfoundland.

Fahrenheit = a measure of temperature used in the U.S.A. and in older literature. Abbreviated as F. The conversion is ºF = (ºC x 9/5) + 32 and ºC = (ºF - 32) x 5/9. Usually presented as ºF (or ºC) but strictly 3ºF is an actual temperature while 3Fº is a range of three degrees. Water freezes at 32°F and boils at 212°F.

fail = 1) fell.

fail = 2) a cry used by a watcher of fish runs meaning to be quick and lower the net into the water (Scottish dialect).

fair maid = dried pilchard (southwest England).

fair trade fish = a system whereby a fair price is paid for fish that are caught according to the best social and environmental standards.

fairway = the navigable part of a river.

fairy sparks = phosphorescence on decaying fish, wood and other materials.

faithful friend = fiel amigo.

fake fish = 1) physical or virtual representations of fish used in aquaria, ponds or on computer screens as a low maintenance version for the real thing. Also rubber products as gag gifts for unsuccessful fishermen.

fake fish = 2) a closed apple pie, shaped like a fish, used in inland Europe where real fish were often not readily available for days designated as no meat days according to the Catholic religion.

falaj = a term for a qanat in the Arabian Penisnula (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). Plural is aflaj.

falcate = sickle shaped; long, narrow and deeply concave or curved.

falciform = curved like a scythe, long and narrow.

falciform ligament = a remnant of the ventral mesentery in the peritoneal cavity attaching the liver to the ventral body wall.

falciform process = a ridge on the choroid coat on the floor of the eyeball. A muscle attaches to the process and the lens, its contraction drawing the lens backwards. The process probably has a nutritive function. Found in most teleosts.

falculate = a shape that is curved and sharp-pointed, like a claw.

fall = the season of the year characterised by falling water temperatures and shorter photoperiods, September to November in the northern hemisphere.

fall(s) = 1) free-falling water over a cliff; falls are often a barrier to fish movement, sometimes a complete barrier or only passable to fish able to leap such as salmonids. Falls may refer to one waterfall or a series.

fall(s) = 2) a very fast whitewater cascade.

fall cure = cod lightly salted and pickled containing 45-48% moisture and prepared late in the year in Newfoundland and Gaspé. Has more moisture than the Gaspé cure and is prepared later in the year.

fall fishery = the cod fishery of Newfoundland carried out between the end of the spring and summer fishery and Christmas.

fall line = a line on a map joining waterfalls on approximately parallel rivers leaving the mountains for the plains. Often a limit to fish migration and distribution.

fall overturn = mixing of waters in a lake caused by cooling of surface waters, convection currents and wind action. Presumably an American phenomenon (see also autumn overturn). Also called fall turnover.

fall run = anadromous fish returning to spawn in the fall.

fall turnover = fall overturn.

fall-run fish = anadromous fish that return to spawn in the fall or early winter.

falldown = a tree that has fallen into the water. Also called laydown.

falling gear = cover pots and lantern nets, i.e. nets that fall on the fish from above, generally hand-operated in very shallow waters.

falling net = a cone-shaped net thrown onto the surface of the water, trapping fish as it sinks.

fallowing = 1) leaving areas used for fish production to recover for part or all of a season.

fallowing = 2) in aquaculture, cages or ponds left without fish for a period of time.

false annulus = 1) an area of slow growth that is not counted as an annulus on scales, usually due to an unseasonal lack of food, high temperatures or reduced oxygen levels. The circuli become closely packed rapidly rather than gradually.

false annulus = 2) a check ring on scales or otoliths which occurs before the first annulus and fairly close to the focus (scales) or nucleus (otoliths).

false belly = chafing gear (any materials attached to wear points on nets). Attached below the belly of a trawl. Also called rubber.

false bottom = deep scattering layer (a layer in mid-depths of the sea detected by echo sounders, which rises at night and sinks during the day. Composed of organisms, many of which have a gas filled chamber, such as certain jellyfish and fishes).

false cast = casting the fly line forward and back in the air as a means to lengthen the amount of line that extends from the rod. The purpose is dry the fly or change the path of the line.

false egg = an egg-like spot, e.g. on the anal fin of mouthbrooding Cichlidae. The male cichlid displays these spots to a female who sucks at the spots assuming them to be real eggs; the male releases sperm that fertilise the eggs in the mouth of the female. Also called egg spots or egg dummies.

false gill = pseudobranch (a small gill (a hemibranch) found on the inside of the gill cover near the base. Despite the prefix pseudo it appears to be serially homologous with the other gills).

family = 1) a category next above subfamily and next below superfamily.

family = 2) an individual taxon of the category "family", e.g. Carangidae. The family-group is the assemblage of co-ordinate categories superfamily, family, subfamily, and tribe (and which have the endings -oidea (recommended), -idae, -inae, and –ini (recommended) which is above the genus-group in the taxonomic hierarchy. A nominal family is a named family objectively defined by its type-genus; thus the nominal family Salmonidae is always the one to which its type-genus, Salmo, belongs. The family-group is the highest ranking group of taxa whose names are fully regulated by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

family = 3) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for sardines.

family cultivation = aquaculture designed to feed to farmer's family from a family pond, not for commercial sale.

family name = the scientific name of a taxon of family rank, ending with -idae.

family selection = an artificial selection program in which superior families (related individuals) rather than superior individuals are chosen for breeding.

fan cast = casting sequentially in an arc around the angler in order to cover the fishable area.

fancy = aquarium developed strains or varieties of fishes.

fanning = movement of the fins over an egg mass or fry to aerate them and remove sediment and to clear nest sites of debris.

far-away gear = a trawl line with lines and hooks spaced well apart.

farctate = a filled or solid structure, as opposed to one that is tubular or hollow.

faring = seeking or fishing mackerel (Norfolk dialect) or other fishes (English dialect).

farlan = farlin.

farlane = farlin.

farland = farlin.

farlen = farlin.

farlin = a herring box or trough where the fish are placed for gutting (Scottish dialect). Also spelled faarlin, farlan, farlane, farlen and farland.

farm = fish farm (an aquaculture facility).

farm dam = an Australian reservoir providing water for cattle but also sometimes stocked with fish.

farm gate price = in aquaculture, the price for a product at the production site, not taking account of any transportation or subsequent handling costs.

farm pond = a pond dug for agricultural purposes but a term also used for aquaculture and recreational fishing ponds.

faro = a rhomboid-shaped, steep-sided, continental shelf atoll.

farsakh = a Persian (Iranian) measure of distance still in use in the late twentieth century to the confusion of itinerant ichthyologists. Roughly 5.6 km or the distance traveled on foot in one hour. Will be less distance on rough terrain and depending on the vagaries of camel temperaments. Also called فرسنگ farsang.

farsang = farsakh.

fascicle = a bound part of a volume or series issued separately; a part.

fascis mirabilis = a set of parallel arterial and venous capillaries in the gas gland of some gas bladders that, using the countercurrent principle, increases gas tensions in the blood, and enables the gland to secrete gas into the gas bladder. Also called rete mirabile, red gland, or red body.

fast repetitive tick = a high-pitched sound caused by a stream of air bubbles expelled from the anus of herring (Clupea pallasii). Apparently used in communication. Abbreviated as FRT and presumably pronounced with an added "a" (http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994343, downloaded 29 November 2003).

fast, to come = expression used when the trawl snags an obstruction on the sea floor.

fastener = an obstruction on the sea floor that can foul and damage fishing gear.

fat = a large, box-like trough in which cod livers were placed to render oil (Newfoundland). See also vat and vate.

fath = fathom.

Father of Angling = Izaak Walton (1593-1683), author of "The Compleat Angler", first published in 1653 and the classical work on angling.

Father of Ichthyology = Peter Arctaedius (Peter Artedi)(1705-1735), whose work on ichthyology was edited by Linnaeus and incorporated into his classificatory works after Artedi drowned in an Amsterdam canal one dark night.

fathom = a measure of water depth or other nautical lengths such as cables, 1.8288 metres, 6 feet or 2 yards. Abbreviated as fath.

fattening pond = a pond where fish are grown to marketable size. Also called finishing pond.

fatty eyelid = adipose eyelid.

fatty fish = fish with fat in the body tissues, e.g. Clupeidae, Scombridae; usually more than 2% in the tissues.

fauna = the animals inhabiting a particular region, taken collectively; a faunal work (a list of the animal species in a given area, habitat or time).

faunistics = the study of all or part of the fauna of a particular region or locality.

fazeeq = light salted fish product prepared by brine curing. Also spelled fessikh (Egypt, Sudan).

Fcoll = the rate of fishing which, if continued, would cause the stock to collapse.

Fcomfie = F corresponding to the minimum of Fmed (q.v.), FMSY (q.v.) and Fcrash (q.v.).

Fcrash or F_crash or F_CRASH = the fishing mortality rate corresponding to an equilibrium spawner-per-recruit (SPR) equal to the inverse of the survival ratio at the origin of the stock-recruitment relationship. Used as a biological reference point. A stock exploited indefinitely at Fcrash is expected to collapse sooner or later due to recruitment failure, hence the term Fcrash. Also called Ft.

FCZ = abbreviation for Fishery Conservation Zone.

feasibility fishing = fishing undertaken to test the economic viability of a new fishery.

feast of the seven fishes = an Italian tradition on Christmas Eve (La Vigilia or the vigil in Italian, commemorating the midnight birth of Jesus). The meal consists of seven seafoods including fish and other marine organisms, e.g. anchovies, sardines, dried salt cod, smelts, eels, squid, octopus, shrimp, mussels, oysters, and clams. Seafood is eaten as this relates to the Catholic tradition of abstinence, in this case from meat. The number seven may relate to the sacraments in the Catholic church.

feather = natural or artificial feathers attached to hand line gear for attracting fishes.

fecal cast = faecal cast.

feces = faeces.

fecund = prolific, capable of, or producing, many offspring.

fecundation = impregnation or fertilisation of the egg.

fecundity = egg production, fertility, the potential reproductive capacity of an organism or a population, the number of eggs produced on average by a female of a given size or age. Usually increases with age and size.

fecundity-per-recruit = the total fecundity, e.g. number of eggs, produced of a cohort (or age class) during its entire lifespan, or by a total stock in one year, divided by the number of recruits to that stock or at the origin of the cohort. Obtained from an analytical yield-per-recruit model assuming a steady state system.

fee fishery = put-and-take fishery (the placing of hatchery-raised fish in waters to be caught by fishermen for a payment).

feed (noun) = manufactured food for fish in aquaculture.

feed additive = a non-nutritive component in a feed formulation. Includes binders, stimulants, antioxidants, antimicrobials, enzymes, pigments, hormones, medicines, etc.

feed conversion efficiency = a measure of the effectiveness of a formulated fish diet expressed as the weight in kilogrammes of feed needed to produce 1 kilogramme of fish flesh in aquaculture.

feed deprivation = withholding of food in aquaculture before harvesting. Ensures feed residues are absent from the gut.

feed efficiency = wet weight gain per unit feed consumed. May be calculated as gain divided by amount of feed provided thus including an error relating to unconsumed feed waste.

feed gain ratio = in aquaculture, the quantity of feed required to produce a given weight gain; the reciprocal of feed efficiency.

feed pond = a separate pond used to produce food for fish in an aquaculture facility.

feed selection = the choice made by a fish when several feeds are offered simultaneously. Choice may be assessed visually, by examination of gut contents, triggering of self-feeders or uneaten food on the bottom of a tank.

feed the fish = clean the fish (to skin or lead on a victim as in a carnival game).

feed the fishes = 1) to be seasick.

feed the fishes = 2) murdered, whether weighted and sunk or not.

feed the fishes = 3) death by drowning.

feed utilisation = the weight increase per unit of utilised feed in aquaculture.

feeder = 1) a tributary that runs into a larger water body.

feeder = 2) in European angling a container that carries groundbait along with the rig. It is usually a small cylinder 4 cm x 2 cm with a lead strip at the base to give it some weight and it is attached by a loop of line to the rig. The feeder can be designed to drop all its contained bait at once or allow small amounts to trickle out. Those designed for maggots have holes through which the maggots exit. Also called swimfeeder.

feeder channel = a channel supplying water to any basin.

feeding chart = a table of values used as a guide for levels of feeding for fish. Parameters include fish size, temperature, vitamin levels, quantities, etc.

feeding fishery = a fishery based on fish that congregate on their food source.

feeding frenzy = 1) a group of sharks, or other predatory fish, attacking a whale body, a large fish or a school of fish.

feeding frenzy = 2) by analogy with the above, excessive media attention.

feeding fry = a young fish whose yolk sac has been absorbed and is now feeding.

feeding ground = 1) where fish feed or where food is abundant and available.

feeding ground = 2) a place where fish are fed.

feeding guild = a group of unrelated fish that feed on similar food items, e.g. benthivore, detritivore, herbivore, insectivore, omnivore, planktivore, piscivore, etc (all q.v.). Also called trophic guild.

feeding level = the level at which feed is offered to fish over unit time, usually the percentage of fish body weight per time. Also called feeding rate.

feeding mixture = food mixture.

feeding place = the part of the feeding ground where fish actually feed.

feeding rate = the amount of food provided over a given time interval in aquaculture.

feeding ratio = weight of food consumed divided by increase in weight over a given time.

feeding times = the time of day when a fish is most active; usually related to daylight, tides and temperature.

feeding value = the nutritive value of food used in aquaculture.

feedy fish = fish that have been feeding heavily before capture and therefore liable to belly burst, q.v. Used particularly for pelagic fish feeding on plankton blooms. Feedy fish are liable to spoil quickly and are not preferred for preservation of the whole fish for human consumption.

Feejee Mermaid = reputedly a mermaid caught near the Fiji Islands and exhibited in New York by a "Dr. J. Griffin", an English gentleman, and then by the showman P. T. Barnum. Griffin was a fraud perpetrated by Barnum for heightening public interest. The mermaid was a traditional art form of Asia, formed by stitching an upper ape body to a fish body. Feejee Mermaid is now used as a generic term for any fake mermaid seen in sideshows and bars, and even in an episode of the X-Files ("Humbug" in season 2, episode 20).

feet per minute = 0.5080 cm/s, 0.0167 ft/s. Abbreviated as ft/min.

feet per second = 30.48 cm/s. Abbreviated as ft/s.

feeth = a salmon net fixed on stakes and stretched into the bed of a river (Scottish dialect). Also spelled feith and fieth.

feeth net = the net of a feeth.

feeth set = the part of a river and its bank where a feeth is set.

feeth shot = the part of a river and its bank where a feeth is set.

feith net = the net of a feeth.

feith set = the part of a river and its bank where a feith is set.

feith shot = the part of a river and its bank where a feith is set.

fell = casting a net from a boat in salmon fishing (Scottish dialect). Also spelled fail.

feminisation = method of direct sex reversal by the treatment of animals with doses of female hormones, e.g. oestradiol-17b, in the feed during the early stages of development. Drugs or genetic manipulation may also be used. Female fish are beneficial to salmonid and flatfish farmers where the females are more desirable due to the later onset of maturity.

fen = type of wetland that accumulates peat deposits. Fens are less acidic than bogs, deriving most of their water from groundwater rich in calcium and magnesium.

fence month = a closed season for fishing (archaic, more used for deer but by analogy applied to fishing too).

fence net = a net held in place by stakes, anchors, etc.

fence time = spawning time for fish (or breeding time for such animals as deer) when they cannot be caught legally.

fender = a stone weight used to sink a fishing line (Scottish dialect).

fenestra = a small aperture, especially in a bone, often used for paired openings.

feral = fish escaped from domestication and reverted to wild state but remaining distinct from other species. May infect farmed fish with diseases, interbreed with wild stocks, or dominate ecosystems.

fermented ensilage = fermentation generating organic acids that conserve the fish product.

fermented fish paste = salted, macerated fish allowed to ferment in the Far East. Spices and colourings may be added.

fermented fish sauce = fermented whole fish, processed by their own gastric enzymes and by microorganisms with salt in the Far East.

ferruginous = reddish-brown, the colour of rusty iron.

ferrying = taking fish from a trawler to the fish carrier. Also known as trunking and boarding.

fertilisation = 1) fusion of the male and female reproductive cells.

fertilisation = 2) in aquaculture, the improvement of water productivity by addition of natural or artificial compounds.

fessikh = fazeeq.

Fextinction or F_extinction or F_EXTINCTION = Fcrash.

fh = a French measure of water hardness, 10.0 p.p.m. calcium carbonate.

F_high or F_HIGH = F corresponding to a spawning stock biomass per recruit (equal to the inverse of the 90% percentile of the observed R/SSB). A level of F where recruitment has not been sufficient to balance the mortality in about 9 years of 10. Exploitation at this level is therefore likely to result in a decrease in the stock.

fibre FISH = a laboratory technique in which fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) is done on chromosomes that have been mechanically stretched.

fibred cod = shredded cod (small pickle cured cod reduced to small dried fibres in a machine. Drying is at 65.5°C. Also called flaked cod).

fibres of Sharpey = fibres in scales of Brachiopterygii and Lepisosteidae.

fibrillary plate = the fibrous lamella or disk forming the base of a teleost scale.

fibrocartilage = cartilage containing collagen fibres, e.g. the ventral intermandibular tendon of the cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) makes a sharp turn as it passes dorsally around the corner of the jaws and there is a fibrocartilaginous pad associated with the tendon along the inner edge of this sharp bend.

fictional fish = see named fish and the category "fictional fish" in Wikipedia.

fiddle = a plastic or wooden braiding needle used in mending fish nets.

fide = on the authority of, according to, with reference to a publication or to a cited published statement. From the Latin, by faith.

fiel amigo = the Portuguese nickname for salt cod, meaning faithful friend, as it was a mainstay of the diet.

field = 1) one of the four sectors of a scale, namely anterior (basal or imbedded), posterior (apical or exposed) and the two lateral fields (the upper and lower sectors).

field = 2) the smallest unit of data in a database.

field = 3) a general term for the place where fish are captured, as in "field work", "field research", despite the fact that few fishes are caught in fields.

field = 4) in taxonomy, a taxon or a set of taxa.

field catalogue = list of specimens prepared by the person capturing the fish and including location, date of capture, method of capture, etc. May be supplemented by a field journal.

field character = a character easily observed under natural conditions, e.g. an identification character detectable on fish in the hand or in the water.

field guide = a pocket-size book or a CD containing keys for identification, illustrations and/or photographs of the fish, distribution maps and some life history notes. Used to identify fish captured during field work either in the field or later in the laboratory.

field identification = the determination of the taxonomic identity of an individual specimen, under field conditions, often with the aid of keys.

field journal = a book with blank pages to contain field notes. May be stored directly in a handheld or laptop computer without going through a paper stage. However working with fish often involves wet or slimy hands and pencil and paper are still useful.

field notes = observations in a journal format on collections made, their habitat and locality, field conditions, colour in life, etc. recorded when the collections were made.

field number = one of a series of sequential numbers given to a specimen or collection in the field that links it with documentation. Catalogue numbers can only be assigned in the museum as other collections may be being made simultaneously. The field number is written on a field tag with the specimen or placed in the jar if there are many specimens and is also recorded in field notes and field catalogues.

field research = study of fishes in their natural habitat.

field tag = a label attached to specimens or in a collection jar or bag, marked with a field number or even full collection data (as opposed to a museum label with subsequent identification of specimens and formally worked out locality data).

field work = study and/or capture of fishes in their natural habitat.

fig. = abbreviation of figura, meaning figure or illustration.

figura = figure or illustration. Abbreviated as f.

fighting belt = a belt strapped to the waist to aid in long fights with a fish. It has a padded oval shape surface to be rested on the abdomen and with a cylindrical holder in the middle for the rod butt to rest it. Most come with a metal shaft at the end of the cylindrical holder for the rod that has a gimbal butt. This avoids the rod from turning around and will only allow a vertical movement.

fighting chair = a chair bolted to the deck of a boat, having a foot rest, a gimbaled socket for the rod but and a harness attached to the rod. It allows a fisherman to use back and leg muscles to fight a large marine fish, dropping the rod from vertical to horizontal with a swift reel of slack gained. Also called fishing chair.

fighting colour =a colour pattern that develops when fish, usually male, defend a territory.

fighting fish = a member of the labyrinth fish genus Betta (Osphronemidae), the males of which that engages in ritualistic reproductive fights.

figura = figure or illustration. Abbreviated as f.

figure = in printed works a graph, diagram or illustration.

figure eight knot = a knot used in angling for attaching leaders, traces and other terminal tackle to a line. Easy to tie and to interchange tackle. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

figure-type = in taxonomy, an original figure or illustration of a specimen; an iconotype, q.v.

figured specimen = figure-type.

Fiji Mermaid = Feejee Mermaid.

fila = a thread-like structure, a filament. Eleotrioides helsdingeni is provided with two caudal fila - caudal rays prolonged beyond the rest of the fin while Sturisoma aureum has one.

filament = 1) fishing line comprised of single or multiple strands.

filament = 2) fila.

filamentous = with a thread-like projection.

filch = 1) a rod, line and hook used to steal goods from a vendor's stall.

filch = 2) from the above, to steal furtively, snatch.

file = fish teeth arranged in the labio-lingual direction, e.g. in sharks. Such teeth are at different developmental stages and are derived from the same tooth bud position, cf. row, diagonal file and tooth row.

filet = fillet in French.

Filet-O-Fish = a MacDonald's fish sandwich introduced in 1963 to combat declining sales on Fridays, a non-meat eating day for certain Christians. Also popular with Muslims who cannot eat haram meat. Also called FishMac or McFish.

filial = the generation or sequence of generations following the parental generation. See F0, F1, etc. above.

filial cannibalism = cannibalism of kin.

filiform = round and very slender; cord-like; in the form of a thread or filament, e.g. first dorsal ray in Chauliodus (Chauliodontidae), a branchiostegal ray.

fill = to wind twine on the implement used to knit a fish net (Newfoundland).

fillet = a slice of fish flesh cut out parallel to the vertebral axis for human consumption, with or without skin attached. Usually 2-12 oz in weight for restaurant and home use.

filter feeder = a fish that obtains small particles of food (plankton) by filtering them out of the water, usually with numerous, elongate and fine gill rakers, e.g. megamouth shark.

filtering mat = a grating screen of fish screen (2) (q.v.) built on a slant into a river bed. Fences or netting direct fish onto the screen and the fish run aground on it while the water falls through the screen grating.

filum terminale = terminal threads of the spinal cord which extend to the end of the vertebral canal.

fimbria (plural fimbriae) = 1) a fringe or fringe-like structure.

fimbria = 2) plural of fimbrium.

fimbriae = plural of fimbria (1).

fimbriate = fringed; with thread-like filaments, e.g. margin of sucking disk of lampreys (Petromyzontiformes).

fimbrillate = having a small or fine fringe.

fimbrium (plural fimbria) = a short pilus or hair-like structure on the surface of a cell; used to attach to surfaces and in conjugation with another cell of the same species. Since its plural is identical with the singular for fimbria, meaning fringe, some confusion may arise.

fin = 1) flap-like external organ concerned with locomotion in fishes. See dorsal, adipose, caudal, anal, pelvic (ventral), and pectoral fins.

fin = 2) an arm or hand (slang). See also tip the fin.

fin = 3) in America a $5 bill, from the Yiddish finnif, a ₤5 note in England in the nineteenth century. From the German funf or five.

fin = 4) the verb for the process known as finning.

fin clip = the part removed and the removal of specific parts of specific fins in a coded sequence to mark individual fish for mark-recapture and other similar studies. Also called fin clipping.

fin clipping = fin clip.

fin element = a fin ray, spine or pterygiophore.

fin erosion = fin rot.

fin formula = in old works the dorsal, ventral, and anal fin counts were each presented as a formula with the spine count the numerator above the ray count, e.g. D. 20 /14-15 means 20 spines and 14 to 15 rays in the fin.

fin height = length of the longest ray in the fin.

fin membrane = the thin membrane between and connecting fin rays and spines.

fin nipping = biting of fins among cultured fish through overcrowding or insufficient funds.

fin ray chamber = one of the compartments in the median fin fold (dorsal and ventral fin folds) into which project so-called fin rays in Amphioxi.

fin ray counts = see the fin concerned; see also fin formula.

fin rot = disintegration of fish fins through bacterial infections in nature, aquaria or aquaculture, aggravated by crowding and nutritional problems in aquaculture tanks. Common in aquarium fish like mollies, especially those with dark pigment such as black mollies. The bacteria involved are Aeromonas, Pseudomonas and Flexibacter. Death may occur if it progresses too far but bathing in a salt solution, various proprietary medications and application of topical medications will prevent further development. Also called fin erosion.

fin web = 1) the fin membrane.

fin web = 2) the compressed part of the shark fin, distal to the base and supported only by ceratotrichia (q.v.) , the aplesodic fin (q.v.), or by ceratotrichia surrounding expanded fin radials or by radials only, the plesodic fin (q.v.).

fin-clipping = the parasitic or predatory action of one species on another where sections of fin are removed as food, e.g. by Serrasalmus.

Finagle's 2nd Law = states, if something can go wrong it will. There are no 1st or 3rd laws. Also known as Murphy's Law.

final host = definitive host (the fish in which a parasite passes it adult or reproductive phase. Also called primary host).

find fish on one's fingers = to devise or allege an excuse (late 16th to early 17 centuries).

finder = 1) a sonar device or echo sounder used to locate fishes and determine water depth.

finder = 2) a surf-fishing rig comprising a pyramid-shaped sinker running freely along the line; this allows the bait to be carried by the tide or run by a fish.

Findon haddock = finnan haddie.

fine kettle of fish = a bad state of affairs; a very difficult and annoying situation; something to be considered or reckoned with. Derived from kiddle or keddle, q.v., a basket set in the sluice of a dam or weir to catch fish. Kiddles were used by royal officials but were often destroyed by poachers, hence a bad state of affairs.

fine-meshed = pertaining to a fish net having small meshes.

finesse fishing = an angling technique using light tackle, effective in clear, unvegetated water.

finfish = true fishes, those poikilothermic vertebrates breathing by gills throughout life and having limbs, if any, in the form of fins. Used to indicate true fishes in the context where the word fish is applied in its broad sense to cover aquatic animals such as whales, crustaceans and molluscs.

finfish excluder device = a structure used on fishing equipment to reduce the amount of by-catch taken. Commonly used with shrimp trawls.

finfold = the median and metapleural folds in the integument of Amphioxi. Also the median integumentary fold of embryos of other fishes. Also a hypothetical fold from which paired fins were supposedly evolved from folds of the body wall.

finger = fish stick (fish marketed in the form of rectangular sticks cut from a block of frozen fish fillets, breaded, fried in fat or sold frozen for cooking. Usually 1-3 oz in weight).

finger pier = a narrow floating pier leading off from a pier or wharf.

fingerling = an immature fish, less than one year old, or any fish too small to be of marketable size (and so up to 25 cm long).

fingerling pond = a rearing pond stocked with fry for their first year of growth. Also called second fry rearing pond.

fining compound = a type of isinglass (glutinous fluid prepared from the gas bladders of fish) used to clarify beer.

finishing pond = fattening pond.

finlet = one of a series of small fins consisting of a few rays each, separate from each other and found posterior to the dorsal and anal fins, e.g. in Scombridae.

Finn men = sea fairies in the Orkneys who drive away fish from the part of the sea they inhabit.

finnack = finnock.

finnage = the whole set of fins found on a fish.

finnan haddie = split, lightly salted and cold smoked (for a few hours) haddock, without head and guts, from Scotland. Cooked in butter or cream traditionally. Also called finnan haddock. Reputedly named for the village of Findon in Scotland.

finnan haddock = finnan haddie.

finneck = finock.

finner = a generic term for any fish (Scottish dialect).

finnie = a salmon under one year (Scottish dialect).

finning = removal of the fins and discarding of the carcass, e.g. with sharks as the source for Chinese shark fin soup. A single large fin from a basking shark can sell for $13,300 in Asia (in 2003).

finnoch = finnock.

finnock = immature sea trout, Salmo trutta (Scottish dialect). Also spelled finnack, finneck, finnoch, phinnick and phinnock.

finny tribe = fish.

finrot = in aquarium fish caused by poor environmental conditions, stress and high bacterial levels; initially appearing as red streaks in the fins, followed by fraying, rotting of fins and when reaching the body, death. Salt baths and application of Gentian violet can cure the condition if the causes are removed.

fion = a unit of disapproval.

fiord = a long, deep, narrow inlet of the sea between steep mountainous sides. Of glacial origin. Also spelled fjord.

fire fishing = attracting or sighting fish by means of light, in this case by a fire. Voyageurs used to build a platform on the bow of a canoe to hold the burning materials. Also called torch fishing.

firmness = a means of assessing the quality of fish by finger pressure when raw or in the mouth when cooked.

first feeding larva = a larval fish that has used up all, or almost all, of its yolk and is capable of feeding.

first fry pond = nursery pond (a pond system intermediate between the hatchery and grow-out stages in aquaculture).

first rearing pond = nursery pond (a pond system intermediate between the hatchery and grow-out stages in aquaculture).

first reviser = the person who first selects one of two or more simultaneously published names that (s)he believes represent the same taxon, or who selects which one of two or more taxa for which identical names have been simultaneously published, the name will apply to. This is done in the interest of nomenclatural stability.

first uroneural = 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).

first-level consumer = a fish that feeds on the lowest level of a community's food web, namely plants. Also called primary consumer.

firth = a long, narrow indentation of the coastline.

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 (Germnay). Marketed as semi-preserves or canned. Also called Brisoletten.

Fischsülze = cooked fish, minced and mixed with cucumbers, onion, spices and other ingredients, packed in jelly, and dissolved by heat. This German product is similar to corned beef. The minimum fish content is 60%.

fish = 1) any chordate below the tetrapods. A poikilothermic aquatic chordate breathing by means of gills throughout life (accessory organs may be used) and having limbs, if any, in the form of fins. For convenience, lancelets, lampreys and hagfishes are considered fishes along with sharks, rays, chimaeras and bony fishes. The word fish has been used in popular English for a almost a thousand years (A.D. 1010). Where one species of fish is involved the plural is fish, where several species of fish are involved the plural is fishes. This practice is not always strictly adhered to. Fish is also used in a broad sense of aquatic animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, particularly those which are fished for, such as whales and molluscs, as well as ordinary fishes (see below). To distinguish the true fishes in this context the term finfish is used.

fish- = many words have been combined with fish as a prefix or modifier. These words may, or may not, be hyphenated or joined. Often, but not always, the hyphenated word is an adjective; but frequently this is mis-used. All variants may need to be searched although most are entered here. Note that any term preceded by fish may occur alone, e.g. fish garth may appear simply as garth.

-fish = many words have been combined with fish as a suffix. These words may, or may not, be hyphenated or joined and can be found under the appropriate letter heading.

The word fish is found in all languages and some examples follow (not all scripts translate across platforms):-
Abenaki = namas, Afrikaans = vis, Ainu = ceh, cep, Aklanon = isda, Alabama = ɬaɬo, Albanian = peshk, Anglo-Saxon = fisc, Arabic = سمك (samak), Aramaic = נון (nun), Armenian = ձուկ (łowk) or tsoug, Assyrian = nooynaa, Asturian = pexe, Avestan = masyô, Ayapathu = nga'a, Aymara = chawlla, Azeri = balıq, Basque = arrain, Bavarian = fiisch, Bemba = isabi, Bengali = machh, Bergamasco = pès, Blackfoot = mamíí, Bolognese = pass, Bosnian = riba; Brazilian = peixe, fish, Breton = pesk, Bulgarian = риба (ryba), Byelorussian = рыба, Calabrese = pisciu, pisci, Caló = maché, machó, Cambodian (Khmer) = t'ray, Cantonese = 魚 (yue), Catalan = peix, Catawba = yie`, Cebuano = isda, Chamorro = guihan, Chechen = ch'cara, Cherokee = a tsa di, Cheyenne = noma'ne, Cornish = pisk, Croatian = riba, Czech = ryba, Dagespregos = peisko, Danish = fisk, Dutch = vis, Dzoratâi = pèsson, Esperanto = fiŝo, Estonian = kala, Faeroese = fiskur, Farsi = ماهي (mahi), Finnish = kala, Fijian = ika, Flemish = vis, French = poisson, Frisian = fisk, Fulani = liingu, Galician = peixe, Gan = 鱼 (enlei), Georgian = თევზი (tevzi), German = Fisch, Greek = ιχθύς (ichthos, ancient), ψάρι, (psari, modern), Griko Salentino = atzàri, Guarani = pira, ipirã, Gujarati = માછલું (macchi), Hainanese = 鱼 (hu), Haitian creole = pwason, Hakka = 魚 (ng), Hausa = kifi, Hawaiian = i'a, Hebrew = דג (dag), Hindi = मछली (machali), Hmong = ntses, Hungarian = hal, Huron (Wyandot) = ye,ent,so, Ibo = azu, Icelandic = fiskur, Ido = fisho, Ilocano = lames, Indonesian = ikan, Interlingua = pisce, Inuktituk = iqaluk, Inupiaq = iqaluk, Irish = iasc, Italian = pesce, Japanese = 魚 (さかな) (sakana), Javanese = iwak, Judeo-Spanish = peshe, peshkado, Kankonian = tairak, Khmer = t'ray, Kongo = mbizi amaza, mbizi a maza, Konkani = nishtem, Korean = 물고기 (seng-son), Kunza = cacchi, Kurdish Kurmanji = masî, Kurdish Sorani = ماسی (masi), Ladino = pësc, Lao = ປາ (bpa), Lappish/Saame = guöllé, Latin = piscis, Latvish = fisribe, fisdogim, Leonese = peixe, Limburgian = vèsj, vösj, Lingala = mbisi, Lithuanian = žuvis, Loglan = ficli, Lombardo Occidentale = pès, Luxembourgish = Fësch, Maasai = osinkirri, Macedonian РИБА (ryba), Mahratta = māsolī, Malagasy = haza, trondro, Malay = ikan, Maliseeet-Passamaquoddy = nûm-es', Maltese = huta, Mandarin = 魚 (Pīnyīn: yú), Mantuan = pes, Manx = eeast, Maori = ika, ngobi, Mapunzugun = chajwa, Marathi = मासळी (?), Marshallese = ik, Mayan = kay, Mikmaq = nméj, Mongolian = загас (zagas), Mudnés = pass, Nahuatl = michin, Neapolitan = pesce, Norwegian = fisk, Novial = fishe, Occitan = peisson, Old Tamil = min, Papago = watopi, Papiamen = piska, Parmigiano = pess, Pashtu = kab, Piemontese = pess, Pig latin = ishfay, Polish = ryba, Portuguese = peixe, Potawatomi = gigos, Provencal = peis, Pugliese = pesc, Punjabi = ਮਛੀ (machi), Quechua = suchi, chaulla, Rapanui = ika, ma'ito, Reggiano = pèss, Romagnola = pès, Romanian = peşte, Romansh = pesch, Romany = macshò, Ruanda = ifi, Russian = рыба (r'yba), Saanich = pis, Samoan = i'a, Sanskrit = मत्स्य (matsya), Sardinian (Limba Sarda Unificada) = pische, Sardinian Campidanesu = piscau, pisci, Sardu = písche, Scots Gaelic = iasg, Seneca (Mingo) = këtsö, Sepedi = hiapi, Serbo-Croatian = riba, Shona = hove, Sicilian = pisci, Sinhalese = ma-lu, Slovak = ryba, Slovene = ribe, Somali = kalluun, Spanish = pez, plural peces, pescado, plural pescados, Sranan = fisi, Sumerian = kua, Sundanese = lauk, ikan, Swahili = samaki, Swazi = ín-hlanti, Swedish = fisk, Swiss German = Fisch, Tagalog = isda, Tahitian = i'a, Telegu = kakka, Thai = ปลา (plaa), Tibetan = ཉ་ (ña), Tok Pisin = pis, Triestino = pesse, Tupinambá = pirá, Turkish = balık, Turkmen = balyk, Ukrainian = риба (ryba), Urdu = مچھلی (machhli), Valencian = peix, Venetian = pesse, Vietnamese = cá, Vogul = xul, Wallon = pexhon, Welsh = pysgodyn, Yiddish = fish, Yucatec = kay, Zeneize = pescio, Zulu = inhlanzi.

fish = 2) a whale; used in the historical whale fisheries.

fish = 3) slang for microfiche; a cabinet of microfiches is called a fish tank.

fish = 4) the flesh of fish used as food.

fish = 5) a gullible person.

fish = 6) a card game.

fish = 7) a counter or marker at cards, often fish-shaped.

fish = 8) pieces cut out of garments to make them fit closely.

fish = 9) a piece of timber used to strengthen a mast or spar when sprung, often somewhat fish-shaped.

fish = 10) a machine for hoisting the flukes of the anchor to the bow.

fish = 11) a prostitute; probably from the resemblance of the word to flesh.

fish = 12) a corpse, especially one taken from water.

fish = 13) to splice as rails, with a fish-joint.

fish = 14) to seek to obtain by artifice, in a sly or indirect way, e.g. fish for compliments.

fish = 15) to search for loot.

fish = 16) slang for a torpedo; in full tin fish.

fish = 17) slang for a new prisoner.

fish = 18) a dance done to fox trot music in 4/4 time.

fish = 19) to pull or draw out (as out of a pocket or out of boiling water, or wires in walls).

fish = 20) a person deficient in some way (a poor fish, a queer fish).

fish = 21) the twelfth sign of the zodiac (about 19 February to 20 March).

Fish = 22) a surname.

fish = 23) a type of wide surfboard with a swallow tail.

FISH = 24) abbreviation for fluorescence in situ hybridisation, the use of fluorescent tags to detect hybridisation of probes with metaphase chromosomes and with the less-condensed somatic interphase chromatin.

FISH = 25) First In, Still Here, a facetious extension of FIFO (first in, first out) used in accounting.

FISH = 26) Friends in Service Here, a service agency assisting the low income, elderly or handicapped.

fish = 27) a bad poker player.

fish = 28) Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, once such a mainstay of the economy and life in Atlantic Canada that is was referred to simply as fish. See also 79 below.

fish = 29) slang for a dollar.

fish = 30) meat having the qualities of fish, e.g. a beaver tail is fish but an otter tail is flesh or meat.

fish = 31) applied figuratively to a person whom it is desirable to catch or hook.

fish = 32) the first incarnation of Vishnu in Hindu mythology.

fish = 33) to lead an internal halyard or messenger through a mast.

fish = 34) an attractive male human; a hot guy.

fish = 35) surreal or random. From the joke "How many surrealists does it take to change a light bulb?" "How many?" "Fish".

fish = 36) life mate; from the proverb "there are more fish in the sea".

fish = 37) used as an exclamation of anger to replace potentially offensive words; presumably from "By God's flesh".

fish = 38) freshman.

fish = 39) novice, beginner.

fish = 40) newcomer.

fish = 41) foreigner.

fish = 42) as a verb, to catch fishes, marine mammals, and invertebrates; the act of fishing.

fish = 43) <>< - as an e-mail symbol.

fish = 44) ghoti (pronounced as fish; an indication of the complexity and inconsistency of the English language attributed to George Bernard Shaw - gh as in cough, o as in women and ti as in nation means ghoti can be pronounced as fish (and other words have been cited such as trough, rough, laugh, station, etc., the original has not been tracked down)).

fish = 45) according to the Fisheries Act in Canada, fish includes fish, shellfish, crustaceans, marine animals and any parts of fish, shellfish, crustaceans or marine animals, and the eggs, sperm, spawn, larvae, spat and juvenile stages of fish, shellfish, crustaceans and marine animals.

fish = 46) a turtle in the West Indies, so called by dealers in the capture of them in the past.

fish = 47) a submarine.

fish = 48) a victim that someone is trying to catch or hook, e.g. in a carnival game. See clean the fish.

fish = 49) a person (poor fish, queer fish, cold fish, loose fish, etc.).

fish = 50) an acronym for Fibonacci shrinking, a software cipher.

fish = 51) British code name for German teleprinter ciphers in the Second World War. From Fibonacci shrinking. See also tunny and sturgeon.

fish = 52) stage name for Derek William Dick, a Scottish rock singer, writer and actor.

fish = 53) to search for something under water by dredging, diving or some other method.

fish = 54) to draw or pull out of water.

fish = 55) to curry favour or ingratiate oneself.

fish = 56) to use as bait in fishing.

fish = 57) to search for something.

fish = 58) to cover land with fish remains as a fertiliser.

fish = 59) to provide good or bad sport for anglers, e.g. the river continues to fish badly.

fish = 60) to make use of for fishing, such as a small boat or gear, e.g. this rod is easier to fish.

fish = 61) to take part in a fishing competition, e.g. members of the club will fish a match tomorrow.

fish = 62) the act of attaching a piece of timber used to strengthen a mast or spar when sprung.

fish = 63) the act of joining with a fish joint.

fish = 64) a flat plate of iron or wood set across a joint to strengthen it, as in railway construction; a fish plate, q.v.

fish = 65) a yellow, oilskin raincoat or slicker. So-named because of a trademark.

fish = 66) a seaman. See also scaly fish.

fish = 67) a woman; probably from the resemblance of the word to flesh.

fish = 68) a heterosexual female in homosexual slang in the twentieth century.

Fish = 69) the Australian train between Sydney and Blue Mountain communities. Apparently several of the first crew had names related to fish.

fish = 70) female pudenda (slang).

fish = 71) the penis (slang).

fish = 72) a Roman Catholic, in a derogatory sense since they ate fish every Friday for religious reasons. See also fish-eater.

FISh = 73) an array programming language.

FISH = 74) files transferred over shell protocol is a protocol to transfer files between computers and manage remote files.

fish = 75) a UNIX command shell, being an acronym for friendly interactive shell.

FISH = 76) an unofficial acronym for urban warfare, meaning fighting in someone's house.

fish = 77) American English slang for an African American.

fish = 78) to crib or copy someone else's work.

fish = 79) used for salmon and sea trout in Scotland as these are important fish See also 28 above.

fish a man appeal = a contribution to the Second World War effort by Newfoundland fishermen who donated one salt-dried cod, the proceeds from the sale of which went to provide comforts for Newfoundland servicemen overseas and their families at home.

fish advisory = not addressed to fish but to the public when high concentrations of chemical contaminants have been found in local fish.

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

fish allergy = humans can be allergic to fish (BWC, personal experience) 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 diarrhea.

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.

fish and chips = fried fish and fried chipped potatoes. See also grockle fodder.

fish and chip shop = a shop selling fish and chips. Note that the fish is often dogfish (Squalus acanthias) and better types of fish, such as cod and haddock, cost extra.

fish and chip van = a vehicle which is used to sell fish and chips from; often not particularly mobile as a licensed spot on a street is where the vehicle is stationed or it may be converted and permanently fixed in a location.

fish and chips = 1) battered fish served with sliced potatoes cooked in oil or fat. A staple of the English, better than it sounds.

fish and chips = 2) also, elliptically, for a shop where this item may be bought.

fish and flesh = a proverb, you must not make fish of one and flesh of the other, meaning you must treat both alike. Fish is deemed an inferior sort of animal food to flesh. Used for its alliterative quality.

fish and scrunchions = Dutch mess (salt cod and potatoes with browned onions. Garnished with scrunchions (the crunchy bits remaining after pork fat is rendered). Also called house bankin' or hugger-in-buff).

fish and shrimp = pimp (U.S. rhyming slang).

fish and vang = cod and salty and fat pork chunks cooked together (Newfoundland).

fish 'n' taters = laters (Cockney slang for seeing someone later).

fish 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.

fish attracting device = fish aggregating device.

fish attractor = any structure placed in the water to create habitat for fishes.

fish 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).

fish avoidance = 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.

fish bagger = a suburban tradesman's term for those who live in good areas but without spending more than rent money; derisory.

fish ball = 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.

fish bar = 1) fish plate (1).

fish bar = 2) a restaurant serving fish, often sushi, with seats at a bar.

fish barrel = 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.

fish barrier = weir (nets or fences set in streams or along the coast to direct fish into a holding container for easy capture. Some weirs take advantage of the falling tide to capture fish while others catch upstream migrating adults).

fish barrow = a flat, rectangular wooden frame with handles at each corner, made for two men to carry cod.

fish basil = a herb, basil used in fish dishes.

fish basket = 1) a device to catch fish moving in a stream; made of wickerwork or wooden slats and usually trapping downstream migrants.

fish 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).

fish basket = 3) a basket used for carrying fish; a creel.

fish bat = fishing bat.

fish beach = an area of beach levelled for drying of salt cod (Newfoundland).

fish beam = 1) a beam one of whose sides (usually the ventral one) swells out like the belly of a fish.

fish beam = 2) a scale for weighing dried cod (Newfoundland).

fish bed = a stratum rich in fish fossils.

fish bee = a bluebottle fly (Scottish dialect).

fish beetle = the rove beetle (Staphylinus villosus) which swarmed in older fish processing sheds. Also called fish fly.

fish before the net = to be premature in anticipating something.

fish begonia = an ornamental Brazilian plant (Begonia maculata) with fishtail-shaped, spotty leaves.

fish belly = anything white like a fish belly including certain plants where leaves are white on the underside and turned up in the wind.

fish belly sill = a side or central sill used in railroad car construction; named for its fish shape.

fish berry = a plant used to kill or stupefy fish when placed in water as an extract, e.g. Levant berry (Cocculus indicus (an older name) or Anamirta paniculata) crushed and scattered on the water surface by Indian fisherman.

fish bird = the Atlantic black-legged kittiwake or the northern common tern, birds whose appearance heralded the beginning of the fishery in Newfoundland.

fish biscuit = 1) a large, fish-flavoured treat used for rewarding animals in zoos such as bears.

fish biscuit = 2) a term for any reward that does not meet expectations. Based on the TV series "Lost" where one of the characters (Sawyer) spent most of an episode locked up and trying to solve a puzzle only to be rewarded with a fish-shaped biscuit.

fish bladder = 1) the storage sac for urine.

fish bladder = 2) a figure composed of two equal and symmetrically placed circular arcs. See also vesica piscis.

fish bladder = 3) 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).

fish blanket = hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum), an aquatic, perennial plant with whorled leaves.

fish block = 1) a block of frozen fish flesh, containing no skin and no bones.

fish block = 2) equipment to raise the flukes of an anchor to the gunwale. Also called fish tackle.

fish block = 3) 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.

fish board = a wooden platform used as a table on Newfoundland fishing boats. Cod, salt meat and potatoes were cooked in a pot and thrown on the fish board. Each fisherman took a seat around the board and ate away until it was all finished.

fish boat = a boat from which fish are caught.

fish boil = 1) a mass of fish attacking food or bait just below the surface. Also called boiling school.

fish boil = 2) fish, potatoes and onions boiled in salted water, usually at a picnic.

fish boil = 3) a skin eruption found on fishermen in prolonged contact with salt water.

fish boiler = 1) a fish kettle.

fish boiler = 2) a Norwegian (slang).

fish bolt = a bolt for securing a fish plate.

fish bomb = 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.

fish bombing = use of explosives or cyanide to collect fish for food.

fish bone diagram = a graph used in quality control to identify possible problem causes.

fish 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.

fish bone stitch = a series of diagonal, single-purl stitches zig-zagged across an unmarked line.

fish bone thistle = fish thistle.

fish bone tree = Panax crassifolium, a small tree from New Zealand.

fish bones = oscillations in soft x-ray emissions which have the appearance of fish bones.

fish book = a record of fish captures, e.g. a dealer's records of fish received from a fisherman in the cod fishery of Newfoundland.

fish bowl = 1) a round glass bowl used for keeping ornamental or pet fish.

fish bowl = 2) a situation where one's activities are constantly observed, scrutinised, commented on, etc.

fish bowl = 3) jail.

fish bowl granuloma = localised nodular skin inflammation (small reddish raised areas of skin) caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium marinum. Usually acquired by occupational or recreational exposure to salt or fresh water, often resulting from minor trauma during caring for aquaria.

fish box = 1) a box for storing and transporting fish, usually 15-50 kg.

fish box - 2) a wooden sailing vessel carrying dried cod to foreign markets (Newfoundland).

fish brain = in inline skating a slide where the skater grabs one skate with the hand closest to it.

fish breast = a plump fillet.

fish breath = halitosis in cats eating a diet of fish.

fish breeches = cod fish roe (Newfoundland).

fish brine = fish sauce.

fish broth = water (slang).

fish burger = a hamburger with the patty made from fish.

fish cadger = a fish hawker (Scottish dialect).

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. Fish content may be 35-50% by weight and include such species as cod and haddock. Marketed cooked, cooked and frozen, frozen ready for frying, and canned.

fish cake = 2) fish before drying in the manufacturing process for fish meal.

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.

fish car = a railroad car with water tanks for transportation of live fish.

fish carle = a fisherman.

fish carrier = 1) a boat used to transport a catch of fishes from a vessel to the shore.

fish carrier = 2) a container used to keep fish alive during transportation.

fish carver = a carving knife used for fish. May be paired with a fork.

fish cask = a wooden barrel for the export of dried and salted cod (Newfoundland). See also fish drum.

fish catching box = a fry trap placed behind the monk, q.v., to catch fish when a pond is drained.

fish census = a survey over time of fish species, numbers and relative abundance.

fish chip = a delicatessen potato chip-like product made of equal parts of fish and potato.

fish chorusing = sound production in fishes associated with reproduction. Various websites have recordings of the sounds made.

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.

fish clamp = a type of fish spear with several prongs that hold a fish without excessive injury. The prongs may be pointed and barbed too but the purpose of the clamp is to secure the fish with little damage.

fish cleaning = the act of cleaning a fish for food. See fish cleaning in Symbols.

fish climber = a plant (?) whose red and black-kernelled beans when bruised and thrown into water will stupefy fish.

fish clip = fish clamp.

fish club = 1) a device used to stun or kill a fish when captured on hook and line or in a trap. Can be a simple piece of wood or intricately shaped and carved as with the Haida fish clubs of western Canada.

fish club = 2) an association of individuals devoted to angling. See also anglers association.

fish club = 3) an association of individuals devoted to keeping fish in aquaria.

fish cocktail = ceviche (raw white fish marinated in lemon or lime juice and served with sweet limes, avocados, onion rings, garlic, cilantro, chiles, boiled corn and tomatoes. Originally from Peru, variously modified).

fish collecting pool = a place where fish concentrate during the drying up or draining of a pond, usually behind the monk, q.v.

fish colony = Newfoundland.

fish content = the amount of fish in a product, often given as a percentage and minimum amounts required by law, e.g. in fish spread and cakes.

fish coop = 1) a wicker basket for catching fish.

fish coop = 2) a box about a metre square used in fishing through ice.

fish coop = 3) a large trap net made of stakes or a fence.

fish coop = 4) abbreviated form of fish cooperative.

fish cooperative = a jointly owned organisation furthering the catch, processing and sale of fish. Abbreviated as fish-coop (pronounced co-op).

fish coroner = a forensic scientist who determines how a fish has been caught, usually in legal cases involving poaching with nets and traps rather than the permitted hook-and-line method. The latter leaves evidence in the form of hook marks, and sometimes poachers try to fake them.

fish corral = barricade (a barrier used to lead fish into an enclosure, e.g. fyke net, pound net, etc).

fish court = the holding chamber in a trap net or the last chamber in any net.

fish crate = wooden container in which cod are processed in the Newfoundland Bank fishery.

fish credit water = water set aside in reservoirs for release downstream to maintain fish stocks.

fish crisp = a delicatessen product made from fish mince mixed with starch and sugar, expanding when cooked in oil and not like a potato chip.

fish crop = yield (1) catch in weight. Catch and yield are often used interchangeably. Amount of production per unit area over a given time. A measure of production. The sustainable yield is the quantity of fish which can be taken from a stock (usually on an annual basis) without severely depleting or eliminating that stock).

fish cross-handed = rowing a boat alone, especially for the purpose of catching fish (Newfoundland).

fish crow = a species of crow (Corvus ossifragus) in eastern North America feeding mostly on fish, usually dead fish.

fish culler = a person who sorted dried and salted cod into grades by cure, quality and size (Newfoundland).

fish culture = the artificial breeding and raising of fishes.

fish culturist = a person engaged in aquaculture.

fish curing = drying, salting, smoking and pickling of fish to extend their edibility.

fish currie = a small stool used by fishermen (Scottish dialect).

fish curve = a mathematical term for an ellipse negative pedal curve with the pedal point at the focus for the special case of the eccentricity e² = ½.

fish cutter = a person who prepares fish for eating by removing fins, internal organs and bones and cuts large fish into fillets and steaks.

fish dance = 1) a dance of Great Lakes Indians involving flipping motions of the hands and feet.

fish dance = 2) any of a variety of dances world-wide involving fish and fishing, meant to improve catches by propitiating gods or celebrating a way of life.

fish davit = a crane-like device for raising or lowering equipment such as an anchor using a fish fall.

fish day = a day on which fish is eaten according to religious requirements; a fast day.

fish decoy = an imitation of a fish used to attract fish close enough to be speared. Used in ice fishing in North America.

fish dive = a ballet position where the dancer arches her back, lifts her head and bends back her legs with feet crossed. This position may be maintained while jumping or while supported, hence the name.

fish diverter = an electrical device that prevents fish from entering sensitive areas, e.g. power dams.

fish doctor = 1) the eelpout Gymnelus viridis (family Zoarcidae) found in circumpolar Arctic marine waters. The reason for its name is unknown, it may "clean" parasites from other fishes.

fish doctor = 2) the salve bug, Aega psora, an isopod crustacean parasite on cod and halibut. Used by fishermen in the preparation of a salve.

fish dog = an experienced fisherman (Newfoundland).

fish drawn = eviscerated fish. Drawn fish may still need to be scaled.

fish drier = fish flake (a rack on which fish are dried, often of spruce boughs on a framework of poles in North America).

fish drum = a drum-shaped wooden container for shipping dried cod (Newfoundland).

fish duck = any species of merganser.

fish dumpling = fish ball.

fish eagle = osprey (Pandion haliaetus) or any eagle feeding on fresh fish or fish as carrion such as Haliaeetes.

fish ear = an incorrect or slang term for the gills.

fish eater = 1) one who lives chiefly upon fish.

fish eater = 2) a knife and fork used in eating fish (British).

fish elevation = the elevation of a fish above the stream bed measured at the tip of the fish's snout.

fish elevator = a space at the base of a barrier (like a dam) into which fish swim. When enough fish accumulate in the collection area, they are nudged into a hopper that carries them into a flume that empties into the river above the barrier. Several hundred fish can be moved at a time.

fish emergence = departure of fry from the gravel into the water column.

fish emulsion = a fertilizer emulsion produced from the liquid remains of processed fish in fish meal and oil industries.

fish eye = 1) an eye like that of a fish.

fish eye = 2) a wide-angle lens on a camera covering about 180°.

fish eye = 3) a weld defect having a hole or piece of matter surrounded by a circular area of brightness.

fish eye = 4) a diamond or other gem cut too thin for proper brilliance.

fish eye = 5) a variety of moonstone.

fish eye = 6) an imitation diamond.

fish eye = 7) a small blemish in finished paper caused by a crushed and glazed particle.

fish eye = 8) a cold or suspicious stare.

fish eye = 9) blank, expressionless.

fish eye = 10) ocular lymphomatosis in fowl.

fish eye = 11) in oil drilling fluids, slang for a globule of partly hydrated polymer formed by poor dispersion during mixing. About 0.2-0.5 inches in size, they consist of a granule of unhydrated polymer covered by hydrated polymer and so are impervious to water and do not disperse.

fish eye disease = an inherited disorder in humans resulting in low HDL cholesterol and corneal opacity.

fish eyes = 1) a delicacy in some cuisines of Southeast Asia.

fish eyes = 2) slang for tapioca pudding.

fish face = 1) someone having a face reminiscent of a fish, although not necessarily having any features particularly fish-like.

fish face = 2) a term of abuse, sometimes used affectionately. Refers to an open mouth like a gaping fish and a blank expression, indicative of lack of brain function.

fish face = 3) the fleshy parts of a cod's head, eaten as a delicacy in Newfoundland.

fish fag = female fish monger.

fish fall = 1) the tackle depending from a fish davit used in hauling up the anchor to the gunwale.

fish fall = 2) rains of fishes (fishes falling from the sky like rain or in rain, the result of waterspouts and whirlwinds (see account by Gudger (1921))).

fish farm = 1) an aquaculture facility.

fish farm = 2) a sheltered area in a bay or harbour where cod are raised to maturity in netted enclosures.

fish fast = the observance of a fish day.

fish feed = commercial fish food, often in pellet form and based on fish oil and fishmeal.

fish fence = any structure made of wood, brushwood, mats, etc. used to catch or direct fish into traps. These may be in the form of a net narrowed inward to prevent fish finding the entrance again, to elaborate labyrinths. The general base form is triangular or heart-shaped, with complex fencing and multiple base forms in a labyrinth.

fish finder = 1) a sonar device or echo sounder used to locate fishes and determine water depth.

fish finder = 2) a surf-fishing rig comprising a pyramid-shaped sinker running freely along the line; this allows the bait to be carried by the tide or run by a fish.

fish finger = fish stick.

fish flag = a flag flown from a sport fishing boat to indicate to observers on shore that a significant catch of that species had been made. Usually a coloured drawing of the fish species.

fish flake = a rack on which fish are dried, often of spruce boughs on a framework of poles in North America.

fish flakes = cooked haddock or cod flesh broken up into flakes and then canned.

fish flee = a bluebottle fly (Scottish dialect).

fish float = the swimbladder of a cod (Newfoundland).

fish flop = a somersault involving flipping feet in the air.

fish flour = a flour made of pulverised, dried fish parts.

fish flows = artificially increased flows in a river system instituted to move young fish quickly downstream during their spring migration period.

fish fly = 1) a large, soft-bodied insect found near streams with aquatic larvae called hellgramites used as fish bait (Corydalidae, Megaloptera).

fish fly = 2) the rove beetle (Staphylinus villosus) which swarmed in older fish processing sheds. Also called fish beetle.

fish fly = 3) fish frame (the remains of a filleted cod (Newfoundland)).

fish food = the food eaten by fishes, cf. fish-feed.

fish for = to try subtly or deviously to obtain information or a response.

fish for compliments = to try and obtain praise by subtle of devious means.

fish for herring and catch a whale = to get a result other than the expected one.

fish for oneself = 1) to get all one can, to seek one's own profit exclusively.

fish for oneself = 2) to rely on one's own efforts.

fish for stamps = fishing long enough to be eligible for unemployment insurance (Newfoundland).

fish fork = 1) a large, short- to long-handled fork used in unloading fish. With one or two tines.

fish fork = 2) a 4-tined fork used in eating fish, larger than a salad fork.

fish frame = the remains of a filleted cod (Newfoundland). See also fish fly.

fish fry = 1) an indoor or outdoor party where fish and seafoods are cooked and eaten.

fish fry = 2) fried fish.

fish fry = 3) fry or young fish.

fish fuddle = the Jamaican dogwood (Piscidia) a small tree of Florida and the West Indies yielding fish poison.

fish fuddle tree = Florida fish-poison tree or Jamaican dogwood.

fish fumet = a concentrated fish stock made with vegetables, spices, wine and fish bones including the head without the eyes. The fish bones and spices are added to blanched vegetables such as carrots, leeks, onions, lettuce and celery and, when the bones start to break down, wine is added and the mixture reduced. Water is added and the mixture cooked for 30-45 minutes and then strained before serving.

fish fungus = 1) an aquatic fungus (Saprolegnia spp.) that attacks living fish in crowded conditions such as aquaria and aquaculture facilities.

fish fungus = 2) a reddish fungus (Clathrocystis roseopersicina) found on salted cod.

fish gaff = a long pole with a metal hook on the end, used to secure large fish caught on hook-and-line and haul them on board a vessel.

fish garth = a dam or weir in a river for keeping or catching fish.

fish gate = a gate in the walls of ancient Jerusalem where the fisherman of Galilee would bring in their catch.

fish gel = surimi, q.v., with salt added and heated to 90°C and called kamaboko.

fish gelatin = 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).

fish geranium = a cultivated herb (Pelargonium hortorum) with scalloped, crenate leaves and a broad colour zone inside the margin.

fish gig = 1) a pole with barbed prongs for striking fish. Loaded at the end with lead.

fish gig = 2) an arrangement of hooks dragged through the water to foul-hook fish.

fish glass = a tube with a glass end used to locate schools of cod from a boat in Newfoundland. Also called water glass.

fish globe = a spherical glass container for keeping pet fish.

fish glue = 1) 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).

fish glue = 2) a liquid glue made from the bones, fins and skin of fish by heating in water, used cold for bookbinding, for example.

fish god = 1) 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).

fish god = 2) Dagon (the fish god of the Philistines, the upper half being a man and the lower half a fish. The fish half represented fertility. The name is from the word dag, meaning fish. The Babylonians had a myth of a being who emerged from the Erythraean Sea, being part fish and part man. Also found in Assyrian sculpture).

fish god = 3) Ea (a Sumerian fish god living in a submarine palace. See also apkallu fish).

fish god = 4) Fuxi, (the Chinese amphibious god, a founder of their civilisation, with a man's or woman's head and a fish tail).

fish god = 5) Oannes (the foremost of the the fish men who brought civilisation to the Babylonians. Lived on land during the day but had to return to water at night. Became the fish god Dagon later).

fish god = 6) Oe (Oannes).

fish god = 7) Triton (a merman, the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, human above the waist but fish-shaped below. Known as the trumpeter of the sea since he blew on a conch).

fish god = 8) Vishnu (Mahavishnu took the form of a fish to retrieve the vedas from the Asura Hayagreevan (head of a horse) and also to safeguard herbs and seeds at the end of one cycle of creation).

fish goddess = Hat-Mehit (a goddess from Mendes in Lower Egypt in charge of the the rare fish cult, depicted as human with a fish over her head or as a fish).

fish gorge = an old piece of fishing gear comprising a short piece of wood, bone, horn, flint or metal, variously shaped, but having sharp ends, usually a central attachment for the line, and embedded in bait. When the fish swims away, having swallowed the baited gorge, it lodges crosswise in the throat. Variants have line attached at one end and the other end pointed, a cross-shape that spreads open when the line is pulled, and the spring-gorge or spring-angle, q.v.

fish grained split = a book binding of a sheepskin split, dyed and embossed with a gunpowder grain.

fish grass = water shield or fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana), an aquatic plant of North America.

fish gravy = fish sauce, e.g. Thai fish sauce.

fish gription = the ability to hold a slippery fish long enough to take a photograph (slang).

fish guano = fertiliser made of fish; or fish manure.

fish guide = 1) any device used to direct fish to a certain place for capture or avoidance of danger, e.g. lights, bubbles, sound, electricity.

fish guide = 2) a professional fishing guide who directs the angler to spots where trophy fish can be found and advises on tackle to catch them. See also ghillie.

fish hair = synthetic hair used in tying streamers (q.v.) and saltwater flies.

fish halfpenny = a small, nineteenth-century halfpenny piece with the figure of a split codfish on one side.

fish ham = tuna or marlin flesh mixed with whale and pork in a sausage (Japan).

fish handler's disease = erysipeloid, a dermatitis from handling fish contaminated with bacteria.

fish handling = operations such as growing, harvesting, processing, packing, storing, transporting, distributing, marketing and selling of fish.

fish harvester = someone who catches or cultures fish for a living.

fish hatchery = a place or establishment for spawning, incubating and hatching fish eggs and for the rearing of young for release into the wild.

fish hawk = 1) osprey (Pandion haliaetus).

fish hawk = 2) fish dog.

fish hawker = a seller of fish, usually by travelling about and calling out his wares.

fish head = 1) an apparatus for withdrawing the clacks of pumps through the column.

fish head = 2) severed head of a fish, sold as food. Sometimes a delicacy, sometimes sold to the poor.

fish head = 3) a derogatory term for a Chinese person.

fish hedge = a trap made of bamboo screens.

fish hold = an enclosed space on a vessel for storing fish; may be insulated and/or refrigerated.

fish home = the sea (Old English).

fish hood = the state or condition of fish (rarely used).

fish hook = 1) a bent piece of wire with its tip sharpened and often a barb below the tip used to catch fish. Available in many sizes and styles. May be single, double or treble but all these are counted as one hook in angling regulations. Hooks separated by stretches of line are counted as multiple hooks. See hook for more detail.

fish hook = 2) a large hook with a pendant to which the fish tackle is hooked in fishing an anchor.

fish hook = 3) a sharp broken strand in a wire.

fish hook = 4) book (Cockney rhyming slang).

fish hook cactus = cholla cactus (Opuntia spp.) or barrel cactus (Ferocactus wislezenii) of the American southwest with hooked spines.

fish hook displacement = a medical condition in humans where the stomach is displaced. The orifice of the pylorus faces directly upward and the duodenum runs upward and to the right to join the pylorus at an angle, producing a constricting hook. Asymptomatic.

fish hook flea = a crustacean (Cercopagis pengoi, Cladocera) from the Black and Caspian seas now introduced to North American lakes. Their tails are long, spiny and shaped like a fish hook and they hook themselves together, clogging fish nets and lines.

fish hook money = Persian larin money, scimitar-shaped.

fish hook wire = a wire of twisted strands with a piece of wire resembling a fish hook inserted at intervals.

fish hooked wire = fish hook wire.

fish hooks = fingers (slang).

fish hooks in one's pocket = to be very cheap. From Samuel Mulford who sewed fish hooks in his pockets on a visit to London in the eighteenth century to avoid pickpockets.

fish hoop = a structure on a mast on which the lower end of a fish (a strengthening piece of wood in a fish shape) is driven.

fish horn = a tin horn that was used by fish sellers or on fishing boats.

fish house = 1) a building where fish are stored or processed. Also called fish room.

fish house = 2) a restaurant serving or specialising in fish and seafood.

fish house = 3) a building from which fish are sold.

fish house = 4) fish top (a movable box-like structure to cover piled cod-fish. Also called fish room).

Fish House = 4) the first public aquarium in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, London, established 1853.

fish house punch = a punch made of rum and brandy and water or tea sweetened with sugar syrup. Developed at the Fish House Club, formed in 1732 by a group of anglers who fished for perch on the Schuylkill River.

fish hut = a small, moveable shack placed over a hole in the ice in winter to protect the fisher from the elements. May be heated and have other facilities.

fish hydrolysate = ground up carcasses (guts, bones, scales, cartilage, etc.) after the flesh has been removed for human consumption.

fish hygiene = the processes that make sure food fish are safe for human consumption.

fish in aspic = fish in jelly.

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.

fish in the round = fish for eating that have not been cleaned, without the head, the fins and guts removed.

fish in troubled waters = to try to take advantage of a confused situation. Fish reputedly bite better in rough water.

fish insect = silverfish, a primitive, wingless thysanuran insect with a body covered in silvery scales, commonly found in houses, e.g. Lepisma saccharina.

fish iron = a fish spear made of iron and having 5, 7 or 12 points.

fish joint = 1) a joint formed by fitting a wedge into a v-slot or a w-slot.

fish joint = 2) a joint where two abutting units are held together by a fish plate, q.v.

fish keeper = may mean either pondkeeper, q.v., or aquarist q.v.

fish keeper's granuloma = an infection in humans with the bacteria causing fish tuberculosis (a Mycobacterium, but not the same as the one causing human tuberculosis). It is probably the only zoonosis of note to aquarists. It appears as a skin infection, usually on the hands or forearms where there was an earlier cut, and may be inflamed, suppurating, encrusting and irritated. Not usually serious unless the infected individual is already immuno-suppressed. Treatment requires antibiotics. Also called fishtank granuloma.

fish kettle = a long kettle for boiling fish whole, often with a removable grid so the fish can be removed in one piece without it falling apart.

fish kill = a die off of fishes within a relatively short period due to the onset of man-caused or, more rarely, natural factors, e.g. pesticide related mortalities, red tides, drought. See also winterkill and summerkill.

fish killer = 1) an aquatic insect of the family Belostomatidae, e.g. Lethocercus americanus, which feeds on small fishes.

fish killer = 2) a successful commercial fisherman in Newfoundland.

fish killer tree = a member of the brazil nut family, Lecythidaceae, Barringtonia asiatica, containing saponins in the leaves which are ground and thrown into water to paralyse fish.

fish king = a legendary king of fishes who, if caught and released, gratefully directs fish into the nets of fishermen.

fish kit = supplies given to a new prisoner (toiletries, pen, paper and envelopes).

fish knife = 1) a small knife with an ornamental upper edge used in eating fish along with a fork.

fish knife = 2) a large knife with an ornamental upper edge and a broad blade used in serving fish with a large fork.

fish ladder = a series of steps with flowing water and pools enabling a fish to circumvent an obstruction such as a dam or waterfall by leaping from step to step. Also called fishway, fish pass.

fish lead = a type of sounding lead used without being removed from the water between soundings.

fish leather = treated fish skin used in garments, shoes, handbags, belts, jewelry, briefcases, wallets and novelty items.

fish leaves = the floating leaves of the common pondweed (Potamogeton natans), or the plant itself, said to shelter fish.

fish leech = an annelid worm with some members parasitic on fishes, notably Piscicola. Rarely causes much damage but can transmit blood parasitic protozoans and possibly bacteria and viruses, as well as causing secondary infections. May cause anaemia, lethargy and restlessness. Rare in aquaria but common in fish ponds and in the wild.

fish lice (singular louse) = parasitic crustaceans on marine and freshwater fishes. The common ectoparasite is Argulus (Branchiura) which can move around on its host, causing several wounds. May result in lethargy, loss of appetite, anaemia through blood loss, osmotic stress and secondary infections. The effects of irritation are restlessness, darting, jumping, scratching and overproduction of mucus. Various chemical treatments of aquarium water will remove the parasite although they are often large enough to be picked off with tweezers as long as a topical antiseptic is applied to the wound site.

fish lift = 1) fish way.

fish lift = 2) fish elevator.

fish line = 1) a line made of twisted hair, silk, monofilaments or other material used in angling.

fish line = 2) line used to pull items from one cell to another (prison slang). See also fishing pole.

fish lip = to slobber on the end of a marijuana cigarette.

fish liver oil = oil extracted from fish livers (cod, halibut, sharks) and used industrially or as a source of vitamins A and D.

fish liver paste = fish liver ground up with salt, spices and other flavouring ingredients.

fish loaf = flaked fish baked in a loaf with bread crumbs and seasonings.

fish lock = 1) a fish weir, in the sense of a dam forming a retaining reservoir harbouring fishes.

fish lock = 2) a lock which allows fish to swim upstream bypassing a weir or other obstacle, sometimes with the aid of a fish ladder.

fish locker = a compartment on a boat used for storing fish.

fish loft = the area of a fishing stage, q.v., where dried cod are stored.

fish lore = study of fishes; ichthyology.

fish louse = any crustacean parasitic on fishes. Usually refers to Argulus (Branchiura) found on the skin and occasionally the buccal cavity. Causes ulcers at the attachment point.

fish lure = a natural structure attractive to fish, e.g. the modified mantle of mussels or clams which resembles a small fish, and thus attracts a larger, predatory fish. The larval glochidia of the mussel can then attach to the predator as it tries to strike the lure.

fish magnet = a moveable electrode used to bring up a school of fish that normally is too deep for a purse seine to catch.

fish maker = a person curing cod on flakes (q.v.) in Newfoundland.

fish malodour syndrome = fish odour.

fish man = 1) a person cleaning fish as food.

fish man = 2) a seller of fish.

fish man = 3) a fisherman.

fish man = 4) a student of ichthyology.

fish manure = dried and powdered fish used as fertiliser in fish ponds to enhance productivity.

fish market = 1) any area selling fish but usually refers to a large covered establishment with diverse products.

fish market = 2) the lowest hole at bagatelle.

fish market = 3) a brothel.

fish marking = a system involving various methods (fin clipping, colouring, biotelemetry, radioactive markers, tattooing, branding, tagging, etc.), used for individual identification and for studies on movement, growth and other biological parameters.

fish maturity = attainment of first spawning.

fish maw = the dried stomach or swim bladder of a fish used for industrial purposes.

fish meal = dried fish or fish waste used as fertilizer, animal food or ground fine for use in soups. May be defatted, and is powdered or granular in form.

fish meter = an officer of the Fishmongers Company.

fish mill = a circularly swimming mass of fishes, usually formed only by obligate schoolers.

fish mint = aquatic or moist-growing mints (Mentha aquatica and M. longifolia).

fish mite = a parasite infesting salt fish.

FISH mode = FISH queue.

fish mold = a water mold growing on fish (saprolegniasis, a fungal infection from Saprolegnia and Achlya, usually a secondary infection after skin damage or scale loss but also affecting eggs in hatcheries).

fish money = a bounty for a certain number of fish caught.

fish monger = 1) a dealer in or seller of fish.

fish monger = 2) a bawd, presumably a corruption of flesh monger, dating from the mid-sixteenth century.

fish monger = 3) a pimp (slang since the 1500s).

fish monger = 4) a lecher or whoremonger (1800s Britain).

fish monger's daughter = a whore; slang from late sixteenth century.

fish moth = silverfish and fire brats, insects found in houses and having silvery scales.

fish mousse - a mousse made with fish.

fish mouth = 1) turtlehead, a perennial North American herb (Chelone glabra).

fish mouth = 2) an opening at the exposed edge of a roofing ply sheet where the asphalt bond is lacking or the felt is wrinkled.

fish mouth meatus = a medical condition in humans; a red and swollen and everted condition of the orifice of the urethra (meatus) in the first stage of acute gonorrhea.

fish mouth stenosis = an extreme medical condition in humans describing the narrowing and ineffective opening of the mitral valve of the heart.

fish mummy = fish were a staple item in ancient Egyptian diets and were also mummified as representatives of various gods, e.g. Lates niloticus (Latidae) was worshipped as a form of the goddess Neith at Esna, giving rise to the town’s Greek name of Latopolis and Schilbe mystus (Schilbeidae) was the fetish of the delta nome of Mendes, whose local goddess was called Hatmehyt (“foremost of the fishes”) who is usually depicted with a Schilbe on her head. Fish-eating was banned in areas were certain fish species were venerated.

fish net = 1) any net used to catch fishes.

fish net = 2) any material having the open mesh pattern of a fishnet, e.g. women's stockings.

FISH net = 3) nothing to do with fish; computer slang for "first in, still here" referring to slowed or stopped processes, in this case on a network. See also FISH.

fish net = 4) the shape of the city of Wung-chun, China, laid out in this shape to be viewed from above. See also carp.

fish net buoy = a buoy marking the limit of fish net.

fish nuggets = fish pieces formed into small irregular shapes, breaded and served fried.

fish odour = a genetic disorder giving a rotting fish odour to a person's breath, urine and sweat. Caused by lack of an enzyme that would process an odour-causing protein, trimethylamine. Also called fish odour syndrome.

fish odour syndrome = fish odour.

fish offal = fish waste.

fish oil = any oil obtained from fishes, usually from the liver, but in fatty fishes from the body, or from fish wastes. Used in fish feeds, edible fats, soaps, paints, leather work and making linoleum.

fish on the fish's terms = doing something appropriately, being prepared.

fish on the fly = fishing by dropping dories in rapid succession and setting and hauling trawl-lines; in the Bank schooner fishery off Newfoundland.

fish only = a saltwater aquarium that only contains fish with non-living rocks, corals, shells, and other decorative items. Abbreviated as FO or F/O.

fish or cut bait = to decide, to take action or not (American slang).

fish or no fish = an expression of determination; regardless of circumstances (Newfoundland).

fish out = 1) exhaustion of the fish supply in a water body; to denude an area of fish. See also catch out.

fish out = 2) to remove an object from a receptacle or from water.

fish out of the coop = a capon, so-called by monks who wished to evade the Friday fast by eating chickens instead of fish.

fish out of water = a person in an uncomfortable or unfamiliar situation.

fish owl = a fish-eating owl of the Old World genera Scotopelia, Bubo and Ketupa. Pel's fishing owl, Bubo peli, of Africa, is said to make the sound of "a lost soul falling into the bottomless pit".

fish paper = 1) vulcanised cotton fibre used for electrical insulation.

fish paper = 2) paper on which cooked fish is laid, presumably waxed.

fish pass = 1) fish passage facility.

fish pass = 2) a cut dredged through a barrier island allowing tidal flushing and movement of fish.

fish passage centre = a centre that plans and implements an annual smolt monitoring program, developing and implementing flow and spill requests; and monitoring and analyzing research results to assist in implementing a water budget.

fish passage efficiency = the proportion of juvenile fish passing a project through the spillway, sluiceway, or juvenile bypass system, as opposed to passing through the turbines.

fish passage facility = a feature of a dam that enables fish to move around, through, or over without harm. Generally an upstream fish ladder or a downstream bypass system.

fish passway = fish passage facility.

fish paste = fish mixed with salt and ground to a fine consistency with or without added fat, spices and other seasonings. Should contain 70% or more fish. Used as a sandwich spread.

fish paunch = fish (9) a piece of timber used to strengthen a mast or spar when sprung, often somewhat fish-shaped).

fish pea = a small part of the cod intestine, consumed as a delicacy in Newfoundland.

fish pearl = a glass bead coated with essence d'Orient, q.v., to make an artificial pearl.

fish pen = 1) an enclosure in the water for aquaculture made of netting on a frame; it serves to keep desired fish in and unwanted species out.

fish pen = 2) a wooden bin for salting cod in Newfoundland.

fish pendant = a large block hanging from the end of a davit.

fish pepper = a cultivar of the chili pepper plant Capsicum annuum. The fruit resembles a swimming fish because of its variegation.

fish pest = any deadly epidemic disease of fishes.

fish picker = a commercial fisherman (Alaska).

fish pickle = small fish pieces deep-fried in vegetable oil, mixed with vinegar, salt and spices. The mix is allowed to mature for a day before packing.

fish pie = fish, minced and baked with potatoes, and sometimes mixed with vegetables, in a pastry.

fish piece = fish (9) a piece of timber used to strengthen a mast or spar when sprung, often somewhat fish-shaped).

fish pier = a pier for fishing boats to tie up at.

fish pile = a stack of split and salted cod at various stages of the drying process (Newfoundland).

fish pipe = the oesophagus of a seal (Newfoundland).

fish plate = 1) one of the plates of a fish joint, q.v. Strengthens a joint by overlapping, e.g. a flat piece of metal connecting railway rails to the ties or connecting pieces of masonry.

fish plate = 2) the perforated drainage grid of a fish kettle, q.v.

fish poison = 1) usually any plant which is poisonous or intoxicating to fish, causing them to float to the surface for capture.

fish poison = 2) Lepidium piscidium, a cress found on Pacific islands and formerly eaten as a relish and antiscorbutic by seamen.

fish poison bark = Florida fish-poison tree.

fish poison tree = various trees come under this heading as parts are used to poison fish, e.g. Acacia ditricha (family Mimosaceae), the leaves of which are poisonous to fish when rubbed in a bag until a soapy foam comes out (Australia), and various Piscidia species (Leguminosae) such as P. mollis where leaves are used (southwest United States and Mexico).

fish poison wattle = Acacia holosericea, the leaves of which are poisonous to fish when rubbed in a bag until a soapy foam comes out (Australia).

fish poisoning = 1) use of a chemical spread on water or added to a bait to poison fish and facilitate capture. Natural (plant-based) fish poisons include crow's eyes (seeds of Nux vomica containing strychnine), common yew (leaves of Taxus hoccata, effectiveness disputed), juniper, cyclamen (tuber sap of Cyclamen europaeum), common daphne (boiled blossoms of Daphne mezereum containing saponin), spurge (Euphorbia esula), ox-tongue (leaves and roots of Anchusa officinalis), thornapple (Datura chamonium), tobacco (Nikotiniana) common henbane (Hyosciamus niger), mohua (seeds of Bassica latifolia) and mullein (boiled blossoms of Verbascum), toothache tree (seeds of Xanthoxylum alatum), among others. See also fish-seed, ghaniori and rotenone.

fish poisoning = 2) illness caused by eating poisonous fishes, q.v.

fish pole = fishing rod.

fish pomace = fish remains after oil has been extracted; often used as fertiliser. Also called fish scrap, fish waste.

fish pond = 1) a freshwater pond in which fish are kept.

fish pond = 2) an enclosed or gated coastal body of water used in aquaculture, e.g. in Hawaii for milkfish and bonefish. Fish enter on tides, through a gate or are stocked.

fish pond = 3) the sea (jocular).

fish pond = 4) a depression in a card table where fish-shaped counters are kept.

fish pond = 5) an attraction at a fair where miniature fishing gear is used to hook fish-shaped tokens from a small pool to win prizes.

fish pond = 6) the female genitalia (U.S. slang, mid-1900s).

fish pool = fishpond, a pool containing fish.

fish portion = a piece of a wet fish of specified uniform weight or size (about 2 cm thick) cut from a fillet, or a piece of a frozen fish usually rectilinear and of specified size and weight cut from a block of frozen fish flesh; wider than a fish stick or of a different shape.

fish pot = 1) a portable cage-like trap which fish enter through a small opening and from which they cannot readily escape because of the funnel shape. May be baited or not, made of various materials, of various sizes and shapes, and of various local names from country of use or species of capture, e.g. eel pot, Scottish creel. Used to catch crabs, lobsters and occasionally fishes.

fish pot = 2) a junk fishing boat.

fish potter = a person in charge of, or uses, fish pots (1).

fish pound = 1) a net or fence set in streams or along the coast to direct fish into a holding container for easy removal. Also called trap net or setnet.

fish pound = 2) a wooden container in which cod are placed for curing in Newfoundland.

fish pox = 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).

fish prong = fish fork (1).

fish protein concentrate = a flour comprised of dried and powdered fish used as a food supplement. It is odourless, tasteless and has more protein than in the original fish flesh. Abbreviated as FPC.

fish proud = a self-satisfied person on account of a large or profitable catch of fish (Newfoundland).

fish pudding = fish ball.

fish pump = a mechanism for transferring large volumes of relatively small fish in water from a net into a ship by means of a pump and associated flexible pipes.

FISH queue = nothing to do with fish; computer slang for "first in, still here" referring to slowed or stopped processes. See also FISH mode and FISHnet.

fish raceway = concrete, elongate and rectangular fish-rearing unit generally associated with a hatchery which has a large volume of flowing water, able to sustain greater fish densities than ponds, and able to maintain a cleaner environment. Used particularly for trouts, and less often catfishes. May be 100 mm long, 1-10 m wide and 0.5-1.5 m deep and made of concrete (usually), brick, tile, earth or lined with plastic.

fish racket = a Newfoundland expression for the habitual occupation of fishing.

fish rain = fishes falling from the sky like rain or in rain, the result of waterspouts and whirlwinds (see account by Gudger (1921)).

fish rake = a set of hooks attached to a structure such as an iron bar up to 8 metres wide towed behind a boat and impaling any fish encountered.

fish range = a place for catching and drying fish.

fish rearing = cultivation and propagation of fishes.

fish room = 1) fish hold (an enclosed space on a vessel for storing fish; may be insulated and/or refrigerated).

fish room = 2) a piece of land by the shore from which a fishery was conducted in Newfoundland.

fish room = 3) the stages. q.v., flakes, q.v., stores, crew and family housing, and other facilities where a fish catch was landed and processed in Newfoundland.

fish room = 4) a small building for storing dried and salted cod in Newfoundland.

fish room = 5) fish top (a movable box-like structure to cover piled cod-fish. Also called fish house).

fish rope = fish fall.

fish row = cells where new prisoners are placed (prison slang).

fish royal = sturgeons, whales, dolphins and porpoises are termed this. If caught within three miles of the coast of the United Kingdom, they belong to the Crown.

fish run = a group of fish migrating up a river, usually for spawning.

fish salad = cooked, marinated or salted fish that is chopped or diced and added to salad.

fish sanctuary = a place or time where/when fishing is not allowed to protect the stocks or species; for fish to spawn, rear young or rest.

fish sauce = various fish species have been used in fish sauces, e.g. and q.v. cut lunch herring, fermented fish sauce, fish sauce, garum, ketchup, liquamen, milt sauce, moochim, muria, mustard herring, etc. Often used for an oriental spicy condiment or flavouring made from salted and fermented anchovies or other fish, including nam pla (Thai), nuoc nam (Vietnamese), patis (Philippines) and shottsuru (Japanese). These sauces are pungent and strong-flavoured.

fish sausage = fish flesh, such as tuna, ground with fat, seasoning, spices and sometime a filler such as cereal and encased in a skin. May be cooked or smoked before or after encasing.

fish scale = 1) any pattern or design resembling fish scales. See fish scales.

fish scale = 2) a fish's scale.

fish scale = 3) slang for uncut cocaine.

fish scale = 4) a diminutive five-cent silver coin minted 1865-1947 (Newfoundland).

fish scale disease = ichthyosis (a congenital skin disease in humans where the epidermis becomes hard, rough and scaly. Also called fishskin disease).

fish scale gallbladder = a gallbladder with a fish scale-like appearance due to multiple small cysts of the mucosa.

fish scale tile = a tile shaped like a fish's scale.

fish scales = 1) a grain pattern in leather resembling the scales of a fish. Once used by bookbinders who wanted a leather giving the effect of being blind tooled.

fish scales = 2) a scale pattern on the bottom of waxless skis which helps prevent the skis from sliding backwards.

fish scope = the cathode ray tube element of a fish finder.

fish scrap = fish remains after oil has been extracted; often used as fertiliser. Also called fish pomace, fish waste.

fish screen = 1) a screen across a body of water or structure, e.g. the turbine intake of a dam, designed to divert the fish into a bypass system.

fish screen = 2) a grating or mesh positioned in a river to strain fish from the water. Fences or netting direct fish onto the screen where they run aground while the water drains through the mesh.

fish screw = a device for pressing dried cod into a cask or barrel.

fish seed = 1) fertilised eggs, fry or fingerlings used for growing in aquaculture facility or for stocking grow-out areas.

fish seed = 2) kokkel-seed or lice-seed, the fruit of Anamirta cocolus a creeping shrub of Asia. Contains pikrotxin used in small pellets of dough thrown in the water to stupefy fish eating them.

fish service = a china service for fish with a platter, sauce boat and plates.

fish shed = fish house (Maritime Canada).

fish shelter = an artificial structure made from twigs, brush, branches, concrete blocks, etc. as a refuge or hiding place for fish at which they are also easily caught.

fish side = the flesh side of a split fish as opposed to the skin side (Scottish dialect).

fish silage = liquefied fish waste produced by self-digestion, with the addition of acid to prevent decay, or fermentation and used for animal feed. Also called liquid fish.

fish skin = 1) the skin of a fish.

fish skin = 2) a condom.

fish skin = 3) a dollar bill.

fish skin disease = ichthyosis (a congenital skin disease in humans where the epidermis becomes hard, rough and scaly. Also called fish-scale disease).

fish skin grain = a grain in leather resembling fish skin.

fish skinner = a ridged roller to remove fish skin and scales. There are small hand-operated models for sport fishermen and hand-operated or powered models for skinning fish on a commercial scale (no pun intended).

fish slapping dance = Monty python sketch involving slaps across the cheeks with fish while dancing.

fish slice = 1) a broad knife for lifting and dividing or carving fish at a table.

fish slice = 2) an implement used by cooks for turning fish in a pan.

fish slide = an inclined structure of box-like shape set in a stream at a ripple or small waterfall to catch descending fish.

fish slime disease = a condition in humans where septicaemia follows a puncture wound made by the spine of a fish.

fish soluble = a water-soluble protein byproduct of fish meal production, usually condensed to 50% solids and sold as condensed fish solids. A concentrated form of stick water.

fish sound = 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 air bladder, a less appropriate term).

fish soup = any soup made from fish with seasonings and vegetables.

fish spear = 1) a spear with 3-5 prongs on the end in various arrangements used to capture fish.

fish spear = 2) a trident with barbs or flukes is the symbol for the staff of Greek Poseidon or Roman Neptune, gods of the sea.

fish spinner = a hurricane, cyclone or typhoon.

fish staff = a gaff or fish hook.

fish stake = one of a series of poles or stakes placed in shallow water to outline fishing areas.

fish steak = a cross-section slice of a large, dressed fish.

fish stearin = a solid formed from fish oils and used in lubricants and coarse soaps.

fish stew = a small pond where fish are kept for eating, now obsolete. Also called vivarium.

fish stick = 1) fish marketed in the form of rectangular sticks cut from a block of frozen fish fillets, breaded, fried in fat, or sold frozen for cooking. Usually 1-3 oz in weight. See also goujonettes de sole and fish finger.

fish stick = 2) a fish spear with a single point.

fish stock = 1) a distinct genetic population, a population defined by movement pattern, part of a population potentially harvestable, or a quantity of fish from a given area; usually isolated from other stocks of the same species and so self-sustaining. May be a total or a spawning stock.

fish stock = 2) used for steaming fish; made of lightly salted cold water, bones and trimmings of fish, seasonings, simmered for half an hour, strained when almost cold and a little white wine or vinegar added.

fish stone = a stone table used for the sale of fish, presumably because it is easily washed and cleaned.

fish store = 1) a store selling fish.

fish store = 2) a building where dried cod from the offshore fishery was stored for collection or export (eastern Canada). Cod were also cleaned, washed, salted and stored in large puncheons. Also used to store gear in winter and spring and as a place to mend nets. The floorboards were kept loose so that unusally high tides would simply lift the boards and not damage the store. A launch enabled boats to be hauled out of the water for repair and painting. A rail on the wharf was used for drying nets. Flakes (q.v.) or platforms of boughs were erected in nearby fields and salted fish were laid out on them to dry in the sun. Such fish kept for long periods, even under tropical conditions, without refrigeration.

fish story = a tall tale, an unlikely story, an exaggerated narrative, a yarn.

fish stove = fish stew.

fish strainer = 1) a metal colander for taking fish from a boiler.

fish strainer = 2) a perforated earthenware slab at the bottom of a dish allowing liquid to drain from a boiled fish.

fish supper = 1) an evening meal where fish is the main item.

fish supper = 2) fish and chips, q.v.

fish symbol = ichthus (a representation of a fish; an amulet or talisman shaped like a fish; an iconographic symbol for Christ from the initials in the Greek phrase Iesous Christos Theou Huios Soter (Jesus Christ Son of God Saviour). Also spelt ichthys).

fish tackle = 1) wire tackle for emptying the cod end of a trawl, stronger than gilson tackle.

fish tackle = 2) equipment to raise the flukes of an anchor to the gunwale. Also called fish block.

fish tail = 1) the tail or caudal fin of a fish.

fish tail = 2) any device shaped like a fish tail.

fish tail = 3) the uncontrolled movement of the rear end of a vehicle, e.g. on snow or ice.

fish tail = 4) to swing the tail of an aeroplane from side to side in order to reduce speed.

fish tail = 5) an arrow wobbling in flight.

fish tail = 6) a turning ballroom step.

fish tail bit = a drilling bit shaped like a fish's tail.

fish tail burner = a type of gas burner, having two openings in the top, from which the jets of gas issue and form a flat flame, the plane of which is at right angles to that of the openings. fishtail cutter = a cutter for milling slots and keyways.

fish tail lawyer cane = a palm of the Arecaceae family, Calamus caryotoides from northern Queensland.

fish tail palm = a palm of the Arecaceae family in the genus Caryota from tropical Asia.

fish tail point = a fluted and stemmed, fishlike stone tool from South America dating to 11,000-8000 B.C.

fish tail propeller = a propeller with a single blade that oscillates like the tail off fish when swimming.

fish tail wind = a variable wind that blows across shooting ranges.

fish tank = 1) a fish or water holding structure of varying size and construction material, from an aquarium to a large outdoor pond.

fish tank = 2) in a museum, a large, often rectangular container for storing fluid-preserved specimens. Usually of stainless steel as wood and plastic containers eventually deteriorate.

fish tank = 3) a cabinet of microfiches.

fish tank granuloma = fishkeeper's granuloma.

fish tape = flexible, flat metal wire used to pull other wires through conduits or wall spaces.

fish tapeworm anaemia = a medical condition of humans, a rare form of macrocytoc anaemia caused by infestation with the tapeworm Diphyllobothrium latum.

fish tapeworm infection = ingesting the larvae of the tapeworm Diphyllobothrium latum through eating undercooked fish. More common in cold, fresh lakes such as the Great Lakes. The adult worm can reach 30 feet in length in the human intestine, causing blood in the faeces (and worm segments may be visible) and vitamin B12 deficiency.

fish TB = tuberculosis (a mycobacterial infection found in aquarium fish, for example (Mycobacterium marinum and M. fortuitum are known causes.). Fish are lethargic, show little interest in food, exhibit wasting, hollow bellies, popeyes, colour loss, deformities, ulcers, frayed fins, yellow or dark nodules on the body and eyes, and secondary infections. Some fish, such as salmonids, may show no external symptoms although the disease is fatal from internal lesions. Mycobacteriosis is a zoonose, a disease capable of infecting humans, entering through skin abrasions and causing skin granulomas. Poor aquarium conditions can allow this infection to take hold. Fish can be treated with proprietary medicines for mild cases, by antibiotics but severe cases may be untreatable. The fish tank needs disinfection. Also called mycobacteriosis).

fish teind = a tithe payable in kind or cash by boats fishing from a harbour in certain parishes (Scottish dialect). See also boat teind and teind fish.

fish tester = an electronic device with electrodes which are applied to the fish just behind the head. The current properties measure freshness.

fish thistle = a Syrian thistle plant, Chamaepeuce diacantha.

fish ticket = record of a fisherman's landings, given him by dealer as a receipt for later payment (Newfoundland).

fish tiger = a bird that preys on fish.

fish to fry = concerns or interests to pursue, or matters to attend to (usually other fish to fry).

fish tongue = 1) long-handled tongues used for catching fish or for holding slippery or dangerous fish such as moray eels.

fish tongue = 2) a device for removing wisdom teeth, named for its shape.

fish tongue = 3) a commercial product, often marketed with fish cheeks, fresh, frozen or cured.

fish top = a movable box-like structure to cover piled cod-fish. Also called fish house and fish room.

fish torpedo = a torpedo resembling a fish in shape.

fish tote = 1) a bag designed to carry fish. Waterproof, insulated and puncture proof. May be used for transporting live fish or keeping dead captured fish in a fresh condition.

fish tote = 2) any bag or tote decorated with fish pictures.

fish track = fossilised remnants of fish moving over the bottom; traces of pectoral and other fins. Also called ichthyopatolites.

fish trap = a spring-loaded trap made of netting on a frame that closes over a fish. The two rectangular halves of the trap are spread apart from the central spring mechanism. The fish is attracted by bait or a dummy fish that the fish sought tries to fight, e.g. a wooden male salmon painted in spawning colours. See also shutter trap.

fish trap boat = herring weir seine boat (an open boat about 28 feet long with an inboard motor. Has three man crew and is used to tend herring seines, traps and weirs).

fish trowel = 1) a fish slice or fish carver having a trowel shape.

fish trowel = 2) a gardener's tool shaped like a scoop.

fish trowel = 3) a tool used for smoothing a mold.

fish tub = a puncheon, q.v., sawn in half, used to hold split cod in salt (Newfoundland).

fish tycoon = an online simulation or strategy game involving fish in an aquarium. The fish must be fed and maintained under appropriate (virtual) conditions. Exotic hybrids can be bred and sold in a virtual shop to buy chemicals, medicines and supplies. The fish "grow" even when the computer is off.

fish upon the gang-boards = fully loaded with cod (Newfoundland).

fish van = 1) a light spring-cart for carrying fish.

fish van = 2) a railway truck dedicated to fish transport.

fish velocity = the velocity at the location occupied by a fish, measured at the fish's snout.

fish warden = an official who enforces game laws relating to fish.

fish wash box = a container used to wash salt cod before drying on flakes, q.v.

fish waste = 1) fish that are caught but do not have market value as food, fish parts as a by-product of the production process. May be used for fish meal, fish oil, pet food, hatchery food, animal food, and other byproducts.

fish waste = 2) fish remains after oil has been extracted; often used as fertiliser. Also called fish pomace, fish scrap.

fish water = 1) a fixed volume of water in which a fish has been kept for a certain period. This water contains external metabolites and can be used in various experimental procedures, e.g. predator/prey interactions without the predator present (metabolite production by the predator may be suppressed when prey is present).

fish water = 2) a water body in which fish can, or do, live.

fish way = fish ladder.

fish wear = fish weir.

fish weather = overcast, chilly and damp weather in Newfoundland.

fish weed = pondweed (Potamogeton).

fish weight = a piece of iron used in weighing dried cod in Newfoundland.

fish weiner = a smoked fish sausage.

fish weir = 1) a dam in a river to back up water to form a fish pond; a fish garth.

fish weir = 2) a fence of stakes, brushwood, etc. for catching fish.

fish weir = 3) a draught or catch of fishes.

fish well = a storage compartment in a fishing vessel for live fish, usually in a sport fishing boat.

fish wheel = a series of lift nets on a wheel frame that is rotated by the river current, catching migrating fish and dumping them through a chute into a basket.

fish wife = 1) a woman who sells fish.

fish wife = 2) a foul-mouthed coarse, abusive woman.

fish wife = 3) the female wife or consort of a homosexual male (U.S. slang, mid-1900s onward).

fish with a golden hook = to offer bribes.

fish woman = a woman who retails fish. Also a fish wife.

fish wood = 1) Jamaican dogwood or Florida fish-poison tree (Piscidia piscipula (Fabacaea, pea family), also called fishfuddle tree. Not a member of the dogwood family. Seminoles in Florida used a powder made from its roots, bark, and leaves to stun fish. See also fish poison tree.

fish wood = 2) Euonymus americana (Celastraceae) or strawberry bush of eastern North America.

fish wire = fish tape.

fish worker = an aquaculturist.

fish works = 1) the equipment used in aquaculture.

fish works = 2) a fish factory where the products of a fishery are used.

fish worm = 1) a parasitic worm of fishes.

fish worm = 2) an earthworm used as bait in angling. Also called fishing worm.

fish worship = ichthyolatry (the worship of fishes or fish-shaped idols).

fish wrapper = a journal, newspaper or chronicle.

fish yard = fish garth.

fish- = many words have been combined with fish as a prefix or modifier. These words may, or may not, be hyphenated or joined. All variants may need to be searched. Note that any term preceded by fish may occur alone.

-fish = many words have been combined with fish as a suffix. These words may, or may not, be hyphenated or joined and can be found under the appropriate letter heading.

fish's mouth = Fomalhaut.

fish-and-fog land = Newfoundland.

fish-attracting device = fish aggregating device.

fish-attractor = any structure placed in the water to create habitat for fishes.

fish-backed = swelling out on the upper side, convex dorsally.

fish-bagger = a suburban tradesman's term for those who live in good areas but without spending more than rent money; derisory.

fish-ball = 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.

fish-bar = 1) fish plate (1).

fish-bar = 2) a restaurant serving fish, often sushi, with seats at a bar.

fish-barrier = weir (nets or fences set in streams or along the coast to direct fish into a holding container for easy capture. Some weirs take advantage of the falling tide to capture fish while others catch upstream migrating adults).

fish-basil = a herb, basil used in fish dishes.

fish-basket = 1) a device to catch fish moving in a stream; made of wickerwork or wooden slats and usually trapping downstream migrants.

fish-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).

fish-basket = 3) a basket used for carrying fish; a creel.

fish-beam = a beam one of whose sides (usually the ventral one) swells out like the belly of a fish.

fish-bearing waters = lakes, streams, ponds and other water bodies that have resident fish populations.

fish-bed = a stratum rich in fish fossils.

fish-bee = a bluebottle fly (Scottish dialect).

fish-bellied = swelling out on the underside, convex ventrally.

fish-belly = anything white like a fish belly including certain plants where leaves are white on the underside and turned up in the wind.

fish-belly sill = a side or central sill used in railroad car construction; named for its fish shape.

fish-berry = a plant used to kill or stupefy fish when placed in water as an extract, e.g. Levant berry (Cocculus indicus (an older name) or Anamirta paniculata) crushed and scattered on the water surface by Indian fisherman.

fish-bladder = 1) the storage sac for urine.

fish-bladder = 2) a figure composed of two equal and symmetrically placed circular arcs. See also vesica piscis.

fish-bladder = 3) 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).

fish-block = 1) a block of frozen fish flesh, containing no skin and no bones.

fish-block = 2) equipment to raise the flukes of an anchor to the gunwale. Also called fish tackle.

fish-block = 3) 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.

fish-blooded = cold-blooded, in reference to people.

fish-boat = a boat from which fish are caught.

fish-boil = 1) a mass of fish attacking food or bait just below the surface. Also called boiling school.

fish-boil = 2) fish, potatoes and onions boiled in salted water, usually at a picnic.

fish-boiler = 1) a fish kettle.

fish-boiler = 2) a Norwegian (slang).

fish-bolt = a bolt used to fasten fish plates and rails together.

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.

fish-bone beard lichen = a lichen, Usnea fillipendula, with antibiotic properties, widely used since ancient times. Its fibrils have been likened to a fish-bone appearance.

fish-bone diagram = a graph used in quality control to identify possible problem causes.

fish-bone stitch = a series of diagonal, single-purl stitches zig-zagged across an unmarked line.

fish-bone thistle = fish thistle.

fish-bone tree = Panax crassifolium, a small tree from New Zealand.

fish-bones = oscillations in soft x-ray emissions which have the appearance of fish bones.

fish-bowl = 1) a round glass bowl used for keeping ornamental or pet fish.

fish-bowl = 2) a situation where one's activities are constantly observed, scrutinised, commented on, etc.

fish-bowl = 3) jail.

fish-bowl granuloma = localised nodular skin inflammation (small reddish raised areas of skin) caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium marinum. Usually acquired by occupational or recreational exposure to salt or fresh water, often resulting from minor trauma during caring for aquaria.

fish-box = a box for storing and transporting fish, usually 15-50 kg.

fish-brain = in inline skating a slide where the skater grabs one skate with the hand closest to it.

fish-breast = a plump fillet.

fish-breath = halitosis in cats eating a diet of fish.

fish-brine = fish sauce.

fish-broth = water (slang).

fish-burger = a hamburger with the patty made from fish.

fish-cadger = fish-hawker (Scottish dialect).

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. Fish content may be 35-50% by weight and include such species as cod and haddock. Marketed cooked, cooked and frozen, frozen ready for frying, and canned.

fish-cake = 2) fish before drying in the manufacturing process for fish meal.

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.

fish-canning capital of the world = title given to Stavanger, Norway.

fish-capture channel = a channel dug in the bottom of a fish pond where fish concentrate and are more easily caught when the pond is drained.

fish-car = a railroad car with water tanks for transportation of live fish.

fish-carle = a fisherman.

fish-carrier = 1) a boat used to transport a catch of fishes from a vessel to the shore.

fish-carrier = 2) a container used to keep fish alive during transportation.

fish-carver = a carving knife used for fish. May be paired with a fork.

fish-cask = a wooden barrel for the export of dried and salted cod (Newfoundland). See also fish-drum.

fish-catching box = a fry trap placed behind the monk, q.v., to catch fish when a pond is drained.

fish-catching-with-thighs = fish were reportedly so abundant around Easter Island that they could be caught by squashing them between the thighs of swimmers. A locality on the island has this name.

fish-census = a survey over time of fish species, numbers and relative abundance.

fish-chip = a delicatessen potato chip-like product made of equal parts of fish and potato.

fish-chorusing = sound production in fishes associated with reproduction. Various websites have recordings of the sounds made.

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.

fish-clamp = a type of fish spear with several prongs that hold a fish without excessive injury. The prongs may be pointed and barbed too but the purpose of the clamp is to secure the fish with little damage.

fish-cleaning station = a facility providing running water, tables and waste disposal for anglers to clean their catch.

fish-climer = a plant (?) whose red and black-kernelled beans when bruised and thrown into water will stupefy fish.

fish-clip = fish clamp.

fish-club = 1) a device used to stun or kill a fish when captured on hook and line or in a trap. Can be a simple piece of wood or intricately shaped and carved as with the Haida fish clubs of western Canada.

fish-club = 2) an association of individuals devoted to angling. See also anglers association.

fish-club = 3) an association of individuals devoted to keeping fish in aquaria.

fish-cocktail = ceviche (raw white fish marinated in lemon or lime juice and served with sweet limes, avocados, onion rings, garlic, cilantro, chilies, boiled corn and tomatoes. Originally from Peru, variously modified).

fish-collecting pool = a place where fish concentrate during the drying up or draining of a pond, usually behind the monk, q.v.

fish-content = the amount of fish in a product, often given as a percentage and minimum amounts required by law, e.g. in fish spread and cakes.

fish-coop = 1) a wicker basket for catching fish.

fish-coop = 2) a box about a metre square used in fishing through ice.

fish-coop = 3) a large trap net made of stakes or a fence.

fish-coop = 4) abbreviated form of fish cooperative.

fish-cooperative = a jointly owned organisation furthering the catch, processing and sale of fish. Abbreviated as fish-coop (pronounced co-op).

fish-corral = barricade (a barrier used to lead fish into an enclosure, e.g. fyke net, pound net, etc).

fish-court = the holding chamber in a trap net or the last chamber in any net.

fish-credit water = water set aside in reservoirs for release downstream to maintain fish stocks.

fish-crisp = a delicatessen product made from fish mince mixed with starch and sugar, expanding when cooked in oil and not like a potato chip.

fish-crop = yield (1) catch in weight. Catch and yield are often used interchangeably. Amount of production per unit area over a given time. A measure of production. The sustainable yield is the quantity of fish which can be taken from a stock (usually on an annual basis) without severely depleting or eliminating that stock).

fish-crow = a species of crow (Corvus ossifragus) in eastern North America feeding mostly on fish, usually dead fish.

fish-curing = drying, salting, smoking and pickling of fish to extend their edibility.

fish-currie = a small stool used by fishermen (Scottish dialect).

fish-dance = a dance of Great Lakes Indians involving flipping motions of the hands and feet.

fish-davit = a crane-like device for raising or lowering equipment such as an anchor using a fish fall.

fish-day = a day on which fish is eaten according to religious requirements; a fast day.

fish-decoy = an imitation of a fish used to attract fish close enough to be speared. Used in ice fishing in North America.

fish-dive = a ballet position where the dancer arches her back, lifts her head and bends back her legs with feet crossed. This position may be maintained while jumping or while supported, hence the name.

fish-diverter = an electrical device that prevents fish from entering sensitive areas, e.g. power dams.

fish-dog = an experienced fisherman (Newfoundland).

fish-drawn = eviscerated fish.

fish-drum = a drum-shaped wooden container for shipping dried cod (Newfoundland).

fish-duck = any species of merganser.

fish-dumpling = fish ball.

fish-eagle = osprey (Pandion haliaetus) or any eagle feeding on fresh fish or fish as carrion such as Haliaeetes.

fish-ear = an incorrect or slang term for the gills.

fish-eater = 1) one who lives chiefly upon fish.

fish-eater = 2) a Roman Catholic; derogatory based on consumption of fish on Fridays.

fish-eater = 3) a knife and fork used in eating fish (British).

fish-eating bat = fishing bat.

fish-eating spider = the fen raft spider (Dolomedes plantarius) of Europe is known to catch small fishes such as sticklebacks. It dangles its front legs in the water from a plant to detect the vibrations of approaching prey.

fish-eye = 1) an eye like that of a fish.

fish-eye = 2) a wide-angle lens on a camera covering about 180°.

fish-eye = 3) a weld defect having a hole or piece of matter surrounded by a circular area of brightness.

fish-eye = 4) a diamond or other gem cut too thin for proper brilliance.

fish-eye = 5) a variety of moonstone.

fish-eye = 6) an imitation diamond.

fish-eye = 7) a small blemish in finished paper caused by a crushed and glazed particle.

fish-eye = 8) a cold or suspicious stare.

fish-eye = 9) blank, expressionless.

fish-eye = 10) ocular lymphomatosis in fowl.

fish-eye = 11) in oil drilling fluids, slang for a globule of partly hydrated polymer formed by poor dispersion during mixing. About 0.2-0.5 inches in size, they consist of a granule of unhydrated polymer covered by hydrated polymer and so are impervious to water and do not disperse.

fish-eye disease = an inherited disorder in humans resulting in low HDL cholesterol and corneal opacity.

fish-eye stone = apophyllite, a general term encompassing three minerals.

fish-eyes = slang for tapioca pudding.

fish-face = 1) someone having a face reminiscent of a fish, although not necessarily having any features particularly fish-like.

fish-face = 2) a term of abuse, sometimes used affectionately. Refers to an open mouth like a gaping fish and a blank expression, indicative of lack of brain function.

fish-fag = female fish monger.

fish-fall = 1) the tackle depending from a fish davit used in hauling up the anchor to the gunwale.

fish-fall = 2) rains of fishes (fishes falling from the sky like rain or in rain, the result of waterspouts and whirlwinds (see account by Gudger (1921))).

fish-farm = an aquaculture facility.

fish-fast = the observance of a fish day.

fish-feed = commercial fish food, often in pellet form and based on fish oil and fishmeal.

fish-fence = any structure made of wood, brushwood, mats, etc. used to catch or direct fish into traps. These may be in the form of a net narrowed inward to prevent fish finding the entrance again, to elaborate labyrinths. The general base form is triangular or heart-shaped, with complex fencing and multiple base forms in a labyrinth.

fish-finder = 1) a sonar device or echo sounder used to locate fishes and determine water depth.

fish-finder = 2) a surf-fishing rig comprising a pyramid-shaped sinker running freely along the line; this allows the bait to be carried by the tide or run by a fish.

fish-finger = fish stick.

fish-flake = a rack on which fish are dried, often of spruce boughs on a framework of poles in North America.

fish-flakes = cooked haddock or cod flesh broken up into flakes and then canned.

fish-flee = a bluebottle fly (Scottish dialect).

fish-flop = a somersault involving flipping feet in the air.

fish-flour = a flour made of pulverised, dried fish parts.

fish-flows = artificially increased flows in a river system instituted to move young fish quickly downstream during their spring migration period.

fish-fly = 1) a large, soft-bodied insect found near streams with aquatic larvae called hellgramites used as fish bait (Corydalidae, Megaloptera).

fish-fly = 2) the rove beetle (Staphylinus villosus) which swarmed in older fish processing sheds. Also called fish beetle.

fish-food = the food eaten by fishes, cf. fish-feed.

fish-fork = 1) a large, short- to long-handled fork used in unloading fish. With one or two tines.

fish-fork = 2) a 4-tined fork used in eating fish, larger than a salad fork.

fish-fosh = a Cockney term for kedgeree; a reduplication of the word fish.

fish-front = fish (9) a piece of timber used to strengthen a mast or spar when sprung, often somewhat fish-shaped).

fish-fry = 1) an indoor or outdoor party where fish and seafoods are cooked and eaten.

fish-fry = 2) fried fish.

fish-fry = 3) fry or young fish.

fish-fuddle = fish-fuddle tree.

fish-fuddle tree = Piscidia piscipula (Fabacaea, pea family), also called Jamaican dogwood, Florida fish-poison tree and fishfuddle tree. Seminoles in Florida used a powder made from its roots, bark, and leaves to stun fish. See also fish poison tree.

fish-fungus = 1) an aquatic fungus (Saprolegnia spp.) that attacks living fish in crowded conditions such as aquaria and aquaculture facilities.

fish-fungus = 2) a reddish fungus (Clathrocystis roseopersicina) found on salted cod.

fish-gaff = a long pole with a metal hook on the end, used to secure large fish caught on hook-and-line and haul them on board a vessel.

fish-garth = a dam or weir in a river for keeping or catching fish.

fish-gate = a gate in the walls of ancient Jersualem where the fisherman of Galilee would bring in their catch.

fish-gel = surimi, q.v., with salt added and heated to 90°C and called kamaboko.

fish-gelatin = 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).

fish-gig = 1) a pole with barbed prongs for striking fish. Loaded at the end with lead.

fish-gig = 2) an arrangement of hooks dragged through the water to foul-hook fish.

fish-globe = a spherical glass container for keeping pet fish.

fish-glue = 1) 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).

fish-glue = 2) a liquid glue made from the bones, fins and skin of fish by heating in water, used cold for bookbinding, for example.

fish-god = 1) 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).

fish-god = 2) Dagon (the fish god of the Philistines, the upper half being a man and the lower half a fish. The fish half represented fertility. The name is from the word dag, meaning fish. The Babylonians had a myth of a being who emerged from the Erythraean Sea, being part fish and part man. Also found in Assyrian sculpture).

fish-god = 3) Ea (a Sumerian fish god living in a submarine palace. See also apkallu fish).

fish-god = 4) Fuxi, (the Chinese amphibious god, a founder of their civilisation, with a man's or woman's head and a fish tail).

fish-god = 5) Oannes (the foremost of the the fish men who brought civilisation to the Babylonians. Lived on land during the day but had to return to water at night. Became the fish god Dagon later).

fish-god = 6) Oe (Oannes).

fish-god = 7) Triton (a merman, the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, human above the waist but fish-shaped below. Known as the trumpeter of the sea since he blew on a conch).

fish-god = 8) Vishnu (Mahavishnu took the form of a fish to retrieve the vedas from the Asura Hayagreevan (head of a horse) and also to safeguard herbs and seeds at the end of one cycle of creation).

fish-goddess = Hat-Mehit (a goddess from Mendes in Lower Egypt in charge of the the rare fish cult, depicted as human with a fish over her head or as a fish).

fish-gorge = an old piece of fishing gear comprising a short piece of wood, bone, horn, flint or metal, variously shaped, but having sharp ends, usually a central attachment for the line, and embedded in bait. When the fish swims away, having swallowed the baited gorge, it lodges crosswise in the throat. Variants have line attached at one end and the other end pointed, a cross-shape that spreads open when the line is pulled, and the spring-gorge or spring-angle, q.v.

fish-grained split = a book binding of a sheepskin split, dyed and embossed with a gunpowder grain.

fish-grass = water shield or fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana), an aquatic plant of North America.

fish-gravy = fish sauce, e.g. Thai fish sauce.

fish-gription = the ability to hold a slippery fish long enough to take a photograph (slang).

fish-guano = fertiliser made of fish; or fish manure.

fish-guide = 1) any device used to direct fish to a certain place for capture or avoidance of danger, e.g. lights, bubbles, sound, electricity.

fish-guide = 2) a professional fishing guide who directs the angler to spots where trophy fish can be found and advises on tackle to catch them. See also ghillie.

fish-gunners = the Royal Marine Artillery, the implication being that all they hit was fish.

fish-hair = synthetic hair used in tying streamers (q.v.) and saltwater flies.

fish-ham = tuna or marlin flesh mixed with whale and pork in a sausage (Japan).

fish-handler's disease = erysipeloid, a dermatitis from handling fish contaminated with bacteria.

fish-handling = operations such as growing, harvesting, processing, packing, storing, transporting, distributing, marketing and selling of fish.

fish-hatchery = a place or establishment for spawning, incubating and hatching fish eggs and for the rearing of young for release into the wild.

fish-hawk = osprey (Pandion haliaetus).

fish-hawker = a seller of fish, usually by travelling about and calling out his wares.

fish-head = 1) an apparatus for withdrawing the clacks of pumps through the column.

fish-head = 2) slang for naval officers, World War II.

Fish-Head Hall = a wing of the Royal Naval Engineering College at Manadon, Plymouth where the specialty was marine engineering.

fish-head music = the type of music played by the Radiators, a rock band from New Orleans, which combines local music with mainstream rock and rhythm and blues. Fans call themselves fishheads and the band often has fish-related themes in their work.

fish-hedge = a trap made of bamboo screens.

fish-hold = an enclosed space on a vessel for storing fish; may be insulated and/or refrigerated.

fish-hood = the state or condition of fish (rarely used).

fish-hook = 1) a bent piece of wire with its tip sharpened and often a barb below the tip used to catch fish. Available in many sizes and styles. May be single, double or treble but all these are counted as one hook in angling regulations. Hooks separated by stretches of line are counted as multiple hooks. See hook.

fish-hook = 2) a large hook with a pendant to which the fish tackle is hooked in fishing an anchor.

fish-hook = 3) a sharp broken strand in a wire.

fish-hook cactus = cholla cactus (Opuntia spp.) or barrel cactus (Ferocactus wislezenii) of the American southwest with hooked spines.

fish-hook displacement = a medical condition in humans where the stomach is displaced. The orifice of the pylorus faces directly upward and the duodenum runs upward and to the right to join the pylorus at an angle, producing a constricting hook. Asymptomatic.

fish-hook facelift = a process involving small hooks embedded in the face under the skin to lift up loose flesh around the jaw and tighten the face skin (the Endotine ribbon facelift). The hooks dissolve after a few months.

fish-hook flea = a crustacean (Cercopagis pengoi, Cladocera) from the Black and Caspian seas now introduced to North American lakes. Their tails are long, spiny and shaped like a fish hook and they hook themselves together, clogging fish nets and lines.

fish-hook lift = similar to the fish-hook facelift but the hooks stay put (the thread lift).

fish-hook money = Persian larin money, scimitar-shaped.

fish-hook wire = a wire of twisted strands with a piece of wire resembling a fish hook inserted at intervals.

fish-hooked wire = fish-hook wire.

fish-hooks = 1) fingers (slang).

Fish-Hooks = 2) Ficheux, a village in northern France, World War I slang.

fish-hooks in one's pocket = to be very cheap. From Samuel Mulford who sewed fish hooks in his pockets on a visit to London in the eighteenth century to avoid pickpockets.

fish-hoop = a structure on a mast on which the lower end of a fish (a strengthening piece of wood in a fish shape) is driven.

fish-horn = 1) a tin horn that was used by fish sellers or on fishing boats.

fish-horn = 2) a soprano clarinet or saxophone, Canadian slang.

fish-house = 1) a building where fish are stored or processed. Also called fish-room.

fish-house = 2) a restaurant serving or specialising in fish and seafood.

fish-house = 3) a building from which fish are sold.

fish-house = 4) fish top (a movable box-like structure to cover piled cod-fish. Also called fish room).

fish-house punch = a punch made of rum and brandy and water or tea sweetened with sugar syrup. Developed at the Fish House Club, formed in 1732 by a group of anglers who fished for perch on the Schuylkill River.

fish-hut = a small, moveable shack placed over a hole in the ice in winter to protect the fisher from the elements. May be heated and have other facilities.

fish-in = illegal fishing by a group to protest regulatory restrictions.

fish-insect = silverfish, a primitive, wingless thysanuran insect with a body covered in silvery scales, commonly found in houses, e.g. Lepisma saccharina.

fish-iron = a fish spear made of iron and having 5, 7 or 12 points.

fish-joint = 1) a joint formed by fitting a wedge into a v-slot or a w-slot.

fish-joint = 2) a joint where two abutting units are held together by a fish plate, q.v.

fish-keeper = may mean either pondkeeper, q.v., or aquarist q.v.

fish-keeper's granuloma = an infection in humans with the bacteria causing fish tuberculosis (a Mycobacterium, but not the same as the one causing human tuberculosis). It is probably the only zoonosis of note to aquarists. It appears as a skin infection, usually on the hands or forearms where there was an earlier cut, and may be inflamed, suppurating, encrusting and irritated. Not usually serious unless the infected individual is already immuno-suppressed. Treatment requires antibiotics. Also called fishtank granuloma.

fish-kettle = a long kettle for boiling fish whole, often with a removable grid so the fish can be removed in one piece without it falling apart.

fish-kill = a die off of fishes within a relatively short period due to the onset of man-caused or, more rarely, natural factors, e.g. pesticide related mortalities, red tides, drought. See also winterkill and summerkill.

fish-killer = an aquatic insect of the family Belostomatidae, e.g. Lethocercus americanus, which feeds on small fishes. Also called toe-biter.

fish-killer tree = a member of the brazil nut family, Lecythidaceae, Barringtonia asiatica, containing saponins in the leaves which are ground and thrown into water to paralyse fish.

fish-king = a legendary king of fishes who, if caught and released, gratefully directs fish into the nets of fishermen.

fish-knife = 1) a small knife with an ornamental upper edge used in eating fish along with a fork.

fish-knife = 2) a large knife with an ornamental upper edge and a broad blade used in serving fish with a large fork.

fish-ladder = a series of steps with flowing water and pools enabling a fish to circumvent an obstruction such as a dam or waterfall by leaping from step to step. Also called fishway, fish pass.

fish-lead = a type of sounding lead used without being removed from the water between soundings.

fish-leather = treated fish skin used in garments, shoes, handbags, belts, jewellery, briefcases, wallets and novelty items.

fish-leaves = the floating leaves of the common pondweed (Potamogeton natans), or the plant itself, said to shelter fish.

fish-leech = an annelid worm with some members parasitic on fishes, notably Piscicola. Rarely causes much damage but can transmit blood parasitic protozoans and possibly bacteria and viruses, as well as causing secondary infections. May cause anaemia, lethargy and restlessness. Rare in aquaria but common in fish ponds and in the wild.

fish-leep = a fish basket.

fish-lice (singular louse) = parasitic crustaceans on marine and freshwater fishes. The common ectoparasite is Argulus (Branchiura) which can move around on its host, causing several wounds. May result in lethargy, loss of appetite, anaemia through blood loss, osmotic stress and secondary infections. The effects of irritation are restlessness, darting, jumping, scratching and overproduction of mucus. Various chemical treatments of aquarium water will remove the parasite although they are often large enough to be picked off with tweezers as long as a topical antiseptic is applied to the wound site.

fish-lift = fish way.

fish-like = like fish, suggestive of fish; having some of the qualities of fish.

fish-line = a line made of twisted hair, silk, monofilaments or other material used in angling.

fish-lip = to slobber on the end of a marijuana cigarette.

fish-liquor = the liquid in which fish have been boiled.

fish-liver oil = oil extracted from fish livers (cod, halibut, sharks) and used industrially or as a source of vitamins A and D.

fish-liver paste = fish liver ground up with salt, spices and other flavouring ingredients.

fish-lock = 1) a fish weir, in the sense of a dam forming a retaining reservoir harbouring fishes.

fish-lock = 2) a lock which allows fish to swim upstream bypassing a weir or other obstacle, sometimes with the aid of a fish ladder.

fish-loft = the area of a fishing stage, q.v., where dried cod are stored.

fish-lore = study of fishes; ichthyology.

fish-louse = any crustacean parasitic on fishes. Usually refers to Argulus (Branchiura) found on the skin and occasionally the buccal cavity. Causes ulcers at the attachment point.

fish-magnet = a moveable electrode used to bring up a school of fish that normally is too deep for a purse seine to catch.

fish-maker = a person curing cod on flakes (q.v.) in Newfoundland.

fish-man = 1) a person cleaning fish as food.

fish-man = 2) a seller of fish.

fish-man = 3) a fisherman.

fish-man = 4) a student of ichthyology.

fish-manure = dried and powdered fish used as fertiliser in fish ponds to enhance productivity.

fish-market = 1) any area selling fish but usually refers to a large covered establishment with diverse products.

fish-market = 2) the lowest hole at bagatelle.

fish-market = 3) a brothel.

fish marking = a system involving various methods (fin clipping, colouring, biotelemetry, radioactive markers, tattooing, branding, tagging, etc.), used for individual identification and for studies on movement, growth and other biological parameters.

fish-martingale = a large jigger, the double block secured to one of the bolts in a davit head or the single block hooked down to a bolt in the ship's side.

fish-maw = the dried stomach or swim bladder of a fish used for industrial purposes.

fish-meal = dried fish or fish waste used as fertilizer, animal food or ground fine for use in soups. May be defatted, and is powdered or granular in form.

fish-meter = an officer of the Fishmongers Company.

fish-mill = a circularly swimming mass of fishes, usually formed only by obligate schoolers.

fish-mint = aquatic or moist-growing mints (Mentha aquatica and M. longifolia).

fish-mite = a parasite infesting salt fish.

FISH-mode = FISH queue.

fish-mold = a water mold growing on fish (saprolegniasis, a fungal infection from Saprolegnia and Achlya, usually a secondary infection after skin damage or scale loss but also affecting eggs in hatcheries).

fish-money = a bounty for a certain number of fish caught.

fish-monger = 1) a dealer in or seller of fish.

fish-monger = 2) a bawd, presumably a corruption of flesh monger, dating from the mid-sixteenth century.

fish-monger = 3) a pimp (slang since the 1500s).

fish-monger = 4) a lecher or whoremonger (1800s Britain).

fish-monger's daughter = a whore; slang from late sixteenth century.

fish-moth = silverfish and fire brats, insects found in houses and having silvery scales.

fish-mousse - a mousse made with fish.

fish-mouth = 1) turtlehead, a perennial North American herb (Chelone glabra).

fish-mouth = 2) an opening at the exposed edge of a roofing ply sheet where the asphalt bond is lacking or the felt is wrinkled.

fish-mouth incision = a wide and horizontal incision made on the tip of the finger to drain an abscess.

fish-mouth meatus = a medical condition in humans; a red and swollen and everted condition of the orifice of the urethra (meatus) in the first stage of acute gonorrhea.

fish-mouth stenosis = an extreme medical condition in humans describing the narrowing and ineffective opening of the mitral valve of the heart.

fish-net = 1) any net used to catch fishes.

fish-net = 2) any material having the open mesh pattern of a fishnet, e.g. women's stockings.

FISH-net = 3) nothing to do with fish; computer slang for "first in, still here" referring to slowed or stopped processes, in this case on a network.

fish-net = 4) the shape of the city of Wung-chun, China, laid out in this shape to be viewed from above. See also carp.

fish-net buoy = a buoy marking the limit of fish net.

fish-nuggets = fish pieces formed into small irregular shapes, breaded and served fried.

fish-o = fisho.

fish-odour = a genetic disorder giving a rotting fish odour to a person's breath, urine and sweat. Caused by lack of an enzyme that would process an odour-causing protein, trimethylamine. Also called fish-odour syndrome.

fish-odour syndrome = fish-odour.

fish-offal = fish waste.

fish-oil = any oil obtained from fishes, usually from the liver, but in fatty fishes from the body, or from fish wastes. Used in fish feeds, edible fats, soaps, paints, leather work and making linoleum.

fish-out = 1) exhaustion of the fish supply in a water body; to denude an area of fish.

fish-out = 2) to remove an object from a receptacle or from water.

fish-out pond = a natural or artificial pond stocked with fish that anglers can take for a fee.

fish-out-of-water = a variant of the pool game Marco Polo, where one person is "it", swims around with eyes closed, and tries to tag another player, sensing their presence by sound. However "it" can yell "Marco" to which the other players must respond "Polo", revealing roughly where they are. A tagged player becomes the next "it". The fish-out-of-water" variant allows the non-"it" players to get out of the pool to avoid being tagged but if "it" yells "fish-out-of-water" then the person out of the water becomes "it". If more than one person is out of the water, "it" chooses the next "it". See also sharks and minnows.

fish-owl = a fish-eating owl of the Old World genera Scotopelia, Bubo and Ketupa. Pel's fishing owl, Bubo peli, of Africa, is said to make the sound of "a lost soul falling into the bottomless pit".

fish-paper = 1) vulcanised cotton fibre used for electrical insulation.

fish-paper = 2) paper on which cooked fish is laid, presumably waxed.

fish-pass = 1) fish passage facility.

fish-pass = 2) a cut dredged through a barrier island allowing tidal flushing and movement of fish.

fish-passage centre = a centre that plans and implements an annual smolt monitoring program, developing and implementing flow and spill requests; and monitoring and analyzing research results to assist in implementing a water budget.

fish-passage efficiency = the proportion of juvenile fish passing a project through the spillway, sluiceway, or juvenile bypass system, as opposed to passing through the turbines.

fish-passage facilities = features of a dam that enable fish to move around, through, or over without harm. Generally an upstream fish ladder or a downstream bypass system.

fish-paste = fish mixed with salt and ground to a fine consistency with or without added fat, spices and other seasonings. Should contain 70% or more fish. Used as a sandwich spread.

fish-paunch = fish (9) a piece of timber used to strengthen a mast or spar when sprung, often somewhat fish-shaped).

fish-pea = a small part of the cod intestine, consumed as a delicacy in Newfoundland.

fish-pearl = a glass bead coated with essence d'Orient, q.v., to make an artificial pearl.

fish-pen = 1) an enclosure in the water for aquaculture made of netting on a frame; it serves to keep desired fish in and unwanted species out.

fish-pen = 2) a wooden bin for salting cod in Newfoundland.

fish-pendant = a large block hanging from the end of a davit.

fish-pest = any deadly epidemic disease of fishes.

fish-pie = fish, minced and baked with potatoes, and sometimes mixed with vegetables, in a pastry.

fish-piece = fish (9) a piece of timber used to strengthen a mast or spar when sprung, often somewhat fish-shaped).

fish-pier = a pier for fishing boats to tie up at.

fish-pile = a stack of split and salted cod at various stages of the drying process (Newfoundland).

fish-pipe = the oesophagus of a seal (Newfoundland).

fish-plate = 1) one of the plates of a fish joint, q.v. Strengthens a joint by overlapping, e.g. a flat piece of metal connecting railway rails to the ties or connecting pieces of masonry.

fish-plate = 2) the perforated drainage grid of a fish kettle, q.v.

fish-poison = 1) usually any plant which is poisonous or intoxicating to fish, causing them to float to the surface for capture.

fish-poison = 2) Lepidium piscidium, a cress found on Pacific islands and formerly eaten as a relish and antiscorbutic by seamen.

fish-poison bark = Florida fish-poison tree.

fish-poison tree = various trees come under this heading as parts are used to poison fish, e.g. Acacia ditricha (family Mimosaceae), the leaves of which are poisonous to fish when rubbed in a bag until a soapy foam comes out (Australia), and various Piscidia species (Leguminosae) such as P. mollis where leaves are used (southwest United States and Mexico).

fish-poison wattle = Acacia holosericea, the leaves of which are poisonous to fish when rubbed in a bag until a soapy foam comes out (Australia).

fish-poisoning = 1) use of a chemical spread on water or added to a bait to poison fish and facilitate capture. Natural (plant-based) fish poisons include crow's eyes (seeds of Nux vomica containing strychnine), common yew (leaves of Taxus hoccata)(effectiveness disputed), juniper, cyclamen (tuber sap of Cyclamen europaeum), common daphne (boiled blossoms of Daphne mezereum containing saponin), spurge (Euphorbia esula), ox-tongue (leaves and roots of Anchusa officinalis), thornapple (Datura chamonium), tobacco (Nikotiniana) common henbane (Hyosciamus niger) and mullein (boiled blossoms of Verbascum), among others. See also fish-seed and rotenone.

fish-poisoning = 2) illness caused by eating poisonous fishes, q.v.

fish-pole = fishing rod.

fish-pomace = fish remains after oil has been extracted; often used as fertiliser. Also called fish scrap, fish waste.

fish-pond = 1) a freshwater pond in which fish are kept.

fish-pond = 2) an enclosed or gated coastal body of water used in aquaculture, e.g. in Hawaii for milkfish and bonefish. Fish enter on tides, through a gate or are stocked.

fish-pond = 3) the sea (jocular).

fish-pond = 4) a depression in a card table where fish-shaped counters are kept.

fish pond = 5) an attraction at a fair where miniature fishing gear is used to hook fish-shaped tokens from a small pool to win prizes.

fish-pond = 6) the female genitalia (U.S. slang mid-1900s).

fish-pool = fishpond, a pool containing fish.

fish-portion = a piece of a wet fish of specified uniform weight or size (about 2 cm thick) cut from a fillet, or a piece of a frozen fish usually rectilinear and of specified size and weight cut from a block of frozen fish flesh; wider than a fish stick or of a different shape.

fish-pot = 1) a portable cage-like trap which fish enter through a small opening and from which they cannot readily escape because of the funnel shape. May be baited or not, made of various materials, of various sizes and shapes, and of various local names from country of use or species of capture, e.g. eel pot, Scottish creel. Used to catch crabs, lobsters and occasionally fishes.

fish-pot = 2) a junk fishing boat.

fish-potter = a person in charge of, or uses, fish pots (1).

fish-pound = 1) a net or fence set in streams or along the coast to direct fish into a holding container for easy removal. Also called trap net or setnet.

fish-pound = 2) a wooden container in which cod are placed for curing in Newfoundland.

fish-pox = 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).

fish-prong = fish fork (1).

fish-protein concentrate = a flour comprised of dried and powdered fish used as a food supplement. It is odourless, tasteless and has more protein than in the original fish flesh. Abbreviated as FPC.

fish-proud = a self-satisfied person on account of a large or profitable catch of fish (Newfoundland).

fish-pudding = fish ball.

fish-pump = a mechanism for transferring large volumes of relatively small fish in water from a net into a ship by means of a pump and associated flexible pipes.

FISH-queue = nothing to do with fish; computer slang for "first in, still here" referring to slowed or stopped processes. See also FISH mode and FISHnet.

fish-raceway = concrete, elongate and rectangular fish-rearing unit generally associated with a hatchery which has a large volume of flowing water, able to sustain greater fish densities than ponds, and able to maintain a cleaner environment. Used particularly for trouts, and less often catfishes. May be 100 mm long, 1-10 m wide and 0.5-1.5 m deep and made of concrete (usually), brick, tile, earth or lined with plastic.

fish-rake = a set of hooks attached to a structure such as an iron bar up to 8 metres wide towed behind a boat and impaling any fish encountered.

fish-range = a place for catching and drying fish.

fish-rearing = cultivation and propagation of fishes.

fish-room = 1) fish hold (an enclosed space on a vessel for storing fish; may be insulated and/or refrigerated).

fish-room = 2) a piece of land by the shore from which a fishery was conducted in Newfoundland.

fish-room = 3) the stages. q.v., flakes, q.v., stores, crew and family housing, and other facilities where a fish catch was landed and processed in Newfoundland.

fish-room = 4) a small building for storing dried and salted cod in Newfoundland.

fish-room = 5) fish top (a movable box-like structure to cover piled cod-fish. Also called fish house).

fish-rope = fish fall.

fish-royal = sturgeons, whales, dolphins and porpoises are termed this. If caught within three miles of the coast of the United Kingdom, they belong to the Crown.

fish-run = a group of fish migrating up a river, usually for spawning.

fish-salad = cooked, marinated or salted fish that is chopped or diced and added to salad.

fish-sanctuary = a place or time where/when fishing is not allowed to protect the stocks or species; for fish to spawn, rear young or rest.

fish-sauce = various fish species have been used in fish sauces, e.g. and q.v. cut lunch herring, fermented fish sauce, fish sauce, garum, ketchup, liquamen, milt sauce, moochim, muria, mustard herring, etc. Often used for an oriental spicy condiment or flavouring made from salted and fermented anchovies or other fish, including nam pla (Thai), nuoc nam (Vietnamese), patis (Philippines) and shottsuru (Japanese). These sauces are pungent and strong-flavoured.

fish-sausage = fish flesh, such as tuna, ground with fat, seasoning, spices and sometime a filler such as cereal and encased in a skin. May be cooked or smoked before or after encasing.

fish-scale = 1) any pattern or design resembling fish scales. See fish scales.

fish-scale = 2) a fish's scale.

fish-scale = 3) slang for uncut cocaine.

fish-scale disease = ichthyosis (a congenital skin disease in humans where the epidermis becomes hard, rough and scaly. Also called fishskin disease).

fish-scale gallbladder = a gallbladder with a fish scale-like appearance due to multiple small cysts of the mucosa.

fish-scale tile = a tile shaped like a fish's scale.

fish-scales = 1) a grain pattern in leather resembling the scales of a fish. Once used by bookbinders who wanted a leather giving the effect of being blind tooled.

fish-scales = 2) a scale pattern on the bottom of waxless skis which helps prevent the skis from sliding backwards.

fish-scope = the cathode ray tube element of a fish finder.

fish-scrap = fish remains after oil has been extracted; often used as fertiliser. Also called fish pomace, fish waste.

fish-screen = 1) a screen across a body of water or structure, e.g. the turbine intake of a dam, designed to divert the fish into a bypass system.

fish-screen = 2) a grating or mesh positioned in a river to strain fish from the water. Fences or netting direct fish onto the screen where they run aground while the water drains through the mesh.

fish-screw = a device for pressing dried cod into a cask or barrel.

fish-seed = 1) fertilised eggs, fry or fingerlings used for growing in aquaculture facility or for stocking grow-out areas.

fish-seed = 2) kokkel-seed or lice-seed, the fruit of Anamirta cocolus a creeping shrub of Asia. Contains pikrotxin used in small pellets of dough thrown in the water to stupefy fish eating them.

fish-service = a china service for fish with a platter, sauce boat and plates.

fish-shed = fish house (Maritime Canada).

fish-shelter = an artificial structure made from twigs, brush, branches, concrete blocks, etc. as a refuge or hiding place for fish at which they are also easily caught.

fish-side = the flesh side of a split fish as opposed to the skin side (Scottish dialect).

fish-silage = liquefied fish waste produced by self-digestion, with the addition of acid to prevent decay, or fermentation and used for animal feed. Also called liquid fish.

fish-skin = 1) the skin of a fish.

fish-skin = 2) a condom.

fish-skin = 3) a dollar bill.

fish-skin disease = ichthyosis (a congenital skin disease in humans where the epidermis becomes hard, rough and scaly. Also called fish-scale disease).

fish-skin grain = a grain in leather resembling fish skin.

fish-skinner = a ridged roller to remove fish skin and scales. There are small hand-operated models for sport fishermen and hand-operated or powered models for skinning fish on a commercial scale (no pun intended).

fish-slice = 1) a broad knife for lifting and dividing or carving fish at a table.

fish-slice = 2) an implement used by cooks for turning fish in a pan.

fish-slide = an inclined structure of box-like shape set in a stream at a ripple or small waterfall to catch descending fish.

fish-slime disease = a condition in humans where septicaemia follows a puncture wound made by the spine of a fish.

fish-soluble = a water-soluble protein byproduct of fish meal production, usually condensed to 50% solids and sold as condensed fish solids. A concentrated form of stick water.

fish-sound = 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 air bladder, a less appropriate term).

fish-soup = any soup made from fish with seasonings and vegetables.

fish-spear = 1) a spear with 3-5 prongs on the end in various arrangements used to capture fish.

fish-spear = 2) a trident with barbs or flukes is the symbol for the staff of Greek Poseidon or Roman Neptune, gods of the sea.

fish-spinner = a hurricane, cyclone or typhoon.

fish-staff = a gaff or fish hook.

fish-stake = one of a series of poles or stakes place din shallow water to outline fishing areas.

fish-steak = a cross-section slice of a large, dressed fish.

fish-stearin = a solid formed from fish oils and used in lubricants and coarse soaps.

fish-stew = a small pond where fish are kept for eating, now obsolete. Also called vivarium.

fish-stick = 1) fish marketed in the form of rectangular sticks cut from a block of frozen fish fillets, breaded, fried in fat, or sold frozen for cooking. See also goujonettes de sole and fish finger.

fish-stick = 2) a fish spear with a single point.

fish-stock = 1) a distinct genetic population, a population defined by movement pattern, part of a population potentially harvestable, or a quantity of fish from a given area; usually isolated from other stocks of the same species and so self-sustaining. May be a total or a spawning stock.

fish-stock = 2) used for steaming fish; made of lightly salted cold water, bones and trimmings of fish, seasonings, simmered for half an hour, strained when almost cold and a little white wine or vinegar added.

fish-stone = a stone table used for the sale of fish, presumably because it is easily washed and cleaned.

fish-store = 1) a store selling fish.

fish-store = 2) a building where dried cod from the offshore fishery is stored for collection or export (eastern Canada). Also used to store gear in winter and spring and as a place to mend nets.

fish-story = a tall tale, an unlikely story, an exaggerated narrative, a yarn.

fish-stove = fish stew.

fish-strainer = 1) a metal colander for taking fish from a boiler.

fish-strainer = 2) a perforated earthenware slab at the bottom of a dish allowing liquid to drain from a boiled fish.

fish-supper = 1) an evening meal where fish is the main item.

fish-supper = 2) fish and chips, q.v.

fish-symbol = ichthus (a representation of a fish; an amulet or talisman shaped like a fish; an iconographic symbol for Christ from the initials in the Greek phrase Iesous Christos Theou Huios Soter (Jesus Christ Son of God Saviour). Also spelt ichthys).

fish-tackle = 1) wire tackle for emptying the cod end of a trawl, stronger than gilson tackle.

fish-tackle = 2) equipment to raise the flukes of an anchor to the gunwale. Also called fish block.

fish-tail = 1) the tail or caudal fin of a fish.

fish-tail = 2) any device shaped like a fish tail.

fish-tail = 3) the uncontrolled movement of the rear end of a vehicle, e.g. on snow or ice.

fish-tail = 4) to swing the tail of an aeroplane from side to side in order to reduce speed.

fish-tail = 5) an arrow wobbling in flight.

fish-tail = 6) a turning ballroom step.

fish-tail bit = a drilling bit shaped like a fish's tail.

fish-tail burner = a type of gas burner, having two openings in the top, from which the jets of gas issue and form a flat flame, the plane of which is at right angles to that of the openings.

fishtail cutter = a cutter for milling slots and keyways.

fish-tail lawyer cane = a palm of the Arecaceae family, Calamus caryotoides from northern Queensland.

fish-tail palm = a palm of the Arecaceae family in the genus Caryota from tropical Asia.

fish-tail point = a fluted and stemmed, fishlike stone tool from South America dating to 11,000-8000 B.C.

fish-tail propeller = a propeller with a single blade that oscillates like the tail off fish when swimming.

fish-tail wind = a variable wind that blows across shooting ranges.

fish-tank = 1) a fish or water holding structure of varying size and construction material, from an aquarium to a large outdoor pond.

fish-tank = 2) in a museum, a large, often rectangular container for storing fluid-preserved specimens. Usually of stainless steel as wood and plastic containers eventually deteriorate.

fish-tank = 3) a cabinet of microfiches.

fish-tank granuloma = fishkeeper's granuloma.

fish-tape = flexible, flat metal wire used to pull other wires through conduits or wall spaces.

fish-tapeworm anaemia = a medical condition of humans, a rare form of macrocytoc anaemia caused by infestation with the tapeworm Diphyllobothrium latum.

fish-tapeworm infection = ingesting the larvae of the tapeworm Diphyllobothrium latum through eating undercooked fish. More common in cold, fresh lakes such as the Great Lakes. The adult worm can reach 30 feet in length in the human intestine, causing blood in the faeces (and worm segments may be visible) and vitamin B12 deficiency.

fish-tester = an electronic device with electrodes which are applied to the fish just behind the head. The current properties measure freshness.

fish-thistle = a Syrian thistle plant, Chamaepeuce diacantha.

fish-tiger = a bird that preys on fish.

fish-tongue = 1) long-handled tongues used for catching fish or for holding slippery or dangerous fish such as moray eels.

fish-tongue = 2) a device for removing wisdom teeth, named for its shape.

fish-tongue = 3) a commercial product, often marketed with fish cheeks, fresh, frozen or cured.

fish-top = a movable box-like structure to cover piled cod-fish. Also called fish house and fish room.

fish-torpedo = a torpedo resembling a fish in shape.

fish-toun = a fishing village (Scottish dialect).

fish-track = fossilised remnants of fish moving over the bottom; traces of pectoral and other fins. Also called ichthyopatolites.

fish-trap = a spring-loaded trap made of netting on a frame that closes over a fish. The two rectangular halves of the trap are spread apart from the central spring mechanism. The fish is attracted by bait or a dummy fish that the fish sought tries to fight, e.g. a wooden male salmon painted in spawning colours. See also shutter trap.

fish-trap boat = herring weir seine boat (an open boat about 28 feet long with an inboard motor. Has three man crew and is used to tend herring seines, traps and weirs).

fish-trowel = 1) a fish slice or fish carver having a trowel shape.

fish-trowel = 2) a gardener's tool shaped like a scoop.

fish-trowel = 3) a tool used for smoothing a mold.

fish-van = 1) a light spring-cart for carrying fish.

fish-van = 2) a railway truck dedicated to fish transport.

fish-warden = an official who enforces game laws relating to fish.

fish waste = 1) fish that are caught but do not have market value as food, fish parts as a by-product of the production process. May be used for fish meal, fish oil, pet food, hatchery food, animal food, and other byproducts.

fish waste = 2) fish remains after oil has been extracted; often used as fertiliser. Also called fish pomace, fish scrap.

fish-water = 1) a fixed volume of water in which a fish has been kept for a certain period. This water contains external metabolites and can be used in various experimental procedures, e.g. predator/prey interactions without the predator present (metabolite production by the predator may be suppressed when prey is present).

fish-water = 2) a water body in which fish can, or do, live.

fish-way = fish ladder.

fish-wear = fish weir.

fish-weed = pondweed (Potamogeton).

fish-weiner = a smoked fish sausage.

fish-weir = 1) a dam in a river to back up water to form a fish pond; a fish garth.

fish-weir = 2) a fence of stakes, brushwood, etc. for catching fish.

fish-weir = 3) a draught or catch of fishes.

fish-well = a storage compartment in a fishing vessel for live fish, usually in a sport fishing boat.

fish-wheel = a series of lift nets on a wheel frame that is rotated by the river current, catching migrating fish and dumping them through a chute into a basket.

fish-whole = as sound as a fish, healthy.

fish-wife = 1) a woman who sells fish.

fish-wife = 2) a foul-mouthed coarse, abusive woman.

fish-wife = 3) the female wife or consort of a homosexual male (U.S. slang, mid-1900s onward).

fish-woman = a woman who retails fish. Also a fish-wife.

fish-wire = fish tape.

fish-wood = 1) Jamaican dogwood or Florida fish-poison tree (Piscidia piscipula (Fabacaea, pea family), also called fishfuddle tree. Not a member of the dogwood family. Seminoles in Florida used a powder made from its roots, bark, and leaves to stun fish. See also fish poison tree.

fish-wood = 2) Euonymus americana (Celastraceae) or strawberry bush of eastern North America.

fish-worker = an aquaculturist.

fish-worm = 1) a parasitic worm of fishes.

fish-worm = 2) an earthworm used as bait in angling. Also called fishing worm.

fish-worship = ichthyolatry, the worship of fishes or fish-shaped idols.

fish-wrapper = a journal, newspaper or chronicle.

fish-yard = fish garth.

fishability = the quality or state of being fishable.

fishable = 1) legally open for fishing.

fishable = 2) may be or admits of being, fished in.

fishable = 3) suitable, promising, e.g. of the weather.

fishable stock = the part of a stock that is available to be fished, i.e. large enough to be caught and living in places accessible to fishing gear.

fishapod = nickname for the late Devonian fossil Tiktaalik roseae, a sarcopterygian from Ellesmere Island, Canada, an ancient fish with a mobile neck, limb development, lungs and ribs like tetrapods. As an intermediate form between fish and tetrapods, it is important in arguments for evolution over intelligent design.

fishback = a marked deck of cards in gambling.

fishball = 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.

fishbar = 1) fish plate (1).

fishbar = 2) a restaurant serving fish, often sushi, with seats at a bar.

FishBase = a comprehensive on-line database about fish at www.fishbase.org/home.htm.

fishbed = 1) a stratum rich in fish fossils.

fishbed = 2) code name for a Soviet delta-wing supersonic fighter, 1956.

fishbelly = anything white like a fish belly including certain plants where leaves are white on the underside and turned up in the wind.

fishbelly sill = a side or central sill used in railroad car construction; named for its fish shape.

fishberry = a plant used to kill or stupefy fish when placed in water as an extract, e.g. Levant berry (Cocculus indicus (an older name) or Anamirta paniculata) crushed and scattered on the water surface by Indian fisherman.

fishbladder = 1) the storage sac for urine.

fishbladder = 2) a figure composed of two equal and symmetrically placed circular arcs. See also vesica piscis.

fishbladder = 3) 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).

fishboiler = 1) a fish kettle.

fishboiler = 2) a Norwegian (slang).

fishbolt = a bolt for securing a fish plate.

fishbone diagram = a graph used in quality control to identify possible problem causes.

fishbone beard lichen = a lichen, Usnea fillipendula, with antibiotic properties, widely used since ancient times. Its fibrils have been likened to a fish-bone appearance.

fishbone stitch = a series of diagonal, single-purl stitches zig-zagged across an unmarked line.

fishbone tabby = mackerel tabby cat (a cat with characteristic, gently wavy bars on the flank, reminiscent of the fish pattern. The most common tabby pattern).

fishbone thistle = fish thistle.

fishbone tree = Panax crassifolium, a small tree from New Zealand.

fishbones = oscillations in soft x-ray emissions which have the appearance of fish bones.

fishbowl = 1) a round glass bowl used for keeping ornamental or pet fish.

fishbowl = 2) a situation where one's activities are constantly observed, scrutinised, commented on, etc.

fishbowl = 3) jail.

fishbrain = in inline skating a slide where the skater grabs one skate with the hand closest to it.

fishburger = a hamburger with the patty made from fish.

fishcar = a railroad car with water tanks for transportation of live fish.

fishcarle = a fisherman.

fishcarrier = 1) a boat used to transport a catch of fishes from a vessel to the shore.

fishcarrier = 2) a container used to keep fish alive during transportation.

fishcarver = a carving knife used for fish. May be paired with a fork.

fishcatching box = a fry trap placed behind the monk, q.v., to catch fish when a pond is drained.

fishchip = a delicatessen potato chip-like product made of equal parts of fish and potato.

fishchowder = a thick soup mix of cooked fish and/or shellfish and potatoes in a broth made from pork, flour, seasonings and fish stock.

fishclamp = a type of fish spear with several prongs that hold a fish without excessive injury. The prongs may be pointed and barbed too but the purpose of the clamp is to secure the fish with little damage.

fishclimer = a plant (?) whose red and black-kernelled beans when bruised and thrown into water will stupefy fish.

fishclip = fish clamp.

fishcocktail = ceviche (raw white fish marinated in lemon or lime juice and served with sweet limes, avocados, onion rings, garlic, cilantro, chilies, boiled corn and tomatoes. Originally from Peru, variously modified).

fisgig = a harpoon for catching fishes (archaic).

FISHDO = forget it, stuff happens, drive on.

fished = 1) supplied with fish.

fished = 2) a means of installing electrical wiring by using elongate wire hooks to fish the wires through hollow spaces in walls.

fished = 3) strengthened or fastened together.

fished beam = a beam with a belly on the underside.

fished joint = an end butt splice strengthened by pieces nailed to the sides.

fished up = brought up.

fisher = 1) a person participating in a fishery (gender neutral, in preference to the previously used term "fisherman"). Once archaic and now resurrected. See also angler.

fisher = 2) disciples in the Christian Bible.

fisher = 3) victualler.

fisher = 4) a large arboreal mammal (Martes pennanti) from North America. It is not a major consumer of fish, except as carrion, and the name may come from the French "fichet", the name for a pelt of the European polecat.

fisher = 5) any animal that catches fish as food.

fisher = 6) an implement used by tanners.

fisher = 7) a boat used in fishing.

fisher = 8) a fishmonger.

Fisher = 9) a common surname in English with various terms named for the person and having nothing to do with fish, e.g. Fisher equation, Fisher index are given below as two examples from economics; there are various others from various disciplines.

fisher = 10) a currency note, £1.00.

fisher- = 11) used in combination with various words, not all listed here, either hyphenated or as one word, e.g. fisherfolk, fisher-boat, usually with an obvious meaning.

fisher = 12) apples baked in batter (Devon, England)(archaic).

fisher = 13) a toady or lickspittle.

fisher boat = a boat used in catching fish.

fisher body = fisher (1).

fisher cat = fisher (4).

fisher doddie = fisherman (Scottish dialect).

fisher dozen = 13 or more, depending on the generosity of the fisher selling fish.

Fisher equation = in economics, estimates the relationship between nominal and real interest rates under inflation.

fisher folk = fisher (1).

Fisher index = in economics, a form of price index.

Fisher King = the custodian of the Grail in the Arthurian Romance. The apostles were fishermen.

fisher land = land on the shore used by fishermen to dry their nets (Scottish dialect).

fisher nannie = fisher woman.

fisher of souls = the devil.

fisher person = fisher; an unnecessary expansion of the politically correct word for someone who catches fish, occasionally seen in newspapers.

fisher woman = a woman who fishes commercially or for pleasure.

fisher's berry = fish berry.

fisher's folly = an angler's house in the country.

fisher's knot = a slip knot.

fisher-boat = a boat used in catching fish.

fisher-land = land on the shore used by fishermen to dry their nets (Scottish dialect).

fisher-nannie = fisherwoman (Scottish dialect).

fisher-packer = in Canada, a fisher licensed to both catch and process fish without assistance from anyone not involved in catching the fish.

fisher-person = fisher; an unnecessary expansion of the politically correct word for someone who catches fish, occasionally seen in newspapers.

fisher-woman = a woman who fishes commercially or for pleasure.

fisher's dozen = thirteen.

fisherate = to provide for.

fisherboat = a boat used in catching fish.

fisheress = a female fisher (rarely used).

fisherfolk = people who make their living by fishing.

fisherian evolution = holds that phenotypic differentiation derives from positive natural selection primarily; random drift in small populations is less important. Named for R. A. Fisher, not fish.

fisheries = plural of fishery, at least in some of its definitions.

fisheries extension = work with a community on fisheries and related areas like conservation.

fisheries management arrangement = fisheries management organisation.

fisheries management authority = an official body making decisions on how a fishery is managed. It collects and studies statistics on catches, makes assessments, monitoring, control, surveillance, consults with fishers, allocates resources, and defines access to the fishery.

fisheries management organisation = an institution responsible for fisheries management, including the formulation of the rules that govern fishing activities. Also called fisheries management arrangement.

fisheries management plan = a contract between interested parties and the fisheries management authority as to how a fishery should be managed.

fisheries regulations = controls to restrict effort in fishing (input controls) or the total catch (output controls) in a fishery.

fisheries structure = all those items used in the fishing industry such as nets and vessels.

fisheries-sensitive zones = areas of water bodies that are seasonally occupied by over-wintering anadromous fish. Includes channels, swamps, seasonally flooded depressions, lake littoral zones and estuaries

fisherman = 1) a male engaging in fishing for sport or commercially. Fisher is the gender-free term although the archaic fisheress could be used for female fishers.

fisherman = 2) a ship used for commercial fishing.

fisherman = 3) an animal that catches fish.

fisherman follows the fish = the concept indicating that the fisherman's right to receive payment or credit for a catch before other disbursement of monies by a merchant (Newfoundland).

fisherman knit = a sweater with thick, ribbed knitting of heavy yarn in cable stitches, presumably favoured by fishermen in colder climes.

fisherman's = fisherman's daughter.

fisherman's basket = a pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea) or slipperwort (Calceolaria sp.). Also called fisherman's trawl.

fisherman's bend = a knot for tying a line to a ring or spar, e.g. when mooring a boat; the end is passed twice through the ring or around the spar and then back under both turns.

fisherman's brewis = cod cooked with hard tack or sea biscuit and pork fat (Newfoundland).

fisherman's daughter = rhyming slang for water.

fisherman's friend = a range of lozenges developed in Fleetwood, Lancashire in 1865 to relieve various respiratory problems suffered by fishermen who sailed from this fishing town.

fisherman's holiday = 1) a holiday to mark the end of the fishing season in the autumn and the return of the migratory vessels to England from Newfoundland.

fisherman's holiday = 2) enforced cessation from fishing because of bad weather.

fisherman's joke = a fried Italian dish of small squid (calamari) eaten by popping them directly in the mouth. Unbeknownst to the eater, one of these small squid is filled with hot red pepper.

fisherman's knot = a knot for tying the ends of two lines together. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

fisherman's lure = any bright artificial bait consisting of plastic or metal mounted with hooks and trimmed with feathers.

fisherman's nightingale = a name for the sedge-warbler.

fisherman's ring = a gold papal seal used on documents and placed on the new pope's finger by the cardinal camerlengo. It has a representation of St. Peter fishing in a boat with the new pope's name around it.

fisherman's staysail = a triangular or squarish sail between the foremast and the mainmast of a fishing schooner.

fisherman's trawl = fisherman's basket.

fisherman's walk = falling overboard; in full, a fisherman's walk, three steps and overboard.

fisherman-diver = the aquatic bird, merganser.

fisherman-planter = a fisherman who is also the owner of a fishing premises, a boat or a small vessel and who, supplied by a merchant, engages a crew to work on the share system (Newfoundland).

Fishermen = Grimsby Football Club.

fisherperson = fisher; an unnecessary expansion of the politically correct word for someone who catches fish, occasionally seen in newspapers.

fisherwoman = a woman who fishes commercially or for pleasure.

fishery (plural fisheries) = 1) the catching of fish or of a particular kind of fish for commerce or sport. The total world commercial catch in 2000 was 86 million tons (presumably metric tonnes).

fishery (plural fisheries)= 2) a place for catching fish.

fishery (plural fisheries) = 3) a place where fish breed.

fishery = 4) the legal right to fish in a specific stretch of water.

fishery (plural fisheries) = 5) the capture of organisms other than fishes for commerce, e.g. whales, various invertebrates.

fishery (plural fisheries) = 6) a fishing establishment.

fishery = 7) fishes of different kinds.

fishery biological interactions = usually fishing activity influencing interactions between two or more populations or species, e.g. between predator and prey, when the former is caught by fishing, stocks of the latter will increase.

fishery biologist = a student of the applied science concerning the obtaining of the best yields in commercial and sports fisheries

fishery biology = the applied science concerning the obtaining of the best yields in commercial and sports fisheries.

fishery commission = an international body that sets management measures for the conservation of internationally exploited fish stocks (those outside territorial waters).

Fishery Conservation Zone = the area from the seaward limit of state waters out to 200 nautical miles. The term is used less often than the current term, Exclusive Economic Zone. Abbreviated as FCZ.

fishery dependent data = data collected on a fish or fishery from sport fishermen, commercial fishermen, and seafood dealers.

fishery development = improving the fishery, fishery communities, fish workers and society in general. This may be in the technology of fishing, in management, in education, health, social services, insurance, etc.

fishery economics = the production, distribution and consumption of fish and the associated financial aspects.

fishery ecosystem plan = in contrast to plans dealing with exploited fisheries, this plan deals with fisheries at the ecosystem level.

fishery exclusion zone = an area closed to fishing, hopefully resulting in increased biomass, greater average size of spawners and stock enhancement in neighbouring fished areas. Abbreviated as FEZ.

fishery independent = characteristic of information, e.g. stock abundance index, or an activity, e.g. research vessels survey, obtained or undertaken independently of the activity of the fishing sector and so intended to avoid the biases inherent to fishery-related data.

fishery independent data = data collected on a fish by scientists who catch the fish themselves, rather than depending on fishermen and seafood dealers.

Fishery Management Plan = a plan to achieve specified management goals for a fishery. It includes data, analyses, and management measures for a fishery. Abbreviated as FMP.

fishery model = a representation of a fishery, usually simplified and may be mathematical.

fishery mortality rate = a measure of how quickly fish are removed from a population. Fishing mortality rates greater than 1.0 are considered very high.

fishery mound = a mound used to raise buildings associated with a fishery, such as a smoke house, above the flood plain.

fishery policy = measures to control a fishery by the regulatory agency. May be fiscal, trade, social, scientific, etc.

fishery potential = quantity of fish that can be caught without exhausting the resource.

fishery product = any item that is derived from fish; and in a general sense any aquatic product excluding mammals and frogs.

fishery protection = regulations promulgated by a government to protect, encourage and maintain the fishery.

fishery protection vessel = a patrol boat that inspects fishing vessels, their gear and catch, and enforces national regulations.

fishery reserve = a zone that precludes fishing activity on some or all the species. The zone aims to protect and rebuild stocks, protect habitat, provide insurance against overfishing or enhance yields.

fishery resource = strains, species, populations, stocks, or assemblages which can be legally caught by fishing. May sometimes be taken as including also the habitat of such resources.

fishery salt = a coarse salt (sodium chloride) used in curing fish. Also called fishing salt.

fishery servant = a person indentured or engaged on shares or wages for a defined period in the Newfoundland fishery of the nineteenth century.

fishery stock = commercial stock (that part of a commercial fish stock which could potentially be used by the fishery).

fishery technology = the equipment and its use for locating, catching, processing and marketing fish.

fishery vessel = any boat, ship, or other craft used to catch fishes, or in support of a fishery such as fueling, refrigeration, supply, processing, mother ship.

fishery-independent = characteristic of information, e.g. stock abundance index, or an activity, e.g. research vessels survey, obtained or undertaken independently of the activity of the fishing sector and so intended to avoid the biases inherent to fishery-related data.

fishery-independent data = data collected on a fish by scientists who catch the fish themselves, rather than depending on fishermen and seafood dealers.

fishes = plural of fish; can be used to indicate many species of fish as opposed to fish which is an individual or many individuals of the same species. The general term for five living Classes and several extinct Classes of vertebrate animals showing great diversity in form. Includes the living Myxini (hagfishes), Petromyzontida (lampreys), Chondrichthyes (sharks, skates, rays and chimaeras), Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fishes). Strictly, the Sarcopterygii includes Tetrapoda (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals).

fishes' eyes = slang for tapioca pudding.

Fishes of Ea = the "second Adar" added during leap years; the twelfth Assyrian month, Adar, belonged to the "Star of the Fish of Ea" (Ea being a fish god).

fishes royal = dolphins, whales and sturgeons belonging to the reigning British monarch in waters around the British Isles following a 1324 statute.

fishes' wazz = pretentious (British slang). From the French, vichyssoise.

fishet = a little fish (a nonce word).

fishey = 1) variant spelling of fishy.

fishey = 2) particularly intoxicated with alcohol.

fisheye = 1) an eye like that of a fish.

fisheye = 2) a wide-angle lens on a camera covering about 180°.

fisheye = 3) a weld defect having a hole or piece of matter surrounded by a circular area of brightness.

fisheye = 4) a diamond or other gem cut too thin for proper brilliance.

fisheye = 5) a variety of moonstone.

fisheye = 6) an imitation diamond.

fisheye = 7) a small blemish in finished paper caused by a crushed and glazed particle.

fisheye = 8) a cold or suspicious stare.

fisheye = 9) blank, expressionless.

fisheye = 10) ocular lymphomatosis in fowl.

fisheye = 11) in oil drilling fluids, slang for a globule of partly hydrated polymer formed by poor dispersion during mixing. About 0.2-0.5 inches in size, they consist of a granule of unhydrated polymer covered by hydrated polymer and so are impervious to water and do not disperse.

fisheye disease = an inherited disorder in humans resulting in low HDL cholesterol and corneal opacity.

fisheye stone = apophyllite, a general term encompassing three minerals.

fisheyes = slang for tapioca pudding.

fishfall = 1) the tackle depending from a fish davit used in hauling up the anchor to the gunwale.

fishfall = 2) rains of fishes (fishes falling from the sky like rain or in rain, the result of waterspouts and whirlwinds (see account by Gudger (1921))).

fishface = 1) someone having a face reminiscent of a fish, although not necessarily having any features particularly fish-like.

fishface = 2) a term of abuse, sometimes used affectionately. Refers to an open mouth like a gaping fish and a blank expression, indicative of lack of brain function.

fishfag = female fish monger.

fishfarm = an aquaculture facility.

fishfast = the observance of a fish day.

fishfeed = commercial fish food, often in pellet form and based on fish oil and fishmeal.

fishfence = any structure made of wood, brushwood, mats, etc. used to catch or direct fish into traps. These may be in the form of a net narrowed inward to prevent fish finding the entrance again, to elaborate labyrinths. The general base form is triangular or heart-shaped, with complex fencing and multiple base forms in a labyrinth.

fishfinder = 1) a sonar device or echo sounder used to locate fishes and determine water depth.

fishfinder = 2) a surf-fishing rig comprising a pyramid-shaped sinker running freely along the line; this allows the bait to be carried by the tide or run by a fish.

fishfinger = fish stick.

fishflake = a rack on which fish are dried, often of spruce boughs on a framework of poles in North America.

fishflakes = cooked haddock or cod flesh broken up into flakes and then canned.

fishflop = a somersault involving flipping feet in the air.

fishflour = a flour made of pulverised, dried fish parts.

fishfly = a large, soft-bodied insect found near streams with aquatic larvae called hellgramites used as fish bait (Corydalidae, Megaloptera).

fishfood = the food eaten by fishes, cf. fish-feed.

fishfork = 1) a large, short-handled fork used in unloading fish.

fishfork = 2) a 4-tined fork used in eating fish, larger than a salad fork.

fishfront = fish (9) a piece of timber used to strengthen a mast or spar when sprung, often somewhat fish-shaped).

fishfry = 1) an indoor or outdoor party where fish and seafoods are cooked and eaten.

fishfry = 2) fried fish.

fishfry = 3) fry or young fish.

fishfuddle tree = Florida fish-poison tree.

fishful = abounding with fish.

fishgaff = a long pole with a metal hook on the end, used to secure large fish caught on hook-and-line and haul them on board a vessel.

fishgarth = a dam or weir in a river for keeping or catching fish.

fishgate = a gate in the walls of ancient Jerusalem where the fisherman of Galilee would bring in their catch.

fishgig = 1) a pole with barbed prongs for striking fish. Loaded at the end with lead.

fishgig = 2) an arrangement of hooks dragged through the water to foul-hook fish.

fishglobe = a spherical glass container for keeping pet fish.

fishgorge = an old piece of fishing gear comprising a short piece of wood, bone, horn, flint or metal, variously shaped, but having sharp ends, usually a central attachment for the line, and embedded in bait. When the fish swims away, having swallowed the baited gorge, it lodges crosswise in the throat. Variants have line attached at one end and the other end pointed, a cross-shape that spreads open when the line is pulled, and the spring-gorge or spring-angle, q.v.

fishgrained split = a book binding of a sheepskin split, dyed and embossed with a gunpowder grain.

fishgrass = water shield or fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana), an aquatic plant of North America.

fishgravy = fish sauce, e.g. Thai fish sauce.

fishgription = the ability to hold a slippery fish long enough to take a photograph (slang).

Fishguard = a town in Wales named from the old Norse fiskigarðr meaning a fish catching enclosure.

fishguide = 1) any device used to direct fish to a certain place for capture or avoidance of danger, e.g. lights, bubbles, sound, electricity.

fishguide = 2) a professional fishing guide who directs the angler to spots where trophy fish can be found and advises on tackle to catch them. See also ghillie.

fishhawk = osprey (Pandion haliaetus).

fishhead = an apparatus for withdrawing the clacks of pumps through the column.

fishhold = an enclosed space on a vessel for storing fish; may be insulated and/or refrigerated.

fishhook card = the seven in the layout of the card game faro.

fishhood = the state or condition of fish (rarely used).

fishhook = 1) a bent piece of wire with its tip sharpened and often a barb below the tip used to catch fish. Available in many sizes and styles. May be single, double or treble but all these are counted as one hook in angling regulations. Hooks separated by stretches of line are counted as multiple hooks. See hook.

fishhook = 2) a large hook with a pendant to which the fish tackle is hooked in fishing an anchor.

fishhook = 3) a sharp broken strand in a wire.

fishhook cactus = cholla cactus (Opuntia spp.) or barrel cactus (Ferocactus wislezenii) of the American southwest with hooked spines.

fishhook displacement = a medical condition in humans where the stomach is displaced. The orifice of the pylorus faces directly upward and the duodenum runs upward and to the right to join the pylorus at an angle, producing a constricting hook. Asymptomatic.

fishhook flea = a crustacean (Cercopagis pengoi, Cladocera) from the Black and Caspian seas now introduced to North American lakes. Their tails are long, spiny and shaped like a fish hook and they hook themselves together, clogging fish nets and lines.

fishhook money = Persian larin money, scimitar-shaped.

fishhook wire = a wire of twisted strands with a piece of wire resembling a fish hook inserted at intervals.

fishhooked wire = fish-hook wire.

fishhooks = fingers (slang).

fishhooks in one's pocket = to be very cheap. From Samuel Mulford who sewed fish hooks in his pockets on a visit to London in the eighteenth century to avoid pickpockets.

fishhouse = 1) a building where fish are stored or processed.

fishhouse = 2) a restaurant serving or specialising in fish and seafood.

fishhouse = 3) a building from which fish are sold. Also called fishroom.

fishhouse = 4) fish top (a movable box-like structure to cover piled cod-fish. Also called fish room).

fishhouse punch = a punch made of rum and brandy and water or tea sweetened with sugar syrup. Developed at the Fish House Club, formed in 1732 by a group of anglers who fished for perch on the Schuylkill River.

fishibian = a non-scientific term for the sequence of fossils which elucidate the transition from fish to amphibian, e.g. the fishapod.

fishie = slang for a little fish.

fishier = comparative of fishy.

fishiest = superlative of fishy.

fishify = to change to fish (as with flesh).

fishily = in a fishy manner

fishiness = the state or quality of being fishy or fishlike.

fishing = 1) capturing of fish (and other aquatic animals) by any and all means for any and all purposes.

fishing = 2) the act of one who fishes.

fishing = 3) a place for catching fish.

fishing = 4) the right of taking fish.

fishing = 5) in rodeo, roping in such a way as to convert a near miss into a fair catch.

fishing = 6) to seek for an obliging or mercenary woman, as in go fishing.

fishing = 7) an heroic treatment tried by some laymen to avoid falling asleep in church on Sunday.

fishing access site = an area adjacent to a water body acquired to allow anglers access to the water.

fishing admiral = before Newfoundland was permanently settled, there was no resident governor. The first ship to enter harbour each spring had first choice of onshore facilities (fishing rooms) and its master became the "Admiral" for the rest of the season (the master of the second ship became Vice-Admiral, of the third Rear-Admiral). The fishing admirals maintained law and order and regulations in respect of the fishery. The system died out after the appointment of a governor in 1729.

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.

fishing area = a water body, part of a water body or a group of water bodies within a fishing region.

fishing bank = an area where the depth of water is relatively shallow and excellent for fishing, e.g. the Grand Banks off Newfoundland.

fishing bat = about 6 species of bats are known to catch fish such as the Mexican fishing bat (Myotis vivesi), the bulldog or greater fishing bat (Noctilio leporinus), and a flying fox (Pteropus) reputed to catch fish in the sea. They trail their enlarged feet through the surface water, hooking fish detected by echolocation of ripples with their sharp claws.

fishing bear = a bear of northeastern Eurasia that live mostly on fish (Ursus arctos beringianus).

fishing bed = a commercial fishing area on the sea floor.

fishing berth = a particular station on the Newfoundland fishing grounds assigned to or claimed by a vessel, a boat, a crew, or a family.

fishing boat = a vessel designed for fishing, often with a well to keep the fish alive.

fishing by foot = 1) fishing without gear; collecting fish by hand, e .g. stranded fish in tidepools. Practised even on a commercial level in France in the past.

fishing by foot = 2) using the feet to detect fish in sand, mud, spawning cavities and cocoons, to be grasped by hand or simple tools. Flatfishes are caught this way in East Friesia, tilapia from spawning holes in in Egypt, and on dry land the cocoons of lungfish can be located by stamping - the fish grunts and can the be found and dug out.

fishing capital = the capital used for harvesting fish, e.g. fishing vessels.

fishing capacity = 1) 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.

fishing capacity = 2) capital producing effort or catch.

fishing capacity = 3) the size and characteristics of individual fishing vessels.

fishing cat = a spotted wildcat living in swamps of southeast Asia (Felis viverrina) that feeds mostly on fish.

fishing chair = fighting chair.

fishing circle = the circumference of a trawl.

fishing club = fish club (2).

fishing community = a community heavily dependent on catching and/or processing fish.

fishing depth = the depth at which fish are caught.

fishing derby = a fishing competition with money and prizes for the best catches in North America.

fishing down = removal of older fish from a stock that has not been heavily fished. Catches are high initially but this cannot be sustained.

fishing down the food web = the shift in fishes sought commercially from long-lived, high trophic level, piscivorous bottom fish toward short-lived, low trophic level invertebrates and planktivorous pelagic fish. At first catches increase, but then become stagnating or declining. The removal of fish and invertebrates from lower trophic levels removes the food higher trophic level fishes need to reproduce and maintain their populations.

fishing duck = merganser (Mergus merganser).

fishing coefficient = rate of exploitation (the fraction, by number, of the fish in a population at a given time, which is caught and killed by man during the year immediately following (= FA/Z when fishing and mortality are concurrent). The term may also be applied to separate parts of the stock distinguished by size, sex, etc. Abbreviated as u or u (Ricker, 1975)).

fishing eagle = fish eagle.

fishing efficiency = the ratio of number of fish caught to the number present in the area fished.

fishing effort = 1) the total fishing gear in use for a specified period of time, expressed as trap hauls for example; when two or more kinds of gear are used, they must be adjusted to some standard type before being added. Successful adjustment should make effort proportional to fishing mortality rate (F), twice the effort giving double the F.

fishing effort = 2) effective fishing effort, abbreviated as f or f (Ricker, 1975).

fishing effort = 3) the amount of time and fishing power used to harvest fish. Fishing power includes gear size, boat size, electronic gear, and horsepower. May be expressed as days away from port, boat days, hours trawling, length of drift net, etc.

fishing effort = 4) a measure of resource use by anglers, e.g. number of angler hours, party hours, boat hours, trips on the water. Also called fishing pressure.

fishing establishment = the branch of a fish merchant in a coastal settlement, headquartered in St. John's, Newfoundland or Britain, in charge of taking and shipping the catch in exchange for supplies to the fishermen.

fishing expedition = 1) an extended fishing trip.

fishing expedition = 2) an investigation made with the hope of discovering information but without any clear evidence at hand when begun.

fishing exploitation = the combination of methods and activities which yield a catch with the use of different gear.

fishing fleet = 1) an aggregation of fishing vessels of a particular country or using a particular gear, e.g. a purse seine fleet, the West Country-Newfoundland migratory fishing fleet.

fishing fleet = 2) a group of women arriving en masse at a colony in search of husbands (archaic).

fishing float = a scow used in seining, movable between fishing grounds.

fishing for compliments = seeking praise.

fishing frog = an angler fish (Lophius piscatorius) of Europe, and related species.

fishing gear = the equipment used for fishing, e.g. gillnet, handline, hook and line, harpoon, seine, longline, midwater trawl, purse seine, rod-and-reel, traps, trawl, spears, etc. but not vessels.

fishing ground = an area in a water body where fish congregate and where fishing is good.

fishing height = the vertical opening of a trawl net.

fishing hole = 1) a favoured spot on a lake or in a river for fishing.

fishing hole = 2) a hole cut through the ice of a river or lake for fishing.

fishing industry = includes both recreational, subsistence and commercial fishing, and the harvesting, processing, and marketing sectors.

fishing intensity = 1) effective fishing effort.

fishing intensity = 2) fishing effort per unit area (must be proportional to fishing mortality through the relation F = q(f/A) where (f/A) is the fishing intensity and “q” the catchability coefficient).

fishing intensity = 3) effectiveness of fishing.

fishing jack = a schooner-rigged, decked vessel of from 5 to 24 tons.

fishing kit = a small packet of toiletries, including toothpaste, a toothbrush, soap and deodorant, that are issued to new prisoners in the Los Angeles County jail (prison slang).

fishing lead = a lead weight used in hook-and-line fishing to sink the bait rapidly to the appropriate depth.

fishing ledge = an elevated underwater feature frequented by cod (Newfoundland).

fishing light = one of several lights, legally required, that a vessel must show while fishing.

fishing light attractor = an underwater light used to attract fish including both bait and larger fish. These lights also produce heat, which helps in the attraction. Variously legal or not depending on jurisdiction. Also called green light or green fishing light from the colour emitted.

fishing line = a line with hooks used to catch fish. The line is usually a monofilament made from nylon, perlon or teflon but can be a braid.

fishing lodge = an establishment on a lake or river set up to serve anglers, offering accommodations, gear and guides, in North America.

fishing lure = a natural structure attractive to fish, e.g. the modified mantle of mussels or clams which resembles a small fish, and thus attracts a larger, predatory fish. The larval glochidia of the mussel can then attach to the predator as it tries to strike the lure.

fishing mortality = deaths or removal of fish from a population due to fishing. Usually expressed as the annual mortality, the percentage of fish dying in one year, or the instantaneous rate F, the percentage of fish dying at one time. F can range from 0 for no fishing to very high values such as 1.5 or 2, where 1.5 or 2 times as many fish have been caught as were present at the beginning of the fishing season (this is only possible with short-lived, fast growing species such as anchovies). Most mortality ends up in the catch but some fish are discarded and others are killed but not caught. Limiting the catch is used by fishery managers to control fishing mortality.

fishing mortality rate = the fraction of an initial stock which would be caught during the year (or season) if no other causes of mortality operated. Usually expressed as an instantaneous rate (the percentage of fish dying at any one time) and can reach 2.0 or higher. May be expressed as an annual rate (the percentage of fish dying in one year). Doubling the effort will double the catch but eventually increased effort drives down the stock's biomass. Abbreviated as F. Also called conditional fishing mortality rate.

fishing net = net (an open mesh structure formed by cords linked by knots (or other linking methods such as weaving) used for capturing or confining aquatic organisms like fishes).

fishing operation = the process of catching fish from travel to and from the fishing grounds, searching for fish and catching fish.

fishing owl = a fish-eating owl of the Old World genera Scotopelia, Bubo and Ketupa. Pel's fishing owl, Bubo peli, of Africa, is said to make the sound of "a lost soul falling into the bottomless pit".

fishing party = 1) a group of anglers, usually on a hired boat.

Fishing Party = 2) an environmentalist political party in Australia, with an emphasis on access rather than strict preservation. Motto:- I Fish and I Vote.

Fishing Party = 3) a Scottish political party formed mostly to protest quota cuts as a result of the European Union Single Fisheries Policy.

fishing pattern = 1) the way in which fishing operations are conducted.

fishing pattern = 2) distribution of fishing mortality among age groups.

fishing period = a time period of the fishing season related to catches of a given species and the gear used.

fishing pit = a deeper hole or sump in a fish pond where fish gather and can be caught.

fishing place = 1) a fishery.

fishing place = 2) a convenient place for fishing.

fishing place = 3) a place where fishes are caught with seines.

fishing place = 4) the exact locality on a fishing ground where the fish are caught.

fishing plantation = an area of foreshore and its buildings in Newfoundland set aside for the landing and curing of fish.

fishing pole = 1) fishing rod.

fishing pole = 2) an item, such as a rolled up newspaper, used to facilitate a "fishing line", a line used to pull items from one cell to another (prison slang).

fishing pond = a pond in which fish are kept or reared.

fishing post = fishing station.

fishing power = the catch which a particular gear or vessel takes from a given density of fish during a certain time interval. Larger vessels have a greater ability to catch more fish and thus have greater fishing power. Also, improvements in a vessel or gear, such as fish finders, Loran, etc., can increase fishing power. Depends on the area or volume affected by the gear, relative to the total area covered by the stock (a/A), the number of animals present in that area or volume relative to the total stock (n/N), and the proportion (p) of the animals present in that area or volume which can effectively be captured by the gear. If the stock (N) were randomly distributed in the distribution area (A), the proportion of the stock present in the sector affected by the gear (n/N) would be equal to (a/A) and the catch would be (pa/AN). p(a/A) will give a direct measure of fishing mortality.

fishing premises = the waterfront stores, sheds, wharf and other facilities belonging to a merchant in the Newfoundland cod fishery.

fishing pressure = 1) quantity of fish caught per hectare.

fishing pressure = 2) a measure of resource use by anglers, e.g. number of angler hours, party hours, boat hours, trips on the water. Also called fishing effort.

fishing pressure = 3) the effect of angling on a fish population.

fishing pump = used to catch fish attracted by lights, but not to transfer fish already caught.

fishing punt = an un-decked boat, 20-25 feet long, round-bottomed but keeled, propelled with oars or a sail, and used in the cod fishery in Newfoundland.

fishing rack = the unit on which tuna fishermen stand, a removable outboard platform.

fishing rate = the ratio between the number of fish caught and the number of fish in the stock.

fishing region = a large area where fishing occurs.

fishing regulations = measures to protect a species and its environment, e.g. banning fishing during the spawning period.

fishing right = a right to catch a specified quantity of fish, a proportion of the total allowable catch, to use a boat or any other specified fishing equipment, in a manner specified in a management plan or in fishery regulations.

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 varietsed for particular species. Originally made of wood (split cane), now madof fibreglass, graphite/fibreglass or kevlar

fishing rod = 2) a penis (slang).

fishing room = a lot on a beach used as a base by fishermen and where drying of the catch is carried out (Newfoundland).

fishing salt = a kind of coarse salt used to cure fish. Also called fishery salt.

fishing season = the time of year when certain fishes are caught with specific gear.

fishing shallop = a large, partly-decked boat used in the inshore cod and seal-fisheries of Newfoundland.

fishing skiff = a large undecked boat of up to thirty feet long, used to set and haul nets or traps in Newfoundland.

fishing smack = any of various fore-and-aft-rigged fishing vessels of rather large size, often containing a well to keep the catch alive. Used to collect fish from fishermen for shipment (Newfoundland).

fishing space = the space between the head and the base of a railroad rail for seating the fish plate, q.v.

fishing spider = spiders of the family Pisauridae able to run across water on the surface tension and some will go underwater to hunt prey such as small fishes.

fishing spread = the horizontal opening of a trawl net (rather than its vertical height).

fishing stage = a shed near the shore or built out over the water for landing, cleaning, salting and storing fish in Newfoundland. It contained a splitting table, tools, fishing gear, etc.

fishing stake = a pole used to support a stake net, q.v.

fishing stamp = a government form in Newfoundland issued by a fish-dealer recording amount of unemployment benefits due to a fisherman.

fishing stand = fishing station.

fishing station = a small sheltered cove or harbour from which seasonal fishing operations were conducted in Newfoundland. Fishing rooms were set up there. See also fishing stand and fishing post.

fishing success = catch per unit effort (catch in numbers or weight taken for a given amount of fishing effort expressed as a ratio; the more recent form is catch/effort (C/f). Also called availability).

fishing tackle = the equipment used to catch fish, usually that used by anglers. Also called tackle.

fishing taum = an angling line (archaic).

fishing time = 1) time spent at sea fishing productively.

fishing time = 2) the actual time of day, month or year spent fishing.

fishing to hand = in angling, using a pole with the rig of the same length so fish can be swung in or netted without needing to dismantle sections of the pole.

fishing tool = a device for removing objects from inaccessible places.

fishing tow = an angling rod and line (Norfolk dialect).

fishing trip = 1) a vacation involving sport fishing.

fishing trip = 2) a batter in baseball who swings at a pitch outside the strike zone. Also called going fishing.

fishing tube = a glass tube used to select microscopic objects in a fluid; nothing to do with fish.

fishing twine = cord used to make fish nets.

fishing unit = the gear, processes and people that together can fish autonomously.

fishing vessel = a boat, ship or other craft that is equipped and used for fishing or in support of such activity with a capacity of 5 net tons or more.

fishing voyage = a period of fishing or the fishing enterprise (Newfoundland).

fishing wand = fishing rod (Scottish).

fishing waters = waters used for angling or commercial fishing.

fishing with feet = locating fish by shuffling through bottom sediments with the feet and then seizing them by hand.

fishing with otters = using trained otters to scare fish into a net or towards a fisherman, or even to retrieve fish.

fishing worm = an earthworm used as bait in angling. Also called fishworm.

fishing zone = a zone of variable width (up to 200-nautical-miles) proclaimed by a coastal State around its coast, within which it controls domestic and foreign access to fish resources.

fishing- = as with fish a prefix-like word which may have entries or terms that may be found under the second word.

fishing-taum = an angling line (archaic).

fishings = a fishery.

fishjoint = 1) a joint formed by fitting a wedge into a v-slot or a w-slot.

fishjoint = 2) a joint where two abutting units are held together by a fish plate, q.v.

fishkeeper = may mean either pondkeeper, q.v., or aquarist q.v.

fishkeeper's granuloma = an infection in humans with the bacteria causing fish tuberculosis (a Mycobacterium, but not the same as the one causing human tuberculosis). It is probably the only zoonosis of note to aquarists. It appears as a skin infection, usually on the hands or forearms where there was an earlier cut, and may be inflamed, suppurating, encrusting and irritated. Not usually serious unless the infected individual is already immuno-suppressed. Treatment requires antibiotics. Also called fishtank granuloma.

fishkettle = a long kettle for boiling fish whole, often with a removable grid so the fish can be removed in one piece without it falling apart.

fishkill = a die off of fishes within a relatively short period due to the onset of man-caused or, more rarely, natural factors, e.g. pesticide related mortalities, red tides, drought. See also winterkill and summerkill.

fishkiller = an aquatic insect of the family Belostomatidae, e.g. Lethocercus americanus, which feeds on small fishes.

fishkiller tree = a member of the brazil nut family, Lecythidaceae, Barringtonia asiatica, containing saponins in the leaves which are ground and thrown into water to paralyse fish.

fishkini = a bikini made of tilapia fish skin (Thailand).

fishknife = 1) a small knife with an ornamental upper edge used in eating fish along with a fork.

fishknife = 2) a large knife with an ornamental upper edge and a broad blade used in serving fish with a large fork.

fishladder = a series of steps with flowing water and pools enabling a fish to circumvent an obstruction such as a dam or waterfall by leaping from step to step. Also called fishway, fish pass.

fishlaid = split veneer used for filling in the manufacture of plywood.

fishlead = a type of sounding lead used without being removed from the water between soundings.

fishlet = a very small fish (rare).

fishless = having no fish, a deplorable state.

fishless cycling = a method of maturing (or cycling) a new biological filter using chemical means rather than adding fish. The process involves stimulating growth of beneficial bacteria on the filter using a pollutant as an energy source for the bacteria and then waiting weeks for the bacterial colony to reach full size.

fishlice (singular louse) = parasitic crustaceans on marine and freshwater fishes. The common ectoparasite is Argulus (Branchiura) which can move around on its host, causing several wounds. May result in lethargy, loss of appetite, anaemia through blood loss, osmotic stress and secondary infections. The effects of irritation are restlessness, darting, jumping, scratching and overproduction of mucus. Various chemical treatments of aquarium water will remove the parasite although they are often large enough to be picked off with tweezers as long as a topical antiseptic is applied to the wound site.

fishlift = fish way.

fishlike = like fish, suggestive of fish; having some of the qualities of fish.

fishlike = like fish, suggestive of fish; having some of the qualities of fish.

fishline = a line made of twisted hair, silk, monofilaments or other material used in angling.

fishling = a small or young fish (rare).

fishlip = to slobber on the end of a marijuana cigarette.

fishlock = a fish weir, in the sense of a dam forming a retaining reservoir harbouring fishes.

fishlopaedia = an encylcopaedia of fishes, a contrived word.

fishlore = study of fishes; ichthyology.

fishlouse = any crustacean parasitic on fishes. Often refers to Argulus (Branchiura) found on the skin and occasionally the buccal cavity. Causes ulcers at the attachment point.

fishly = like fish, fishily.

FishMac = Filet-O-Fish.

fishmagnet = a moveable electrode used to bring up a school of fish that normally is too deep for a purse seine to catch.

fishman = 1) a person cleaning fish as food.

fishman = 2) a seller of fish.

fishman = 3) a fisherman.

fishman = 4) a student of ichthyology.

fishmanure = dried and powdered fish used as fertiliser in fish ponds to enhance productivity.

fishmarket = 1) any area selling fish but usually refers to a large covered establishment with diverse products.

fishmarket = 2) the lowest hole at bagatelle.

fishmeal = dried fish or fish waste used as fertilizer, animal food or ground fine for use in soups. May be defatted, and is powdered or granular in form.

fishmeter = an officer of the Fishmongers Company.

fishmill = a circularly swimming mass of fishes, usually formed only by obligate schoolers.

fishmint = aquatic or moist-growing mints (Mentha aquatica and M. longifolia).

fishmonger = a dealer in or seller of fish.

fishmite = a parasite infesting salt fish.

FISHmode = FISH queue.

fishmold = a water mold growing on fish (saprolegniasis, a fungal infection from Saprolegnia and Achlya, usually a secondary infection after skin damage or scale loss but also affecting eggs in hatcheries).

fishmonger = 1) a dealer in or seller of fish.

fishmonger = 2) a bawd, presumably a corruption of flesh monger, dating from the mid-sixteenth century.

fishmonger = 3) a pimp (slang since the 1500s).

fishmonger = 4) a lecher or whoremonger (1800s Britain).

fishmonger's daughter = a whore; slang from late sixteenth century.

Fishmongers Company = Worshipful Company of Fishmongers (a livery company (trade association) of the City of London with a royal charter dating back to the thirteenth century. It had a monopoly over sale of fish in the City and now inspects all fish sold).

fishmouth = 1) turtlehead, a perennial North American herb (Chelone glabra).

fishmouth = 2) an opening at the exposed edge of a roofing ply sheet where the asphalt bond is lacking or the felt is wrinkled.

fishmouth incision = a wide and horizontal incision made on the tip of the finger to drain an abscess.

fishmouth meatus = a medical condition in humans; a red and swollen and everted condition of the orifice of the urethra (meatus) in the first stage of acute gonorrhea.

fishmouth stenosis = an extreme medical condition in humans describing the narrowing and ineffective opening of the mitral valve of the heart.

fishnet = 1) any net used to catch fishes.

fishnet = 2) any material having the open mesh pattern of a fishnet, e.g. women's stockings.

FISHnet = 3) nothing to do with fish; computer slang for "first in, still here" referring to slowed or stopped processes, in this case on a network.

fishnet = 4) the shape of the city of Wung-chun, China, laid out in this shape to be viewed from above. See also carp.

fishnet = 5)code name for Bismarck, Admiralty and north New Guinea operations in World War II.

fishnet buoy = a buoy marking the limit of fish net.

fisho = 1) a person who fishes.

fisho = 2) a street vendor selling fish.

fisho = 3) a fishmonger.

Fisho = 4) a Malaysian business and franchise which uses doctor fish (q.v.) to clean dead skin from humans.

fishocracy = used in reference to merchants in St. John's, Newfoundland, mostly in the 1910s and 1930s, but still used to denigrate a merchant group whose scheming was believed to hinder development of the fishery.

fishoil = any oil obtained from fishes, usually from the liver, but in fatty fishes from the body, or from fish wastes. Used in fish feeds, edible fats, soaps, paints, leather work and making linoleum.

fishout = 1) exhaustion of the fish supply in a water body; to denude an area of fish.

fishout = 2) to remove an object from a receptacle or from water.

fishpass = 1) fish passage facility.

fishpass = 2) a cut dredged through a barrier island allowing tidal flushing and movement of fish.

fishpaste = fish mixed with salt and ground to a fine consistency with or without added fat, spices and other seasonings. Should contain 70% or more fish. Used as a sandwich spread.

fishpearl = a glass bead coated with essence d'Orient, q.v., to make an artificial pearl.

fishpen = an enclosure in the water for aquaculture made of netting on a frame; it serves to keep desired fish in and unwanted species out.

fishpest = any deadly epidemic disease of fishes.

fishpie = fish, minced and baked with potatoes, and sometimes mixed with vegetables, in a pastry.

fishpiece = fish (9) a piece of timber used to strengthen a mast or spar when sprung, often somewhat fish-shaped).

fishpier = a pier for fishing boats to tie up at.

fishplate = 1) one of the plates of a fish joint, q.v. Strengthens a joint by overlapping, e.g. a flat piece of metal connecting railway rails to the ties or connecting pieces of masonry.

fishplate = 2) the perforated drainage grid of a fish kettle, q.v.

fishpole = fishing rod.

fishpond = 1) a freshwater pond in which fish are kept.

fishpond = 2) an enclosed or gated coastal body of water used in aquaculture, e.g. in Hawaii for milkfish and bonefish. Fish enter on tides, through a gate or are stocked.

fishpond = 3) the sea (jocular).

fishpond = 4) a depression in a card table where fish-shaped counters are kept.

fishpond = 5) an attraction at a fair where miniature fishing gear is used to hook fish-shaped tokens from a small pool to win prizes.

fishpond = 6) the female genitalia (U.S. slang, mid-1900s).

fishpool = fishpond, a pool containing fish.

fishpot = 1) a portable cage-like trap which fish enter through a small opening and from which they cannot readily escape because of the funnel shape. May be baited or not, made of various materials, of various sizes and shapes, and of various local names from country of use or species of capture, e.g. eel pot, Scottish creel. Used to catch crabs, lobsters and occasionally fishes.

fishpot = 2) a junk fishing boat.

fishpot = 3) NATO code name for a Soviet SU-9 jet fighter.

fishpound = a net or fence set in streams or along the coast to direct fish into a holding container for easy removal. Also called trap net or setnet.

fishpox = 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).

fishrake = a set of hooks attached to a structure such as an iron bar up to 8 metres wide towed behind a boat and impaling any fish encountered.

fishrange = a place for catching and drying fish.

fishroom = 1) fish hold (an enclosed space on a vessel for storing fish; may be insulated and/or refrigerated).

fishroom = 2) a piece of land by the shore from which a fishery was conducted in Newfoundland.

fishroom = 3) the stages. q.v., flakes, q.v., stores, crew and family housing, and other facilities where a fish catch was landed and processed in Newfoundland.

fishroom = 4) a small building for storing dried and salted cod in Newfoundland.

fishroom = 5) fish top (a movable box-like structure to cover piled cod-fish. Also called fish house).

fishrope = fish fall.

fishrun = a group of fish migrating up a river, usually for spawning.

fishsan = fish sandwich.

fishscale = 1) any pattern or design resembling fish scales. See fish scales.

fishscale = 2) a fish's scale.

fishscale = 3) slang for uncut cocaine.

fishscale disease = ichthyosis (a congenital skin disease in humans where the epidermis becomes hard, rough and scaly. Also called fishskin disease).

fishscale gallbladder = a gallbladder with a fish scale-like appearance due to multiple small cysts of the mucosa.

fishscale tile = a tile shaped like a fish's scale.

fishscales = 1) a grain pattern in leather resembling the scales of a fish. Once used by bookbinders who wanted a leather giving the effect of being blind tooled.

fishscales = 2) a scale pattern on the bottom of waxless skis which helps prevent the skis from sliding backwards.

fishscope = the cathode ray tube element of a fish finder.

fishscrap = fish remains after oil has been extracted; often used as fertiliser. Also called fish pomace, fish waste.

fishscreen = 1) a screen across a body of water or structure, e.g. the turbine intake of a dam, designed to divert the fish into a bypass system.

fishscreen = 2) a grating or mesh positioned in a river to strain fish from the water. Fences or netting direct fish onto the screen where they run aground while the water drains through the mesh.

fishscrew = a device for pressing dried cod into a cask or barrel.

fishseed = 1) fertilised eggs, fry or fingerlings used for growing in aquaculture facility or for stocking grow-out areas.

fishseed = 2) kokkel-seed or lice-seed, the fruit of Anamirta cocolus a creeping shrub of Asia. Contains pikrotxin used in small pellets of dough thrown in the water to stupefy fish eating them.

fishshed = fish house (Maritime Canada).

fishskin = 1) the skin of a fish.

fishskin = 2) a condom.

fishskin = 3) a dollar bill.

fishskin disease = ichthyosis (a congenital skin disease in humans where the epidermis becomes hard, rough and scaly. Also called fish-scale disease).

fishskin grain = a grain in leather resembling fish skin.

fishskinner = a ridged roller to remove fish skin and scales. There are small hand-operated models for sport fishermen and hand-operated or powered models for skinning fish on a commercial scale (no pun intended).

fishslice = 1) a broad knife for lifting and dividing or carving fish at a table.

fishslice = 2) an implement used by cooks for turning fish in a pan.

fishslide = an inclined structure of box-like shape set in a stream at a ripple or small waterfall to catch descending fish.

fishspear = 1) a spear with 3-5 prongs on the end in various arrangements used to capture fish.

fishspear = 2) a trident with barbs or flukes is the symbol for the staff of Greek Poseidon or Roman Neptune, gods of the sea.

fishspinner = a hurricane, cyclone or typhoon.

fishstake = one of a series of poles or stakes place din shallow water to outline fishing areas.

fishsteak = a cross-section slice of a large, dressed fish.

fishstew = a small pond where fish are kept for eating, now obsolete. Also called vivarium.

fishstick = 1) fish marketed in the form of rectangular sticks cut from a block of frozen fish fillets, breaded, fried in fat, or sold frozen for cooking. See also goujonettes de sole and fish finger.

fishstick = 2) a fish spear with a single point.

fishstock = 1) a distinct genetic population, a population defined by movement pattern, part of a population potentially harvestable, or a quantity of fish from a given area; usually isolated from other stocks of the same species and so self-sustaining. May be a total or a spawning stock.

fishstock = 2) used for steaming fish; made of lightly salted cold water, bones and trimmings of fish, seasonings, simmered for half an hour, strained when almost cold and a little white wine or vinegar added.

fishstore = 1) a store selling fish.

fishstore = 2) a building where dried cod from the offshore fishery is stored for collection or export (eastern Canada). Also used to store gear in winter and spring and as a place to mend nets.

fishstove = fish stew.

fishtackle = 1) wire tackle for emptying the cod end of a trawl, stronger than gilson tackle.

fishtackle = 2) equipment to raise the flukes of an anchor to the gunwale. Also called fish block.

fishtail = 1) the tail or caudal fin of a fish.

fishtail = 2) any device shaped like a fish tail.

fishtail = 3) the uncontrolled movement of the rear end of a vehicle, e.g. on snow or ice.

fishtail = 4) to swing the tail of an aeroplane from side to side in order to reduce speed.

fishtail = 5) an arrow wobbling in flight.

fishtail = 6) a turning ballroom step.

fishtail = 7) code name for Gig, New Guinea operations in World War II.

fishtail bit = a drilling bit shaped like a fish's tail.

fishtail burner = a type of gas burner, having two openings in the top, from which the jets of gas issue and form a flat flame, the plane of which is at right angles to that of the openings.

fishtail cutter = a cutter for milling slots and keyways.

fishtail dress = a type of dress that has a section that is closely gathered or pleated and then flares out.

fishtail skirt = a type of skirt that has a section that is closely gathered or pleated and then flares out.

fishtail lawyer cane = a palm of the Arecaceae family, Calamus caryotoides from northern Queensland.

fishtail palm = a palm of the Arecaceae family in the genus Caryota from tropical Asia.

fishtail point = a fluted and stemmed, fishlike stone tool from South America dating to 11,000-8000 B.C.

fishtail propeller = a propeller with a single blade that oscillates like the tail off fish when swimming.

fishtail wind = a variable wind that blows across shooting ranges.

fishtank = 1) a fish or water holding structure of varying size and construction material, from an aquarium to a large outdoor pond.

fishtank = 2) in a museum, a large, often rectangular container for storing fluid-preserved specimens. Usually of stainless steel as wood and plastic containers eventually deteriorate.

fishtank = 3) a cabinet of microfiches.

fishtank granuloma = fishkeeper's granuloma.

fishtape = flexible, flat metal wire used to pull other wires through conduits or wall spaces.

Fishtar = critic's name for "Waterworld", a 1995 post-apocalyptic science fiction movie starring Kevin Costner, in reference to another flop "Ishtar".

fishtongue = 1) long-handled tongues used for catching fish or for holding slippery or dangerous fish such as moray eels.

fishtongue = 2) a device for removing wisdom teeth, named for its shape.

fishtongue = 3) a commercial product, often marketed with fish cheeks, fresh, frozen or cured.

fishtop = a movable box-like structure to cover piled cod-fish. Also called fish house and fish room.

fishtorpedo = a torpedo resembling a fish in shape.

fishtrack = fossilised remnants of fish moving over the bottom; traces of pectoral and other fins. Also called ichthyopatolites.

fishtrap = a spring-loaded trap made of netting on a frame that closes over a fish. The two rectangular halves of the trap are spread apart from the central spring mechanism. The fish is attracted by bait or a dummy fish that the fish sought tries to fight, e.g. a wooden male salmon painted in spawning colours. See also shutter trap.

fishtrap boat = herring weir seine boat (an open boat about 28 feet long with an inboard motor. Has three man crew and is used to tend herring seines, traps and weirs).

fishtrowel = 1) a fish slice or fish carver having a trowel shape.

fishtrowel = 2) a gardener's tool shaped like a scoop.

fishtrowel = 3) a tool used for smoothing a mold.

fishvan = 1) a light spring-cart for carrying fish.

fishvan = 2) a railway truck dedicated to fish transport.

fishwarden = an official who enforces game laws relating to fish.

fishwaste = 1) fish that are caught but do not have market value as food, fish parts as a by-product of the production process. May be used for fish meal, fish oil, pet food, hatchery food, animal food, and other byproducts.

fishwaste = 2) fish remains after oil has been extracted; often used as fertiliser. Also called fish pomace, fish scrap.

fishway = fish ladder.

fishweed = pondweed (Potamogeton).

fishwheel = a series of lift nets on a wheel frame that is rotated by the river current, catching migrating fish and dumping them through a chute into a basket.

fishwich = fish sandwich.

fishwife = 1) a woman who sells fish.

fishwife = 2) a foul-mouthed coarse, abusive woman.

fish wife = 3) the female wife or consort of a homosexual male (U.S. slang, mid-1900s onward).

fishwoman = a woman who retails fish. Also a fishwife.

fishwood = 1) Jamaican dogwood or Florida fish-poison tree (Piscidia piscipula (Fabacaea, pea family), also called fishfuddle tree. Not a member of the dogwood family. Seminoles in Florida used a powder made from its roots, bark, and leaves to stun fish. See also fish poison tree.

fishwood = 2) Euonymus americana (Celastraceae) or strawberry bush of eastern North America.

fishworm = 1) a parasitic worm of fishes.

fishworm = 2) an earthworm used as bait in angling. Also called fishing worm.

fishy = 1) related to or like fish, of fish, fishlike; having the qualities or taste of fish.

fishy = 2) abounding in fish.

fishy = 3) consisting of fish, produced from fish.

fishy = 4) extravagant, like some stories about catching fish, improbable.

fishy = 5) rank or foul.

fishy = 6) doubtful, dubious, unconvincing, questionable, suspect, seedy, effete, indisposed.

fishy = 7) dull or vacant looking eye.

fishy = 8) lacking warmth or passion.

fishy = 9) of questionable character.

fishy = 10) morally or financially dubious.

fishy = 11) intoxicated with alcohol.

fishy = 12) a little fish. Also spelled fishie.

fishy about the gills = appearing recently drunk (Cockney).

fishy bee = a bluebottle fly (Scottish dialect).

fishy eye = a glazed eye.

fishy flee = a bluebottle fly (Scottish dialect).

fishy pea = fish pea.

fishyback = the movement of freight containers by water (in counterpoint to piggyback).

fissura (plural fissuræ) = fissure.

fissuræ = plural of fissura.

fissure = 1) any groove, notch or furrow in a bone.

fissure = 2) a deep and narrow depression cutting across a reef front.

fit = 1) fit-out.

fit = 2) making netting into net or trap (Newfoundland).

fit-out = clothing and gear for a commercial fishing expedition (Newfoundland).

five-leg = a net mesh made with five sides by mistake (Newfoundland).

fixation = 1) in taxonomy, a general term for the determination of species, whether by designation (original or subsequent), or by indication, q.v. fixation by elimination is the supposed fixation of a type species by the subsequent transfer of all but one of the originally included nominal species from a genus, not in itself an available method of type fixation.

fixation = 2) the process of preserving tissues of a specimen from decay by coagulating the proteins and destroying bacteria that would cause decomposition; usually formalin (q.v.) is used with fishes.

fixation by elimination = the supposed fixation of a type species by the subsequent transfer of all but one of the originally included nominal species from a genus. Not in itself an available method of type fixation.

fixative = the chemical used in fixation (2).

fixed = 1) act of making a type fixation.

fixed = 2) the condition of specimens preserved against decay; see above for both.

fixed gear = any net or trap anchored or buoyed in a stationary position.

fixed gillnet = a gillnet fixed on stakes in coastal waters, the fish being collected at low tide.

fixed paternoster = an angling rig comprising a weight or feeder attached to a 15-30 cm length of line (the link) which is itself tied to the main line above the hooklength. Used in match fishing and general coarse fishing.

fixed-spool reel = the commonest form of reel used in angling. A bail arm winds the line onto the spool which does not move. Folding the bail arm back enables the line to be cast off the spool.

fjord = fiord.

FL = abbreviation for fork length.

fl oz = abbreviation for fluid ounce.

fl oz_BI = abbreviation for Imperial fluid ounce (28.413 millilitres or cm³).

fl. = abbreviation for floriat, Latin for flourished, referring to the period of greatest success and diversity of a taxon.

fl. = fl.

flaag = flag (2).

flabellate = fan-shaped.

flabelliform = fan-shaped.

flacket = faggot.

flag = 1) refers to the state in which a vessel is registered.

flag = 2) a shoal of fish (Shetland Isles dialect). Also spelled flaag.

flag = 3) a flag flown from a sport fishing boat to indicate to observers on shore that a significant catch of that species had been made. Usually a coloured drawing of the fish species.

flag line = a drift line for tuna with each float bearing a flag.

flag side = the flesh side of a split haddock as opposed to the skin side with the backbone (Scottish dialect).

flag state = the state under whose laws a fishing vessel is licensed or registered.

flagship species = a highly recognisable species that serves to focus attention on a particular place in relation to habitat conservation. The species can be an endemic, significant in an evolutionary or ecological sense, or even just attractive to humans aesthetically, in sport or in history.

flake = 1) an outdoor platform or rack for drying fish, often of spruce boughs on a framework of poles in North America. The boughs stopped the fish from being "burned" by the wooden frame or longers. Some fish were laid directly on beach rocks, a bawn. See also hand flake.

flake = 2) commercial name for dogfish (Squalus acanthias) in Britain; used as more appetising than the real name. Also used in Australia for several small shark species used in fish and chips such as the gummy shark, Mustelus antarcticus.

flake = 3) a dried food for aquarium fishes of various composition and designed for a wide variety of aquarium species or specific feeding types of fish. See also TetraMin.

flake = 4) commercially, a mixture of particles of fish in which the muscle structure is retained.

flake = 5) one of a series of myomeres (q.v.) that separate when cooked.

flake = 6) cooked haddock or cod flesh broken up into flakes and then canned.

flake bough = a branch of a spruce or fir tree spread on the flake (q.v.) to allow air to circulate and help dry the fish.

flake room = space near the shore for building flakes.

flaked cod = fibred cod.

flakes = cooked haddock or cod flesh broken up into flakes and then canned.

flank = the side of a fish.

flap = nape (the thickest part of a fish fillet, just behind the head on each side of the backbone).

flapper = a loose piece of netting arranged as a valve to prevent escape of fish from the cod-end of a trawl.

flaring = a behaviour of fish in which the opercula and fins are extended fully, e.g. Betta splendens males in response to other males (or a mirror).

flash = 1) a small pond in marshy area (Newfoundland).

flash = 2) to increase the flow of water in a river or channel.

flash = 3) a large, shallow, open body of water (England).

flash flood = a flood caused by heavy rainfall not absorbed by the land; often destructive of fish and fish habitats.

flash freezing = very rapid freezing of small pieces of fish. Also called snap freezing.

flashabou = a commercial name for colourful synthetic material used in fly tying to add flash to streamers (q.v.) and other patterns.

flasher = 1) a bright, reflective piece of metal attractive to fish and used by trollers.

flasher = 2) a sonar system used in ice fishing to give depth information and to indicate presence of fish.

flashet = flash (1).

flashing = a quick, half-spin movement when the fish rubs itself against a surface, e.g. tank base or cage side, the flash being caused by the light reflecting off the flank or abdomen of the fish. Fish typically exhibit flashing when their skin is irritated by ecto-parasites.

flasket = a wicker basket in which fish are packed.

flat = 1) a sand- , grass- or mud-bottomed area of uniform, shallow depth in fresh or marine waters, mostly exposed at low tide in the sea. May be some distance from shore. Fish may come up from neighbouring deep areas to feed on flats or it may be a habitat for certain species such as bonefish.

flat = 2) lightweight, flat bottomed, square end and dory-like boat used in shallow brooks and easily portaged (Newfoundland).

flat punt = flatboat.

Flat River syndrome = a mile wide and six inches deep, said of some theories.

flatboat = a boat with a flat bottom used on calm waters such as a pond.

flatfish = 1) a dullard (slang, based on flat meaning stupid and fish meaning something to hook or catch).

flatfish = 2) any member of the laterally compressed fishes of the order Pleuronectiformes, which lie flat on the seabed. There are about 678 species in 14 families, the vast majority marine.

flattened = strongly depresscd with the long axis in the horizontal plane, cf. compressed.

flavobacteriosis = a bacterial disease of freshwater and marine fishes caused by Flavobacterium spp., occurring sporadically in acute to systemic forms. A particular problem for the aquarium hobbyist. Infected fish become pale and emaciated, and white nodules develop in the brain and viscera (and may become mineralised).

flaw = a segment of fish flesh.

Fleckhering = herring split down the back like kippered herring, and hot-smoked (Germany).

fleet = 1) a group of vessels directed towards a specific fishery.

fleet = 2) rows of herring drift gill nets, or any nets strung together.

fleet = 3) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for bass.

fleet = 4) a single line with one hundred hooks attached at intervals used in fishing for cod (Newfoundland).

fleet = 5) a piece of the belly of a fish, especially that of a mackerel, cut into the shape of a fish for use as bait (Scottish dialect).

fleet fly line = a line with 12-20 hooks used for mackerel or young saithe (Scottish dialect).

fleet line = a line where the hook floats mid-way between the surface and bottom, and is carried clear of the anchored boat by the current (Scottish dialect).

fleet separation = processing plants are not allotted quotas, only boats, so that large companies do not monopolise the fishery.

fleet statistics = data on the fishing fleet used to measure and monitor fishing capacity.

fleeting = 1) the system of organising trawlers to work in a fleet, boarding the fish every day.

fleeting = 2) setting and securing a net from a boat but allowing it to drift with the current, thus covering more ground than in a single haul.

Flemish eye = a loosely-tied knot used by anglers to attach hooks to multi-strand wire, the looseness taking the pressure off the crimping sleeve that attaches the end of the wire back to the main line. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

flesh fin = 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).

fleshy appendage = 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).

fletch = 1) one of four longitudinal portions cut from a halibut parallel to the backbone. Also called flitch.

fletch = 2) a boneless fillet from swordfish or tuna.

flew = a type of fishing net set on poles (Sussex dialect).

flewer = type of fishing boat of 8-20 tons used in the herring fish with flew nets (Sussex dialect).

flexible inputs = inputs to the production process, i.e., harvesting fish, that can be substituted for or by other inputs.

flexion = 1) one of three substages in the larval stage of fishes (the others being preflexion and postflexion, q.v.). The notochord begins to bend upwards as fin rays supports develop below the notochord. There is rapid fin ray development, change in body shape, ability to move and a change in feeding method.

flexion = 2) bending or closing of a joint.

flexure = a bending, e.g. of the vertebral column, found in both wild and cultivated fishes.

flick-tip = in angling, a flexible and shock-absorbing tip section on a long pole used in place of an elastic (q.v.) when fishing to hand (q.v.). A small plastic connector attaches the float rig.

flicker = a lead weight incorporated into a hook, used when fishing with a hand-line for cod near the surface of the water. When a fish was caught, it was flicked into the boat, hence the name (Newfoundland).

F_lim = limit fishing mortality, a value above which fishing should be avoided. See also precautionary approach, F_pa, B_pa and B_lim.

flip cast = flipping.

flipper = a flat limb without digits evolved for movement through water. This covers the fish fin too but the term is usually applied to mammals and turtles.

flipping = an underhand cast using a pendulum motion with a long rod to drop rather than cast sinking lures to fish in heavy cover.

flipping rod = flipping stick.

flipping stick = a telescopic, heavy fishing rod designed for flipping, usually about 2 m long, with a long butt, and a trigger reel seat. Also called flipping rod.

flit = fleet (5).

flitch = fletch.

float = 1) a cork, wood, glass, metal or plastic structure used to support or mark the position of a net. See also bombarda and glass float.

float = 2) a plastic, cork or wood device 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 float. Usually painted distinctively, e.g. fluorescent colours, particularly at the tip. Floats are attached to the fishing line through small holes at the bottom of the float or by means of silicone tubes slipped over the float with the line trapped between the tube and float. Split shot or some other weight is attached to the line below the float so that the line sinks and the float achieves a suitable level above the water and is sensitive to bites. Bites may be evidenced by the float zooming underwater, by wiggling movements, by a slight rise as a fish picks up bait off the bottom, and other subtle movements. Strikes can be made immediately the float moves or delayed to give the fish time to take in the bait - this varies with bait type, species of fish and sophistication of the individual fish. Immense number of types and materials used, some with carbon fibre stems and tips or heavy and stable lignum stems. Also called bobber in North America or waggler in Britain.

float = 3) 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).

float = 4) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for tunas.

float = 5) confusingly, a flicker.

float = 6) the swimbladder of a cod (Newfoundland).

float adaptor = a device allowing float changes without removing weights and hooks from the line. It is a small flexible sleeve of eyed rubber tubing that attaches the float to the line.

float drove = fishing for herring by means of nets supported by floats.

float fishing = 1) using a cork, wooden or plastic device to support the line, weights and bait, suspending them at adjustable depths.

float fishing = 2) traversing a river by watercraft while fishing; usually the boat drifts while the angler casts. A float-fishing trip may last for several days.

float legering = use of a float with a running leger such that a bait is fished on the bottom,

float line = 1) the upper line of a net with wood, cork or plastic floats, keeping that part of the net on the surface, cf. lead line.

float line = 2) the line used with a flicker.

float raip = the cork or float rope in a herring net.

float rod = a rod designed for float fishing. Common in Europe and much longer than most rods in North America at 4 m or more and used with much lighter tackle.

float rubber = a hollow sleeve of rubber or silicone which is slipped onto a float and through which the main line slides. The float can then be adjusted to fish at different depths.

float stop = a knot used in angling to stop a free running float on the main line from sliding further up that line. It allows the main line to travel freely through the guides. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

float tube = a device allowing an angler to float in lakes and slow rivers. Comprises an air-filled tube with a seat and back rest, the legs dangling and equipped with fins able to propel the tube.

floatant = an oily substance used to help flies and fly lines float. May be a liquid, paste or dry crystals.

floater = 1) fish hauled rapidly to the surface such that their air bladders expand and prevent them swimming back down if released.

floater = 2) a floating bait used by anglers, such as dog biscuits.

floater = 3) a flyfishing line designed to float on the surface of the water.

floater = 4) float.

floater = 5) a Newfoundland fisherman taking cod along the Labrador coast on schooners using traps rather than jigs.

floater fish = refers to cod caught off Labrador and shipped in salt to be further processed in Newfoundland.

floater fishery = a seasonal, small-schooner, mobile cod-fishery based in Labrador waters which used mostly cod traps. It was prosecuted by Newfoundland crews who remained aboard their schooners all summer, following fish from place to place. The crews generally brought their heavy salted catch back to Newfoundland to have it dried in the fall.

floater fleet = the ships and men engaged in the floater fishery.

floater trader = an itinerant buyer of cod who deals with the migratory schooner fishermen (Newfoundland).

floater-diver = a plug that floats when not being retrieved but runs below the surface when retrieved.

floating bottom line = a line with floats that fishes just off the bottom.

floating cage = a cage that has buoyancy supports used in fish culture.

floating dock = a dock for boats which is connected to vertical poles, allowing for the rise and fall of tides.

floating feed = feed pellets in aquaculture formed by an extrusion process and designed to float for extended periods.

floating fish box = a cage for holding fish, equipped with floats so it is suspended in the water.

floating gill net = a gill net anchored to the sea bed or attached to a boat or other structure but positioned in midwater or near the surface.

floating jig head = a jig with buoyant material used to suspend live bait off the bottom.

floating long line = a suspended line with hundreds of coarse hooks forming a curtain which snag any fish trying to swim through it, e.g. migrating sturgeon.

floating mop = a tightly tied mass of synthetic yarn in various configurations with cork or styrofoam used as a spawning medium in aquaria for fish that normally lay eggs on vegetation. The floating mop is used for species that spawn at or near the water surface or high in the water column. Also called top mop.

floating net cage = a net on a frame supported by floats and used in sheltered bays for fish farming.

floating processor = a large ship processing fish at sea.

floating trap = a pound net supported by logs and heavily anchored.

floating trawl = a trawl designed to be worked off the bottom. Also called midwater trawl, pelagic trawl. See also Larsen midwater trawl.

floating worm = a plastic worm that floats on the water and is used in fishing for spawning bass (Micropterus).

floatline = a horizontal mainline, less than one nautical mile long, suspended from floats, from which leaders with baited hooks depend. Used for yellowfin and bigeye tunas and other pelagic species.

floe = a large flattish piece of sea or lake ice more than 20 metres across.

flog(ging) = to work on a merchant's premises handling, packing, and moving dried cod as a daily occupation in Newfoundland.

flood = 1) a flow above the carrying capacity of a channel.

flood = 2) a period when the tidal level is rising.

flood = 3) the flood current during the period when the tidal level is rising.

flood current = the movement of a tidal current toward the shore or up a tidal stream.

flood fishery = the fishery made when water levels fall after a flood season. This natural event may be aided by digging pits, diversion channels, dams, etc. See also tidal fishery.

flood interval = the interval between the transit of the moon over the meridian of a place and the time of the following flood.

flood plain = floodplain.

flood stel = a fishery involving a stel carried out on a flood tide.

flood tidal delta = the bulge of sand formed at the landward mouth of tidal inlets as a result of flow expansion.

flood tide = rising or incoming tide; the period between low water and the succeeding high water. Flow enters an estuary during a flood tide. Also called rising tide.

flood way = the channel of a river and the adjacent flood plain that is reasonably required to carry and discharge flood water.

floodplain = low lying areas next to a river that are inundated seasonally from the river. May be used by fish for spawning. A living flood plain has regular floods while a fossil floodplain is beyond the reach of the highest flood.

floodway = flood way.

floor = the horizontal surface of a flake.

flopper stopper = 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 bird.

floriat = flourished, referring to the period of greatest success and diversity of a taxon. Usually seen as the abbreviation fl. or fl.

Florida fish-poison tree = Piscidia piscipula (Fabacaea, pea family), also called Jamaican dogwood and fishfuddle tree. Seminoles in Florida used a powder made from its roots, bark, and leaves to stun fish. See also fish poison tree.

Florida rig = a method of securing a hook to a soft bait so it does not become entangled in weeds. It resembles a Texas rig but the weight is secured by screwing into the bait. A slip sinker is threaded onto the line and a hook tied to the line end. The hook is inserted into the head of a worm, for example, and brought through until only the eye is in the worm. The hook is then rotated and the point embedded slightly into the worm without coming out on the opposite side.

floss = material for tying flies in fly fishing.

Floss or F_loss = fishing mortality corresponding to an expected lifetime contribution to the spawning stock biomass for the average recruit to the fishery (SSB/R) equal to the inverse of R/SSB at the lowest observed spawning stock (LOSS).

flossing = use of long leaders to float a hook through closely grouped fish, trying to snag them on the outside of the jaw.

flote = a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for fishes.

flotilla = a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for swordfish.

flotsam = floating matter.

flounder = 1) a drowned corpse (slang).

flounder = 2) to have difficulty.

flounder = 3) any of various marine flatfishes of the families Bothidae and Pleuronectidae. Flounder is a general term for flatfishes and is apparently of Scandinavian origin.

flounder-and-dab = a cab (rhyming slang).

flour = a flour made of pulverised, dried fish parts.

floury = the surface condition of well-preserved, high quality salt cod; the salt came to the surface imparting an appearance of fine flour.

Flow or F_low = fishing mortality (F) corresponding to a SSB/R equal to the inverse of the 10% percentile of the observed R/SSB. This level of F has recruitment which balances mortality in about 9 out of 10 years so a decline in the stock at this level of exploitation is unlikely.

flow = 1) the movement of flowing water from place to place.

flow = 2) the moving water itself.

flow = 3) the volume of water going past a specific point over a specified time period.

flow = 4) a fleet of fishing boats gathered in one place (Shetland Isles dialect).

flow = 5) a net has flow when it hangs loosely and is not too taught (Scottish dialect).

flow rate = velocity of flow multiplied by cross-sectional area of the river.

flow regime = the characteristics over time of stream or river discharge.

flowerhorn craze = a Central/South American cichlid (a Amphilophus hybrid, possibly hybridised with other cichlids such as Cichlasoma spp.), known as luo han in Singapore, that was the subject of a craze in 2003. It supposedly brought good luck and prosperity and many were sold by opportunistic aquarium dealers. Discarded in local waterways in Malaysia for example, it survives in the wild as a potentially dangerous exotic.

flowing water = any water body showing continuous unidirectional flow; water running from higher to lower elevations as in a river. Also called running water.

flows = artificially increased flows in a river system instituted to move young fish quickly downstream during their spring migration period.

flow-through system = an aquaculture system where the water supply flows through and is not re-used. The water may be treated after use before discharge into the environment.

fluctuating asymmetry = absence of tendency of one side of the body to have a greater meristic count.

fluff = small pickle-cured cod, or trimmings obtained in boneless cod preparations, reduced to small fibres in a shredding machine and dried.

fluid collection = museum specimens or parts thereof stored in ethanol, isopropanol, formalin or other preservatives. Also called wet collection.

fluid ounce= 29.573 millilitres (28.413 millilitres in the Imperial system). Abbreviated as fl oz.

fluid preservative = the liquid used as a storage medium for fish specimens, e.g. ethanol, isopropanol, formalin. Also called wet preservative.

fluidising bed = a biological filtration system used in aquaria comprising of small beads in a cylinder. Bacteria grow on the beads and denitrify the water as it is forced through the cylinder.

fluke = monogenetic trematode parasites common on fishes, of various taxa (such as Gyrodactylus spp., Dactylogyrus spp.). These flukes anchor in the skin, fins and gills often causing excessive mucus secretion. Fish exhibit flashing, scratching, fraying of fins, clamped fins, flaring of opercula, and severe gill infections resulting in death. Digenetic eye flukes (Diplostomum spathecum) cause white spots in the eye and eventually blindness. Black-spot disease (q.v.) is also caused by a fluke.

fluke bag = a bag for holding a catch of flounders.

fluke bar = an iron rod with hooks dragged along the sea floor to impale fish such as flatfishes. Also called murderer.

fluke fou = a spear for catching flounders in sand (Scottish dialect).

fluke-mouthed - having a mouth like a fluke or flatfish (Scottish dialect).

fluke-treading = a method of catching flounders by treading on wet sand and causing them to rise.

flume = an artificial structure leading water from a diversion dam or weir. May be used to direct water into an electrical generating facility or, in a log flume, used to transport logs. Not usually a habitat for fishes.

flunky = an anchor fixing a trawl line in place.

flunky buoy = float (1).

flunky keg = float (1).

flush = treating fishes in aquaculture for diseases or parasites by a short bath in a chemical at high concentration. The chemical is added to the flowing water and passes over the fish as a pulse.

flushing = the downstream movement of fish caused by water velocity.

flushing rate = the rate at which an amount of water passes from an estuary, harbour, lake or aquaculture tank through its outlet. Often used to indicate how often the water in a system is replaced by fresh water. Important in terms of nutrient inputs and retention.

fluted blade = in angling, a spinner or spoon with indentations aimed at reflecting more light.

flutter = a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for fishes.

fluvial = pertaining to rivers, flowing; pertaining to fish that live in or migrate between main rivers and tributaries.

fluvial anadromous = not requiring lakes in the life cycle, cf. lacustrine anadromous.

fluviatile = pertaining to streams and rivers; inhabiting streams or rivers as with fishes.

fluvifaunula (plural fluvifaunulae) = the consociation of animals found in a river or series of rivers (from Latin fluvius, a river, plus diminutive of fauna).

fluvifaunulae = plural of fluvifaunula.

fluviomarine = inhabiting rivers and the sea.

fly = 1) an insect or artificial rendering of one used as a bait in fly fishing; made of hair, feathers and thread tied to a hook, intricately and beautifully made. Numerous types and individual variants tied by anglers, a selection of them is mentioned in this dictionary but fly sites on the internet give much more detail, methods of tying them and the fishes they catch under specified conditions. Wet flies represent nymphs swimming to the surface to become adults, dry flies represent adult insects after emerging from the nymph and streamers are flies that represent minnows, crayfish, leeches and other aquatic life. A wide variety of hook types exist on which to tie the fly. Wet fly hooks are heavier than dry fly hooks. Each fly consists basically of a body (wrapped around the hook shank) and a wing that sticks out above the shank. Various additions to this basic plan can be used to simulate a fish, for example, in a streamer fly. The tail extends a short distance beyond the bend of the hook and curves upwards. The tip is made of silk for appearance and helps hold up the tail. Ribbing can be added to the body for brightness and flash. The throat is a bunch of fibres underneath or as a collar just behind the head, itself behind the eye of the hook. The throat provides action to the fly. The cheek behind the head simulates an eye. The shoulder behind the cheek imitates a fish's head. The underbody below the shank is made usually of hair and provides lighter colouring like a fish's belly. The tag is of tinsel or metal thread on the bend of the hook as added flash. Topping above the wing is supposed to resemble a fish's back. The butt is at the base of the tail and is for appearance but may be designed in some flies to imitate an egg sac. Horns above the wing are meant to imitate the feelers or antennae of an insect.

fly = 2) an item of dress often found open in drowned male anglers fishing from a small, unstable boat.

fly = 3) an inshore water area usually poor in fish (Newfoundland).

fly book = a book-like case for holding artificial flies.

fly casting = the art and skill of projecting an artificial fly on a line to the spot where the fish lie.

fly dope = a dressing that makes an artificial fly float.

fly dragging = fishing with a fly seine, a lightweight demersal seine, that is towed and heaved at the same time. Also called fly seining.

fly dressing = fly tying.

fly fish = fly fishing.

fly fishing = sport fishing using an artificial or imitation fly with a rod and reel where a heavy line is used to cast the very light-weight fly.

fly hook = a hook baited with a fly.

fly leader = a leader (q.v.) used in fly fishing.

fly line = 1) a line for fly fishing. Originally made of silk but now a braided core covered with a plastic coating and about 1.5-2.0 mm in diameter. The plastic coating gives weight to the line which is necessary to deliver the fly as no weights are used. Fly lines are rated by weight, referring to the first ca. 10 metres of line, from 1 to 11. Weight forward fly lines are heavier near the fly. Length of fly lines is short, usually less than 32 metres.

fly line = 2) a hook tied directly to a line, without a weight.

fly net = a form of stake net, q.v., with up to a dozen stakes used to support the trap and up to 35 stakes to support the leader. May be set singly or in several set in line, usually on beaches with a fairly gentle gradient, cf. jumper net.

fly pattern = a recipe or particular method and arrangement for tying a specific artificial fly.

fly reel = a fishing reel designed to hold a fly line, fairly light, simply constructed (as fly line is pulled off and cast by hand, is relatively short and has no weights for distance casting), attached near the end of the fly rod, and may have a drag system to create resistance to a fish pulling line rapidly. Single action reels have one turn of the handle equivalent to one turn of the spool (1-to-1), multipliers use gears to have a 2-to-1 ratio and automatic reels operate by a manually wound spring activated by a lever but are heavy and tend to malfunction.

fly rod = fishing rod for casting a fly line. Longer and thinner than spinning rods, with more line guides and designed carefully for bending as the action determines how the line is cast. Originally split bamboo but now various plastic materials and graphites are used. Fly rods are rated by stiffness and match fly lines of different weights. The fly reel is attached near the butt and so the hand holds the rod above the reel.

fly seining = fly dragging.

fly tying = the technique of making imitation insects or flies as bait for fish. See fly. Also called fly dressing.

fly'n rind = a leadhead jig with a pork rind trailer. Also called jig 'n pig.

flying = fishing on the fly.

flying fish = code name for Tunis and Tunisia in World War II.

flying fish cocktail = a mix of gin, orange curacao, maraschino liqueur and peach bitters.

flying food = insects and other arthropods caught by fishes by leaping from the water or caught at the air-water interface.

flying gaff = a gaff with a detachable hook end which is tied to a rope attached to the boat. Allows easier control of large fish from a small boat.

flying set = fishing on the fly.

flyingfish = a family of marine fishes, Exocoetidae, with about 52 species in tropical to warm-temperate oceans. They do not fly but glide for long distances out of the water using greatly expanded pectoral, pelvic and caudal fins, the expansion varying between species (fish with enlarged pectoral fins are called monoplane or two-winged, those with enlarged pelvics also are called biplane or four-winged; the former are more erratic fliers). The flight occurs after a build up of speed under water, aided by the enlarged lower lobe of the caudal fin, when the fish breaks out of the water or a wave front, sometimes gliding high enough to land on ships. Free flights last 13 seconds or more and touch-and-go flights 42 seconds or more. Air speeds reach 55 km/h and cover up to 200 m.

Fmax or F_max = the rate of fishing mortality for a given exploitation pattern, rate of growth, and natural mortality that results in the maximum yield per recruit; the point that defines growth overfishing. This mortality would give the maximum catch year after year. F_0.1 is often preferred as F_max is difficult to estimate.

Fmed or F_med = the fishing mortality rate corresponding to an equilibrium spawning potential ratio (SPR) equal to the inverse of the median observed survival ratio (ratio of recruits to parental spawning biomass). The level of F where recruitment in half of the years has been sufficient to balance the mortality. Such a stock exploited at Fmed should be able to replace itself close to historical abundance.

FMP = Fishery Management Plan (a plan to achieve specified management goals for a fishery. It includes data, analyses, and management measures for a fishery).

FMSY or 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. Reality applies, however, and as the ocean conditions change a constant fishing mortality of F_MSY would give varying catches and eventually overfishing would result. A 2/3F_MSY is used to avoid overfishing. Fishing at this level means fishermen use only two-thirds of the effort needed to achieve maximum sustainable yield but they catch 80-90% of the MSY. Their catch rate is higher.

FO = fish only.

foam fractionator = an aquarium chemical filtration system which removes dissolved organic compounds and microscopic particles. Many small bubbles are sent through a column of water to separate dissolved organic compounds from the water. They come in three varieties, venturi, counter-current, and co-current and are only effective in salt water. They may be placed in the tank, hung on the side, or placed in a sump. Also called a protein skimmer.

foamer = in angling, fish breaking the water surface while feeding on bait fish.

foazy = fozie.

focal point = the location of an organism; in fish usually taken as the position of the snout when maintaining a station. The position should be maintained for at least 10 seconds.

foci = plural of focus.

focus (plural foci) = the first part of a scale to appear in growth, area within the smallest circulus.

fodder = a feed in aquaculture with a relatively low nutritional value.

fodder fish = fish used to feed other organisms on account of their availability and low cost, e.g. herring fed to salmon, by-catch used as animal feed.

foggara = a term for a qanat in North Africa (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 falaj in Arabia).

folding bone = a thin strip of fish bone used to fold and press leather edges under in bookbinding.

folia branchialis = gill filament (the thread-like, soft, red respiratory and excretory structure projecting outward from the gill arch).

foliaceous = leaf-like.

foliate = flat, leaf-like and lobed or subdivided.

foliform = leaf-like.

foliose = leaf-like.

folk taxonomy = local names for fishes, hierarchically arranged.

Folkestone beef = dried dogfish (Kent dialect).

follicle cell = a companion or Sertoli cell enveloping the cysts of spermatogenic cells in the testis.

follower = a fish or other organism that follows the nuclear predator (q.v.) to snap up escaping prey or organisms disturbed by the nuclear predator.

Fomalhaut = the eighteenth brightest star in the sky, located at the mouth of the Southern Fish, Piscis Austrinus or Piscis Australes (both q.v.), in the southern autumn sky. Fomlhaut is derived from the Arabic for fish's mouth. Appears in the legends of various cultures, e.g. in the Persian Empire of 3000 B.C. was one of the four royal stars watching over other stars, in Syria and Canaan it was the symbol of the fish god Dagon (q.v.).

fomes = brushes, dip nets and other items used in aquaculture contaminated with infectious organisms. The plural form fomites is usually used.

fomites = plural of fomes.

fontanel = a gap between bones in the skull, closed by a membrane, where ossification of cartilage or connective tissue did not occur. Commonly found on top of the skull between the frontal bones (anterior fontanel) and between the parietal bones (posterior fontanel), e.g. in certain Catostomidae.

fontanella (plural fontanellæ) = fontanel.

fontanellæ = plural of fontanella.

fontanelle = fontanel.

fontaneous = pertaining to a freshwater spring.

food conversion efficiency = the amount of food required to produce a certain amount of wet weight in an aquaculture species. Wet foods have a higher value than dry foods because of the difference in moisture content, a lower value being more efficient. Also expressed as a ratio, see below.

food conversion factor = consumption of a certain feed (kg)/gross increment of fish given this feed (kg).

food conversion ratio = food consumed (net weight)/fish body weight (net gain) or food applied/total weight at harvest- total weight at stocking.

food efficiency = total production of fish*100/total consumption of feed (kg).

food fall = the descent of a large dead organism (such as a whale) and the corpse itself, to and on the sea floor It then forms a nutrient supply for a variety of organisms and for fish both directly and indirectly. Also used for the much smaller marine snow or plankton rain.

food fish = fish intended for direct human consumption; eatable.

food mixture = in aquaculture, a feed composed of the basic nutrients in the correct quantities according to dietary formula.

food net = feeding interrelationships in a community.

food relations = interrelationships in the circulation of food in a community of fishes.

food requirement = annual mean amount required by the biomass of species to produce mean growth.

food shelf = an angling term for an area in a lake or river where there is rich plant growth and fish growth is supported.

food utilisation rate = protein increase in fish body*100/protein in consumed food.

foot = 1) 0.305 m, 12 inches. Abbreviated as ft.

foot = 2) the bottom or lower part of a fish net, often weighted to sink in the water.

foot fishing = fishing by foot.

foot line = footrope.

foot of water pressure = 304.79 kg/m², 0.434 ln/in.².

foot rope = footrope.

football head = a jig resembling an American football mounted sideways; used in rocky locations.

footrope = the weighted rope at the lower edge of a gill, drift, tangle, trawl or trammel net. See also ground rope and foot line.

foots = 1) the leftover liquid after oil has been removed from boiled cod livers. May be concentrated as cod liver meal and as animal feed.

foots = 2) the bottom of a net where lead weights are attached to keep the net in place.

fopt or f_opt = the effective fishing effort corresponding to FMSY (q.v.). Also called fMSY.

forage (noun) = 1) the diet of a fish species.

forage (verb) = 2) to search for food.

forage fish = fish which serve as food for other fish especially for commercial or sport fishes. They may be deliberately stocked in ponds or lakes.

foramen (plural foramina) = a small opening, orifice, or perforation. Used when something, e.g. nerve, blood vessel, notochord, passes through the opening.

foramen beryciform = an opening in the ceratohyal of uncertain function in Beryciformes, sometimes reduced to a notch on the dorsal margin.

foramen magnum = the aperture in the posterior part of the skull for the passage of the spinal cord. It is bordered by the supraoccipital dorsally, the exoccipitals laterally and the basioccipital ventrally.

foramina = plural of foramen.

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 coefficient.

force of natural mortality = instantaneous rate of natural mortality (when natural and fishing mortality operate concurrently it is equal to the instantaneous total mortality rate, multiplied by the ratio of natural deaths to all deaths (Ricker, 1975). Abbreviated as M).

forced migration = a migration caused by events other than normal, e.g. rising or falling temperatures, storms.

forced swimming = fast swimming of fish to an anode in electro-fishing.

forcing factor = a factor that conditions the behaviour of the fishery resource, e.g. temperature, salinity, upwelling, etc.

fore reef = the portion of a reef seaward of the reef crest. Also called reef slope.

fore reef escarpment = a slope or cliff seaward of the fore reef terrace, at a depth of about 25-30 m.

fore reef slope = a sand covered, gradual or sharply descending slope; the next-to-deepest part of the fore reef.

fore reef terrace = the uppermost portion of the fore reef; a flat plain beginning at the base of the buttress or mixed zone, at a depth of about 60 m.

fore-balk = to set a salmon net in below or front of another's.

fore-heck = the grating in front of a salmon weir. See also heck.

forebait = limpets crushed in the mouth and spat out onto the water surface to attract fish towards baited hooks (Scottish dialect).

forebay = 1) the part of a dam's reservoir that is immediately upstream from the powerhouse.

forebay = 2) heart (the heart-shaped part of a trap with two wings deflecting the fish into a chamber).

forebay guidance net = a large net placed in the forebay of a dam to guide juvenile fish away from the powerhouse.

forebrain = anterior region of the developing brain including the telencephalon and diencephalon in larval fish that includes the olfactory lobes.

foregut = anterior part of the larval gut from which the stomach and oesophagus develop.

forehead = the frontal curve of the head.

foreign fishing = fishing by a foreign vessel.

foreigner = a vessel carrying dried cod to overseas markets (Newfoundland).

Forel scale = a scale of yellows, greens and blues for determining the colour of sea or lake water as seen against the white background of a Secchi disc at a set depth. Deep blue = 00, blue = 10, greenish blue = 20, blueish green = 30, green = 40, etc according to a set of standard colours. Named after François-Alphonse Forel.

Forel-Ule scale = a modified version of the Forel scale.

foreshore = the beach between mean higher high water and mean lower low water.

foreshortened preceding ray = in some acanthopterygians, a condition where the base of the ventral procurrent ray immediately anterior to the posteriormost ventral procurrent ray is shortened and and overlaps less with the haemal spine or other supporting bones than do its neighbours.

forficate = deeply forked; scissors-like.

forged hook = a hook made of forged metal for extra strength when used for large fish.

forgotten name = nomen oblitum (a forgotten name, an unused senior synonym rejected under the provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Formerly a senior synonym not once applied to a particular taxon as its presumably valid name for the immediately preceding 50 years (other than in a synonymy, listing in an abstracting publication or a nomenclator) and to which taxon has been currently been applied a junior synonym by at least 5 different authors in at least 10 publications during the immediately preceding 50 years. Such a name, unless otherwise ruled, is to be rejected for the purposes of the Law of Priority but not for those of the Law of Homonymy. No longer recognised. After 1 January 2000 applied to a name, unused since 1899, which as a result of an action taken under the Code does not take precedence over a younger synonym or homonym in prevailing usage; the younger name which takes precedence over the nomen oblitum may be called a nomen protectum. A nomen oblitum remains an available name. Abbreviated as nom. oblit.).

forehead brooding = carrying of an egg mass on a supraoccipital hook by Kurtus gulliveri (Kurtidae).

foricula = plural of foriculum.

foriculum (plural foricula) = the specialized scale in female Anableps covering the genital opening but free on one side so as to allow the entrance of the male intromittent organ. The free side may be right or left permitting copulation only with a left- or right-handed male intromittent organ respectively

fork = to transfer fish from a boat to a vessel or fishing stage using a fork or tined instrument.

fork length = the distance from the most anterior point of the body (usually the snout even when the lower jaw projects) to the deepest point of the fork in the caudal fin. Abbreviated FL. Mostly used in fishery biology and not in systematics.

fork tidbit = gaffel bitar (semi-preserved fat herring, gilled or headless, with 10-12% salt and sometimes benzoic acid added. The product is ripened in barrels at moderate temperature, then filleted, skinned and cut into 'tidbit' pieces, packed with spiced brine, and also with vinegar or with sauces in cans or glass jars. Also called tidbits or herring tidbits).

forked = diverging, said of the caudal fin when the upper and lower lobes diverge.

forken = furkin.

forkon = furkin.

form = 1) a neutral term for a single individual, phenon, or taxon; a group, e.g. larvae and adult forms, male and female forms, ecological forms, and seasonal forms.

form = 2) an infrasubspecific group.

form = 3) in the past, a subspecies (not recommended usage). According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature the use of the term "form" before 1961 is not to be interpreted as an express statement of either subspecific or infrasubspecific rank and after 1960 it is to be regarded as of infrasubspecific rank.

-form (suffix) = in the shape of.

forma = form.

formalin = formaldehyde gas dissolved in water used as a fixative and preservative in fish collections as decay bacteria cannot live in a 5-10% solution of it. Formalin is a 37-40% solution of formaldehyde in water, making 100% formalin. It may contain some methanol. Usually replaced with ethanol for long term storage. Also used in the control of external parasites and fungal infections of fish and eggs in aquaculture. Formalin is a noxious chemical and should be handled with appropriate safety measures.

formed fillet = a portion cut from a block in such a way that it appears to be a natural fillet, although all such fillets are exactly the same size and shape.

Formenkreis = a group of related allopatric species or subspecies.

formulae, zoological = modifications of available names throughout a taxonomic group by the addition of a standard prefix or suffix in order to indicate that the taxa named are members of that group. Zoological formulae are excluded from the provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. The suffixes of family-group names denote ranks, not taxonomic groups, and do not form zoological formulae.

formulated diet = food prepared specially for fish in aquaculture or aquaria. Carbohydrates, fats and proteins will be present in a specified mix along with vitamins and a binder so that the mix holds together in water.

formulated feed = formulated diet.

forra fish = a salmon that has left the sea early in the season (Scottish dialect).

fortification = in aquaculture, the addition of nutrients to regular feed, e.g. vitamins, minerals.

forward taper = weight-forward (a type of fly line with most of its weight in the first 10 metres of line. The large section of this line is called the line belly, with a long tapering section towards the front and a short tapering towards the back where it becomes a thinner running line).

fosey = fozie.

fosy = fozie.

fossa (plural fossæ) = groove, pit or depressed area in a bone into which another bone fits.

fossa glenoidea = a fossa in the glenoid region of the pectoral girdle.

fossæ = plural of fossa.

fosse = fossa.

fossette = a small pit or depression.

fossey = fozie.

fossorial = burrowing.

Foster-Lucas pond = a pond inbetween a circular pond and a raceway with rounded ends and elongate sides (5 x 23 x 1 metre).

foul bottom = foul ground.

foul fish = 1) a foul-hooked fish.

foul fish = 2) a fisherman's taboo word for the Atlantic salmon.

foul ground = a sea bed that will snag nets. Also called fouly.

foul hooked = a fish caught by hook other than in the mouth. Usually illegal although some species are legally caught using hooks dragged through the water.

fouly = foul ground.

founder population = fish broodstock used to start a fish culture programme.

founding population = the reproductively active individuals that originally made up a new population

founding stock = the reproductively active individuals that originally made up a new stock, e.g., in aquaculture.

fountain = a natural or artificial water spring.

four boat lift net = a Japanese coastal net about 50 m square set on or near the bottom with the boats anchored and attached by a rope to each net corner. A fifth, smaller, boat scatters bait over the centre of the net and the net is hauled when sufficient fish are attracted. May be used at night with lights as the attractant. See also two boat, three boat and eight boat lift nets.

four seam trawl = a trawl made up of four panels, top, bottom and two sides.

fovea (plural foveae) = 1) a shallow depression of small diameter, a pit.

fovea (plural foveae) =2) a sensory region of high acuity, e.g. the Schnauzenorgan (q.v.) of Mormyridae.

foveae = plural of fovea.

fozey = fozie.

fozie = soft or spongy, said of diseased salmon in Scotland. Also spelled fozy, fozzy, foazy, fozey, fosie, fosy, fosey, fossey and fozzie.

fozy = fozie.

fozzie = fozie.

fozzy = fozie.

F_pa = the precautionary fishing mortality, a lower level than F_lim (q.v.) to allow for uncertainties in assessment. See also precautionary approach, B_lim, B_pa and F_lim.

FPC = fish protein concentrate.

fractional spawning = release of eggs at intervals, usually over several days or weeks. This allows more, smaller and immature eggs to be carried in a limited abdominal cavity space as the intervals enable the smaller eggs time to mature; and once shed, eggs mature at different times and thus may avoid complete loss of a season's spawning to predators. Also called batch spawner.

fraenum = frenum.

frame = the remains of a filleted cod (Newfoundland). See also fish fly.

frame survey = the inventory of ports, landing places, number and type of fishing units (boats and gears), and a description of fishing and landing activity patterns, fish distribution routes, processing and marketing patterns, supply centres for goods and services, etc., a complete description of the system.

frame swimfeeder = in angling, a plastic frame around which groundbait (q.v.) is moulded.

frame trawl = a conical shaped trawl with the mouth kept open by a rigid frame.

frankenfish = 1) genetically modified fish, escapees from aquaculture facilities, introduced predators and, by extension, any fish deemed harmful in some way through human action. Derived from the novel Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, in which Dr. Frankenstein created a monster.

frankenfish = 2) to destroy through high voltage and, by extension, to frazzle or wear out (slang).

F-ratio = the ratio of fishing mortality on the oldest age group to the fishing mortality of the preceding age group. Annual F-ratios are estimable parameters in many tuned virtual population analysis assessments.

fray = a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for fishes.

frazil = a form of fine spicular ice. When first formed the particles are colloidal and not visible in the water in which they float. Called lolly ice in salt water.

free = unconnected; said, for example, of fin rays or spines not connected to each other by a membrane, or having a moveable rear corner to a fin, not attached to the body.

free fishery = 1) a royal franchise or exclusive privilege of fishing in a public river. Compare common fishery and several fishery.

free fishery = 2) slang for the pudendum.

free fishing = legal fishing without a licence or payment. See freefishery.

free lining = angling without a float or weight. Used with large baits at close range in clear water or with light baits like flies that are kept afloat by the current.

free neuromast = sense organs found in the epidermis. See also canal neuromasts and small pit organs. Also called superficial neuromasts and large pit organs.

free-diving = diving without the assistance of any breathing apparatus, e.g. using a snorkel, a mask, a pair of flippers, a weight belt and a wet suit. Used to collect fishery resources in shallow waters or for spear fishing.

free-spooling = allowing a bait-casting reel to spin freely so that the line runs off when casting.

free-swimming = moving freely in the water. Applied to fish that hatch in gravel and develop there initially.

freedom of fishing = part of the international law of the sea, dating back to the 17th century, which states that high seas resources should be free to all.

freefishery = a royal franchise or exclusive privilege of fishing in a public river.

freestone river = a larger body than a freestone stream.

freestone stream = a stream characterised by a bottom of gravel, cobbles, rocks and boulders. Most water in it is from rainfall or ice and snow melt.

freeze drying = dehydration in a vacuum from a frozen condition.

freezer burn = drying out of frozen fish by sublimation in areas not protected against water vapour loss. The colour, appearance and texture change and marketability is affected. Dull white patches are characteristic.

freezer trawler = a trawler with refrigerating and fish freezing equipment and insulated fish holds.

freezer weight loss = dehydration of fish when being frozen.

freighter = a member of a fishing-crew transported by vessel to his fishing station. Used in Newfoundland for stations in Labrador.

French blade = in angling, a type of spoon or spinner blade with a raised dome, highly polished with a strong reflective quality and a tendency not to lift the rig.

French cut = 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).

French fry = 1)a potato accompaniment to fried fish.

French fry = 2) a soft plastic worm resembling a crinkle-cut French fry often used on Carolina rigs, q.v.

French shore = the coast of Newfoundland where the French had fishing and curing rights, varying with time (cf. English shore). Used to run from Cape St. John to Cape Ray up until 1904 when access was denied.

frenum = the tissue joining the lip to the symphysis of the lower (e.g. Embiotocidae) or upper jaw (e.g. some Cyprinidae, Rhinichthys cataractae). Rarely the frenum is hidden in the fold between the lip and the snout. The frenum renders the jaw nonprotractile, that is, incapable of being projected out.

fresh = 1) fresh fish.

fresh = 2) a fisherman in his first or second season at the West Country-Newfoundland fishery.

fresh cork = to renew the cork floats on a net (Newfoundland).

fresh fish = 1) fish with little or no spoilage, preserved by chilling but never frozen or heated and without additives.

fresh fish = 2) thawed fish packaged for sale as fresh fish.

fresh fish = 3) a raw recruit, as in the British Army of the Napoleonic Wars.

fresh fish sold here daily = example of a redundant sign in a fish shop. None of the words are needed as the fish are readily visible (and can be smelled some distance away), they are in a shop to be sold not given away, they could not be sold if they were not fresh, they are not being sold anywhere else but here, and to be fresh they must be sold daily.

fresh fishing = commercial fishing where the catch is put on ice rather than salt, cf. salt fishing. Fish were placed in meter high pens so the weight was kept off the bottom layers and the catch was not damaged; pickle was not expressed as in salt fishing.

fresh frozen = a descriptive term for the end product of fish processing. The fish are gutted, cleaned, flash frozen and packed whole.

fresh water = water having a salinity of less than 0.5 parts per thousand (or 2 parts per thousand, sources differ). Freshwater is the adjective - fish in fresh water are freshwater fish. Also means water free from impurities.

freshet = 1) stream.

freshet = 2) a great rise or overflowing of a stream caused by heavy rains or melted snow.

freshet = 3) an area of fresh water at or near the mouth of a stream entering the sea.

freshwater = an adjective, see fresh water.

freshwater eel disease = 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, redmouth disease and motile aeromonad septicaemia. See also pike pest).

fried fish = fish pieces covered in batter or breaded and fried in oil or fat.

fried marinade = frying or baking fish before packing in an acetic acid and salt solution.

fries = plural of fry.

fright reaction = wriggling, darting and other movements stimulated in members of the Cypriniformes and Gonorhynchiformes on scenting the alarm substance released from the injured skin of their own or a related species. These movements serve to warn of or confuse a predator.

frightening line = a line or chain with suspended leaves or fibres pulled by two or more men in order to frighten fish towards a trap. Also called scaring line.

fringed lappet = oral fimbria (one of a series of small tag-like appendages around the perimeter of the oral disc of lampreys (Petromyzontiformes), presumed to help create an effective seal when the lamprey is attached to its host and also probably sensory. Also called fringed processes, leaf-like processes, epithelial fringe, leathery appendices and leathery appendages).

fringed process = oral fimbria (one of a series of small tag-like appendages around the perimeter of the oral disc of lampreys (Petromyzontiformes), presumed to help create an effective seal when the lamprey is attached to its host and also probably sensory. Also called leaf-like processes, epithelial fringe, leathery appendices and leathery appendages).

fringing reef = a coral reef formed as a narrow band close to shore. Also called shore reef.

fritter = fish coated in batter and deep-fried.

frog = a tough but soft plastic lure used by anglers in scummy areas.

frog water = an angling term for slow moving water, as in a backwater.

front = a region of sharp gradient in temperature, salinity and density, indicating a transition between two current systems or water masses. Fronts are areas of high biological activity.

front runner = the leading member of a school of fish, usually smaller than other fish in the school.

front trolling = a system of boat control when a bait or lure is trolled behind a moving boat.

frontal = the superficial, paired dermal bone on top of the skull above the eyes, paired or fused into one. The frontals of fishes correspond to the parietals of Tetrapoda but frontal is retained on account of its long usage in fish osteology. These large bones cover much of the neurocranium and may fuse with the lateral ethmoids and articulate with some of the circumorbital bones, the spehenotic and the pterotic. In the parietolateral skull type, the parietals are separated allowing the frontals to meet the supraocciptal.

frontal clasper = 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).

frontal gibbosity = a fleshy lump on the top of the head, e.g. in adult male cichlids. Also called nuchal hump.

frontal groove = a groove between the nasal and other anterior skull bones allowing the upper jaw to slide into it when the mouth is closed.

frontal ridge = one of a series of ridges on the frontal bone between the eyes.

frontal scale pattern = the arrangement of frontal scales in Cyprindontidae, Goodeidae and Poeciliidae may be indicated by letters of the alphabet (Scheel, 1990).

frontal threat display = when a fish faces another fish and flares its gills and opens its mouth wide. May indicate aggression, defense of territory or self-defense by making it appear too large to attack or eat.

frontoparietal = the region above and behind the eyes on the head (named for the underlying bones).

froth nest = bubble nest (nests composed of bubbles and secretions built by Anabantidae and some characins. Serves as a protective coating for the eggs and newly hatched young).

frozen at sea = fish frozen very soon after capture on a factory ship or a freezer trawler.

frozen fish = fish rapidly frozen to -18°C or below to preserve them.

FRT = fast repetitive click.

frugivore = a feeder on fruit.

frugivorous = fruit eating, e.g. certain Characidae such as Brycon spp.

fry = 1) a young fish at the post-larval stage. May include all fish stages from hatching to fingerling. An advanced fry is any young fish from the start of exogenous feeding after the yolk is absorbed while a sac fry is from hatching to yolk sac absorption. In Salmonidae, the stage from end of dependence on the yolk sac as the primary source of nutrition to dispersal from the redd.

fry = 2) a tasty vegetable accompaniment to fish.

fry = 3) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for eels.

fry = 4) a small number of fish for frying especially when presented as a gift (Scottish dialect).

fry = 5) children in the original usage.

fry pond = a pond designed for growth of fry in aquaculture.

ft = foot (0.305 m, 12 inches).

Ft or F_t or F_T = Fcrash (the fishing mortality rate corresponding to an equilibrium spawner-per-recruit (SPR) equal to the inverse of the survival ratio at the origin of the stock-recruitment relationship. Used as a biological reference point. A stock exploited indefinitely at Ft is expected to collapse sooner or later due to recruitment failure, hence the term Fcrash).

ft/min = feet per minute (0.5080 cm/s, 0.0167 ft/s).

ft/s = feet per second (30.48 cm/s).

ft³ = cubic foot (957.5 fl oz, 59.84 pt, 28.317 mL, 0.0283 m³⁾.

ft³/s = cubic feet per second (28.317 L/s, 7.841 gal/sec).

F_Target = the fishing mortality rate which, with some specified probability level, will prevent F_Threshold from being exceeded.

F_Threshold = maximum fishing mortality threshold; exceeding this threshold for one or more years constitutes overfishing.

fugu = a dish prepared from the flesh of a Japanese puffer fish (Tetraodontidae), e.g. Takifugu rubripes; the gonads are highly toxic and sometimes contaminate preparations of this meal with fatal results within 4-6 hours on ingestion. About 300 people are killed each year eating fugu. The flesh is bittersweet and a culinary favourite in Japan, prepared by specially licensed chefs.

fugamin = an obsolete synonym for tetrodotoxin (the poison found in tetrodotoxic fishes; also called spheroidine, fugu toxin, or puffer poison. The empirical molecular formula is approximately C11 H17 O8 YH20. It is among the most toxic substances known among the non-proteins. It is a sodium channel blocker, preventing transmission of pain signals and is being examined as a non-addictive pain suppressor, 3000 times more powerful than morphine).

fugitive species = a species adapted to colonise newly disturbed habitats.

fuguism = tetrodotoxication (poisoning caused by eating tetrodotoxic fishes).

fuguismus = tetrodotoxication (poisoning caused by eating tetrodotoxic fishes).

fulcra = plural of fulcrum.

fulcres = fulcrum.

fulcrum (plural fulcra) = one of a variable number of specialized, often diamond-shaped, scales in front of the anterior dorsal, anal and caudal fins in lower Teleostomi, e.g. in Acipenseridae, Lepisosteidae, Amiidae and Notacanthidae.

full = 1) of herrings, in good condition.

full = 2) of herrings, full of milt or roe, sexually mature.

full cure = absorption of the maximum amount of salt during curing.

fully exploited = said of a fish stock when removal of individuals is equal to the number of recruits entering the fishery (deaths equal births). In fisheries management this is the point where the population curve is at the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and any further increase in effort will lead to overfishing. Corresponds to fishing at FMSY (in a classical production model relating yield to effort) or Fmax (in a model relating yield-per-recruit to fishing mortality).

fully fished = a stock where current catches are close to the maximum sustainable yield or maximum average yield. Increases in fishing effort would not increase significantly the yields and would substantially increase the risk of overfishing.

full grown = fish having attained maturity.

full herring = prime herring.

full nape fillet = a fish fillet with the belly on and often with rib bones.

full pickle fish = full cure.

full yarkin(g) = the fastening of every mesh of a fish-net to the head-rope (Newfoundland).

fully exploited = a stock that is not being over- or underexploited.

fully fished = state of a stock which current catches are close to the maximum sustainable yield or maximum average yield. Increases in fishing effort would not increase significantly the yields and would substantially increase the risk of overfishing. Fully fished stocks are primary targets for effort and capacity controls.

fully recruited F = an estimate of fishing mortality for all age groups fully vulnerable to fishing.

Fulton somatic condition factor = a figure calculated from length and weight which expresses the plumpness of a fish or the changes in the food reserves stored in muscle. The condition factor (K) is the ratio of the weight of the fish (without the gonads) to the cube of its length (K = W/L³, where w = weight in grams less the weight of the gonads and L = standard length in mm).

fulvous = brownish-yellow, tawny.

fumet = a concentrated fish stock made with vegetables, spices, wine and fish bones including the head without the eyes. The fish bones and spices are added to blanched vegetables such as carrots, leeks, onions, lettuce and celery and, when the bones start to break down, wine is added and the mixture reduced. Water is added and the mixture cooked for 30-45 minutes and then strained before serving.

fundus (plural fundi) = the bottom of an inward fold.

fundi = plural of fundus.

Fundy multipurpose dragger = a vessel 52-55 feet long, with a crew of three to five men, the wheelhouse and engine forward and the fish hold and gallows aft. Used for otter trawling in eastern Canada.

fungie = a children's term for a salmon, from diseased salmon in the Scottish Tweed River.

fungus disease = any of the fungal infections that can affect fish.

funnel = the narrowing opening into a fish trap.

funnel pit = a pit in the dermal plate at the pectoral appendage articulation containing the remaining scapulocoracoid structure, e.g. in most antiarch Placodermi.

funnel trap = any fish trap where the narrowing shape entraps the fish.

fur ball = a poorly-tied artificial fly.

fur-and-fish post = a station or settlement from which both the fur trade and sea fisheries were carried out (Newfoundland).

fur-bearing trout = furfish.

furcate = forked.

furfish = a taxidermist's mount of a fish, often a trout, wrapped in white fur and said to be a denizen of Canada's northern waters. Sold to tourists.

furikake = fish flour dried after cooking with added seasonings, and then mixed with spices or other ingredients (Japan).

furiotile lake = a partially disjunct body of water, connecting with the mainstream only at high water levels.

furk = to melt the oil from the liver of fish (Scottish dialect).

furkin = hungry, said of fish ready to bite (Scottish dialect). Also spelled forken and forkon.

fursaclew = a trout trap made of dock stalks and shaped like a conical creel (Scottish dialect).

fursaclue = fursaclew.

furuncle = a small area of infection beneath the skin which develops into a raised abscess, forming a lump on the skin typically 10-30 mm across. It may drain externally. The furuncle may develop from the inflamed intestine in fish with furunculosis. Most notable in the disease furunculosis, caused by the bacteria Aeromonas salmonicida.

furunculosis = a systemic bacterial disease (Aeromonas salmonicida) generally of salmonids but also found in some flatfishes such as turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) and in goldfish. 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. Septicaemia and haemorrhages in the muscles and other areas occurs. Furuncules (boil-like lesions) develop in body tissues. Also called ulcerative disease of goldfish.

fush = fish (Scottish Highland dialect).

fushi-rui = dried strips of fish produced by repeated smouldering and drying after boiling. Used as a condiment or seasoning for various soups. The term is usually preceded by the name of the fish (Japan).

fusiform = spindle-shaped; tapering at both ends in a streamlined fashion, e.g. Salmonidae, Scombridae.

Fuxi = the Chinese amphibious god, a founder of their civilisation, with a man's or woman's head and a fish tail.

FX% or F_x% = the fishing mortality that will reduce the equilibrium spawning potential per recruit to X% of what it would be without any fishing. It is also the F that results in X% equilibrium spawning potential ratio. Also called FX%SPR or F_x%spr.

fyke net = a bag-shaped, cylindrical or cone-shaped fish trap, mounted on rings, with funnels which direct the fish into successive compartments. The net is fixed in place by stakes or anchors. Fish are deflected towards the mouth of the bag by leader nets set obliquely on either side of the mouth. Used particularly in rivers. Also called wing net. See also eel fyke net.

© Brian W. Coad (www.briancoad.com)

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