Dictionary of Ichthyology

Brian W. Coad and Don E. McAllister^†

Revised: 25 December 2009

S

S = 1) survival rate ( number of fish alive after a specified time interval, divided by the initial number, usually on a yearly basis (Ricker, 1975).

S = 2) abbreviation for siemens, a measure of conductivity, q.v.

S = 3) Silurian, a geological period within the Palaeozoic ca. 441-113 million years ago. Most of the major groups of fishes are thought to have originated in the Early Silurian.

s = second.

S₁ = a salmon smolt that is transferred to sea water for on-growing after 1 year in fresh water (S₂ = after two years).

s.a.p. = specific action potentiality ( the state of an animal responsible for its readiness to perform the behavior patterns of one instinct in preference to all other behavior patterns; level of motivation).

s. ampl. = abbreviation for sensu amplificato, meaning in an enlarged sense.

s. l. = 1) abbreviation for sensu lato, meaning in the broad sense.

s. l. = 2) abbreviation for standard length.

s. lat. = abbreviation for sensu lato, meaning in the broad sense.

s. n. = abbreviation for sine numero, meaning without a number, unnumbered.

s. s. = abbreviation for sensu stricto, meaning in the strict sense, in the narrow sense.

s. str. = abbreviation for sensu stricto, meaning in the strict sense, in the narrow sense.

s-cast = an s-shaped cast of a fly line to put slack in the line when it lies on the water, reducing the effect of the current and minimising drag.

s-g. = subgenus.

s-gg. = subgenera.

S-cast = a fly line deposited on the water in an S pattern caused by side to side movement of the fly rod during the cast. It aims to put slack in the line and reduce the influence of current and so minimise drag.

sabiki rig = a line with 5-6 small flies tied to golden hooks. The line is dangled over the side of a dock where baitfish are found - once one fish takes a fly, others rush in and are hooked.

sabkha = an Arabic name for a salt-flat, with frequent evaporation leaving layers of clays and salts. The hypersaline environment is home to a restricted fish fauna.

sabulicolous = living in sand. Also called arenicolous.

sac fry = a newly hatched fry using the yolk sac as a food source (stages at 45°F in chinook salmon are green = 0 days, eyed = 38 days, sack (or sac) fry = 69 days, swim up = 92 days and button up = 115 days).

saccate = sac-like.

saccule = sacculus.

sacculi = plural of sacculus.

sacculith = sagitta.

sacculus (plural sacculi) = the middle and largest chamber of the inner ear, between the utriculus and the lagena, the other two chambers. It has a wide connection to the upper part of the labyrinth in Petromyzontiformes, cartilaginous fishes and primitive bony fishes but in advanced teleosts the connection is narrow and, exceptionally, it is completely separate, e.g. in Aplodinotus. Contains the otolith called the sagitta or sacculolith. Also called saccule.

saccus communis = the single otolith camera found in Myxini. See also canalis semicircularis.

saccus dorsalis = the highly vascularised roof of the telencephalon, part of the fish brain, q.v.

saccus vasculosus = a well-vascularised ventral projection of the infundibular wall of the brain situated just caudal to the pituitary, with its cavity opening into the third ventricle. May have a secretory function.

Sach's organ = a weak electric organ in the electric eel (Electophorus electricus), transmitting a weak, 10V amplitude signal used in communication, orientation, locating prey and finding and choosing a mate.

sack = sack ship.

sack ship = a vessel used to carry migratory fishermen from Britain to Newfoundland, salt cod from Newfoundland to Europe and then sack (a light, dry strong wine) to Britain.

sacred cod = reputedly the fish Christ multiplied and fed to the multitude but ichthyogeographically incorrect.

sacred fish = 1) various pools, wells and streams, particularly in the Middle East, contain fish that are purportedly sacred.

sacred fish = 2) specifically, any one of several species of freshwater fishes of the family Mormyridae inhabiting the Nile considered sacred by the ancient Egyptians.

sacrifice = killing a fish for science. Smaller fish, examined for parasites for example, may be decapitated or the spinal chord cut through with scissors behind the head. Larger fish may be stunned and killed by a blow to the head or killed by an electric current. Modern techniques use an anaesthetic (MS-222, q.v.).

saddle = 1) pigment extending over the back like a saddle, usually not on the dorsal fins.

saddle = 2) an area where narrowing occurs before widening out again.

saddleback = the condition on fish with columnaris disease where a pale white band encircles the body, later developing a yellowish-brown ulcer in the centre of the saddle.

saddlepatch disease = columnaris disease (a systemic and skin disease of young-of-the-year freshwater fishes caused by Flexibacter columnaris (or Flavobacterium columnare). Usually occurs in summer and is associated with stress, crowding, injury and poor water quality. Virulent forms may show no external symptoms, less virulent forms show grey-white lesions on the body, fins and gills. Lesions first appear on the caudal fin and progress towards the head. Heavy infections appear yellow or orange. Scaleless fish show lesions comprising a dark blue area overlain by a milky veil and with a red-tinged margin. See also saddleback, saddlepatch disease, mouth fungus and mouth rot, depending on locality on body).

saedick = seddick.

safe = said of a species formerly threatened but now deemed to be relatively secure.

safe biological limit = a limit reference point, usually the stock biomass below which recruitment will decline substantially.

safe water = water that is not harmful to humans. Includes potable water (q.v.) but also extends to water used for swimming and cleaning, i.e. water with low levels of harmful chemicals, bacteria, etc.

sagger = a large boat-load of fish (Newfoundland). Also called swamper.

sagitta (plural sagittae) = the otolith in the sacculus, the largest of the otoliths except in Cyprinidae and Siluridae. Also called sacculith. It has been used for identification of species, for identification from remains in the diet of other organisms, and from remains in archaeological sites. The anterior end is pointed and the posterior end is rounded, straight or may be notched. Mesially it has a groove, the sulcus acusticus, which divides the otolith into dorsal and ventral halves and is margined by superior and inferior crests. The posterior branch of the acoustic nerve runs along the sulcus. The expanded anterior opening of the sulcus is called the ostium and has pointed margins, the longest being called the rostrum and the shorter the antirostrum. The posterior end is called the cauda (and may not extend to the otolith margin). The cauda may have dorsal and ventral points, the pararostrum and postrostrum respectively. A narrowing of the sulcus is called the collum and is the focus of sagitta formation. The upper rim is shorter than the lower rim and rims may be scalloped or have bulging domes.

sagittae = plural of sagitta.

sagittal = a plane that divides exactly the left and right sides.

sagittal crest = a longitudinal and median ridge on top of the head. May be bony or formed from soft tissues.

sagittiform = pike-shaped, dart- or arrow-shaped.

sail = blow line (a light line used in angling that is carried by the wind, only the live or artificial bait touching the water surface. Called sail as it catches the wind).

sailing trawl = a small trawl dragged by a sailing vessel, having short wings kept open by being attached to long poles projecting from each end of the vessel.

sailor's purse = mermaid's purse (an egg-case of an Elasmobranchii, usually oblong with horns or tendrils).

saine = a variant spelling of seine.

Saint Peter's fish = the John dory or Zeus faber, so named because of the prominent pigment spots where reputedly Saint Peter picked it up and left his fingerprints (ichthyogeographically unlikely). See also St. Peter's mark and the devil's thumb print.

saippuakala = Finnish for soap fish.

saithe = bait, such as chopped limpets, cast into the sea to attract fish (Scottish dialect).

sakuraboshi = mirin-boshi (split fish usually without the head, dried after soaking in seasonings consisting of either soy sauce, sugar and sweet rice liquor (mirin), or salt, sugar and gelatine or agar (Japan)).

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

salaka = smoked fish product (former Soviet Union).

salina = a salt marsh, spring or lake, or an area of land encrusted with salt.

salinity = a measure of salts dissolved in a solution; the sea is 3.5% (35 parts of salts by weight per thousand parts of water, or 35,000 p.p.m.). Fresh water is <1000 p.p.m., slightly saline is 1000 - 3000 p.p.m., moderately saline is 3000 - 10,000 p.p.m., very saline is 10,000 - 35,000 p.p.m., brine is >35,000 p.p.m. and is water saturated or nearly so with salt. Inland waters are 0.5 -2.0 or less p.p.t. (sources vary), brackish waters are 0.5 to 2.0 - 17.0 p.p.t. and marine waters are on average 35 p.p.t. Note that there are saline inland waters which have higher salinity values than marine waters.

salinometer = a hydrometer used to measure the strength of sodium chloride solutions. Used in commercial preparation of fish. Also called brine gauge and brinometer.

salivary gland = a gland of unknown function on the floor of the mouth on either side of the tongue in Petromyzontiformes.

salmagundi = Solomon Gundy.

salmin = a term proposed to designate a toxic substance in the milt of salmon. Also referred to as a protamine. See also sturine.

salmine = salmin.

Salmofan = a fan-shaped colour scale or colour wheel, trademarked by Hoffman LaRoche, used to determine flesh colour in farmed salmon. Food additives determine flesh colour, without them it would be grey and somewhat unappetising.

salmon = 1) a member of the salmon family (Salmonidae) such as Salmo and Oncorhynchus species. The Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, figures prominently in angling and fisheries in North America and Europe and has various terms peculiar to its sport and commercial fishery. Many of these terms are in dialects of English or are archaic. The same applies to brown trout of Europe (Salmo trutta) although to a lesser extent.

salmon = 2) a reddish-yellow or orange colour as with the flesh of salmon.

salmon = 3) a cant word for mass, probably a corruption of the French serment. Also spelled salomon.

salmon barrel = a wooden container for the export of dried, salted or smoked salmon (Newfoundland).

salmon bellies = Pacific salmon ventral sections hard salted in pickle. Also called pickled salmon bellies.

salmon berry = a large red raspberry growing from Alaska to California, the fruit of the Rubus nutkanus.

salmon berth = a station on inshore fishing grounds assigned by custom or lot to a salmon fisherman (Newfoundland).

salmon boat = an undecked boat used in the commercial salmon fishery (Newfoundland).

salmon box = shallow wooden container for the export of dried, salted or smoked salmon (Newfoundland).

salmon catcher = commercial salmon fisherman (Newfoundland).

salmon collector = buyer of salmon in the commercial fishery (Newfoundland).

salmon crew = people engaged afloat and onshore in the various operations of the commercial salmon fishery (Newfoundland).

salmon crib = a wickerwork trap for salmon migrating up a river (Newfoundland).

salmon disease = 1) a bacterial disease of salmonids.

salmon disease = 2) a parasitic disease fatal to dogs caused by eating raw salmon; found in the Pacific northwest of North America, one of the few places dogs have access to raw salmon. See salmon poisoning.

salmon egg bait = salmon eggs cured for use as bait for sport fishing.

salmon house = a structure in which salmon are split, salted and stored for export (Newfoundland).

salmon kail = a soup or broth made of salmon and vegetables (Scottish dialect).

salmon killer = the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), although not noted for this ability.

salmon leap = any natural drop in a river up which migrating salmon jump.

Salmon letter = nothing to do with fish (properly). A letter sent to witnesses which informs them of any allegations that may come up, and the evidence for them, in their appearance before a tribunal or official inquiry. Named for Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Salmon. Confusingly, advocates of conservation of salmon stocks may couch their appeals to lawmakers in "salmon letters".

salmon loup = a small cataract.

salmon net = a type of net moored in inshore waters or river estuaries to trap salmon (Newfoundland).

Salmon of Doubt = posthumous material by Douglas Adams, author of the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", published in 2001. The full title is "The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time".

Salmon of Knowledge = Salmon of Wisdom.

Salmon of Wisdom = a salmon in Irish mythology that ate the nine hazel nuts that fell into the Well of Wisdom, thus acquiring all the knowledge in the world. The first person to catch and eat this salmon would then acquire all this knowledge. The poet Finn Eces spent seven years fishing for this salmon and eventually caught it; but his apprentice, Fionn, in preparing it for him burnt his thumb on the hot salmon fat and sucked on it to ease the pain, thus acquiring the knowledge. Fionn became the leader of the Fianna, the famed heroes of Irish myth.

salmon oil = an oil as a waste from the salmon canning process, used in dressing leather and making soap.

salmon peel = a young salmon.

salmon pink = a yellowish-tinged pink colour.

salmon pipe = a device for catching salmon, not defined in more detail.

salmon plantation = an area of foreshore with or without buildings used by the commercial salmon fishery (Newfoundland).

salmon poisoning = a form of poisoning in dogs, other carnivores, and occasionally humans, commonly in the Pacific Northwest, from eating raw fish, especially salmon and trout, that are parasitized by the fluke Troglotrema salmincola, which serves as a vector for various rickettsiae. Neorickettsia helminthoeca causes haemorrhagic enteritis. See also salmon disease.

salmon post = salmon station.

salmon pound = an enclosure to trap migrating salmon.

salmon punt = salmon boat.

salmon rack = a type of obstruction to trap salmon migrating up a river (Newfoundland).

salmon station = an area on the foreshore, or on the banks of a river, from which the commercial salmon fishery is prosecuted. May have buildings (Newfoundland).

salmon tierce = a wooden cask for the export of split and cured salmon (Newfoundland).

salmon trap = a box-shaped structure in inshore waters with a length of net stretching from the shore to the box entrance, leading the fish into the box.

salmon twine = a stout linen line used in the knitting of salmon nets and traps.

salmon-and-trout = the mouth (rhyming slang).

salmon-thirty-salmon = nickname of an Alaskan airlines 737 jet painted to look like a salmon. The U.S. Congress subsidised the Alaska Fisheries Marketing Board in 2003 with $500,000 and the money was spent on painting the jet.

salmond-like = like a salmon in allusion to its instinct to return to its birthplace (Scottish dialect).

salmoneer = a commercial salmon fisherman (Newfoundland). See also salmonier.

salmonella = a not uncommon bacterium found in domestic aquaria, affecting humans. Symptoms include high fever, abdominal cramps and bloody diarrhoea and the patient usually recovers without treatment within a week. However, some infections stemming from a multidrug-resistant strain of Salmonella paratyphi B, can be much more serious, particularly to the elderly and small children.

salmonellosis = infection with Salmonella.

salmonier = a commercial salmon fisherman (Newfoundland). See also salmoneer.

salmonize = to make a river fit for salmon.

salmonry = the rights to the salmon fishery at a specified stretch of coast (Newfoundland).

salmonsews - salmon fry (obsolete).

salomon = salmon (3).

salppe = slap.

salt = 1) a measure of the presence of last on the surface of a commercially prepared fish. Ranges from slight (a fine powder) to moderate (fish colour obscured by salt) in fillets and in other applications from slight (fine salt not obscuring colour and transparency), through moderate, to high (crusted salt).

salt = 2) the application of salt to a split cod as a preservative.

salt absorbing cells = those cells in the gills which take in salt from the water.

salt bulk = 1) salmon, cod and related species salted in alternating layers of split fish and salt and arranged so the resulting fluid (pickle) can drain away. Also called round cure, round salted fish, bulk cure, kench cure, and bulk salted fish).

salt bulk = 2) to sell cod in its salted but undried condition.

salt burn = a condition arising when fine salt coagulates proteins near the surface of a fish being prepared and prevents any further penetration of salt into the flesh.

salt cart = a small wooden cart with two wheels and high sides, open at one end, used on fishing premises to move salt (Newfoundland).

salt cod = variously cured and split cod dried to various moisture contents.

salt concentration = percentage weight of salt in the water phase of a fish product. Percentage salt concentration is salt content divided by salt content plus water content multiplied by 100. Important in food safety as it protects smoked fish, which are not cooked before eating, from pathogens.

salt content = the weight of salt in a given weight of fish, e.g. g salt/100g fish in smoked fish; or given as a percentage. Not salt concentration.

salt creep = the accumulation of salt deposits on the side of the aquarium over time and through water evaporation.

salt crust = a method of preparing fish involving encasing the fish in salt before baking.

salt curing = fish preserved or cured with dry salt or in a brine, later dried or not, but immersed for a long time.

salt bulk = a quantity of split and washed cod, salted and placed in layers during the curing process (Newfoundland).

salt eel = a rope's end used in flogging, based on the use of an eel skin as a whip (obsolete).

salt fish = fish preserved by the addition of salt. See salt-fish.

salt fisherman = in Newfoundland, a vessel whose catch of cod is salted wet on board and taken to port to be dried.

salt fishing = 1) angling in salt or marine waters.

salt fishing = 2) commercial fishing where the catch is cleaned on deck and then packed in salt in the hold. See salter. Compare fresh fishing.

salt for Labrador = to apply salt liberally as in the preparation of Labrador fish (q.v.) (Newfoundland).

salt front = the limit up a river that a wedge of dense salt water penetrates from the sea.

salt lake = an enclosed body of water that has become salty through evaporation, usually fishless.

salt marsh = saltwater wetlands characterised by Spartina grasses or by halophytic vegetation and often nursery areas for fishes. Loss of marshes have great impacts on commercial fisheries. Usually dissected by a network of channels and having a productivity greater than agriculture and twenty times that of the open ocean.

salt pen = a wooden enclosure in which salt is stored on shore or on a vessel, the salt being used for curing fish (Newfoundland).

salt pound = salt pen.

salt round = to cure fish without any dressing.

salt round fish = whole ungutted fish cured with salt. Also called round cure, round salted fish, bulk cure, kench cure, salt bulk, bulk salted fish.

salt secreting cells = those cells in the gills which release salt to the water.

salt tolerance test = a test that measures the ability of salmonid smolts to transfer to salt water. A sample of smolts is exposed to salt water for a day and then their sodium or chloride ion concentration in blood plasma is measured and survival noted.

salt trip = a fishing voyage in which the catch is salted on board the ship (Newfoundland).

salt tub = a container for salt used to preserved fish such as cod.

salt wedge = a layer of higher salinity water moving along the bottom towards the head of an estuary.

salt-boiled fish = 1) cooking in brine before further processing such as canning.

salt-boiled fish = 2) cooking in salt until there is no free water left in the pot. Used in southeast Asia, the fish becomes covered in salt and, if effectively sealed, the product can be stored up to 9 months.

salt-fish = cod, split, salted and dried (Newfoundland).

saltatrix swimming = prolonged locomotion alternating with short stops of juvenile fish having semi-opaque bodies making them inconspicuous to predators and prey. Food is taken during the short stop by a short directed strike, and area-restricted random search attempts to find more prey before prolonged locomotion resumes, e.g. Engraulidae, Clupeidae, Gadidae, Cyprinidae.

saltbank schooner = the vessel which took part in the cod fishery on the Grand Banks, having dories stacked on deck. The dories rowed out from the schooner to use longlines to catch the fish.

salted on board = fish salted or processed on board ship.

salted salmon = headed, gutted, split salmon or salmon fillets, cured in a mix of salt, sugar and spices for 2-3 days and then air dried for a week or so.

saltem = at least.

salter = 1) a crew member who adds salt when processing cod in the Newfoundland fisheries. The fish were heavily salted and laid in layers of fish alternating with layers of salt, the fish piled crosswise in kenches, q.v.

salter = 2) a sea-run or anadromous brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis).

saltfish = cod and relatives or other fishes preserved by salting alone, e.g. about 460 lbs (208.8 kg) to 1000 lbs (454 kg) of split fish in a full butt or barrel.

saltfish-like = having the odour or flavour stimulus such as that associated with saltfish.

saltigrade = movement by leaps or hops.

salting = flavouring fish by rubbing in salt or by immersing the fish in brine for a short time before further processing such as smoking or canning. Also called dry salting or brining. cf. salt curing.

salting bin = a wooden crib in salt is stored or partially cured cod are stacked in salted layers (Newfoundland).

salting cask = a barrel-shaped wooden container for cured fish (Newfoundland).

salting stage = a building where split fish were salted in barrels before drying in Newfoundland. Used where stages, q.v., were liable to be adversely affected by bad weather.

salting store = salting stage.

saltwater fishing = sea fishing in Britain; fishing for sport in marine waters.

saltwater myxobacteriosis = an acute external bacterial disease of juvenile anadromous salmonids in the sea caused by Sporocysthophaga usually occurring sporadically in early summer.

saltwater taper = a weight forward fly line similar to a bass bug taper, q.v.

Salzfischwaren = a product from salt cured fish, especially salted herring. Also may be in the form of fillets, bits or diced, with brine, acidified brine, edible oil, sauces, mayonnaise, spices and vegetables or other flavouring agents (Germany).

Salzling = salted herring without bones and heads but with tail (Germany). Also in brine. The end product may include 20% milt or roe.

samlet = a young salmon.

sampan = a flat-bottomed Chinese boat about 3.5-4.5 m long used in fishing. Can be moved by oars or by an outboard motor. May have a shelter and form a home on inland waters and coastal areas. Still common in Southeast Asia. The word is derived from the Cantonese for three (sam) and plank (pan).

sample = 1) in systematic ichthyology a collection of fishes made from a locality; a subset of a population; a representative part of a larger unit used to study the properties of the whole. The larger the sample the greater the confidence that the information derived from it truly reflects the status of the whole although beyond a certain point more specimens do not yield significantly more data.

sample = 2) in fisheries a proportion of a stock removed for study, assumed to be representative of the whole. Larger samples give greater confidence that they reflect the status of a stock.

sample rod = a rod used to obtain a sample from barrel, e.g. of cod liver oil. Cod liver oil was graded according to colour, clarity and amount of dregs present. See also gauge rod and wantage rod.

sampling = the collecting of a sample; a general term used for field work.

sanal barrie = a small and oblong woven basket used for carrying sandeels as bait (Scottish dialect).

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.

sand = particles smaller than gravel but larger than silt, 0.0625-2.0 mm.

sand flat = sandy areas between reefs and rocks, apparently barren during the day but teeming with life at night.

sand spike = the North American term for the British rod rest, q.v., a device inserted into the bank of a water body to hold a fishing rod.

sand spit = a narrow sand embankment created by an excess of deposition at its seaward end and terminating in open water.

sandbar = a ridge of sand or silt formed in rivers by water action.

Sandercyanin = a blue biliprotein secreted in the mucus of blue forms of the walleye, Sander vitreus (Pericdae). The significance of the protein is unknown.

sandworm = a marine worm (Polychaeta) used as bait in angling, e.g. for striped bass. Also called blood worm.

sandy tidal flat = a tidal area without vegetation, mostly sand but some mud.

sanguivore = an organism feeding principally on blood.

sanguinicoliasis = an infestation with flukes of the genus Sanguinicola.

sanguinivorous = feeding on blood, e.g. certain pygiid catfishes such as Vandellia.

sanitary fish = herbivorous fish introduced into an aquaculture pond to limit growth of plants.

sanke = ornamental carp or koi (q.v.), being white fish with a red and black pattern.

SAO = a sloping, ventro-lateral row of photophores above the anal fin origin in Myctophidae.

sap (noun) = 1) a clump of worms strung on woollen yarn used as a bait in eel fishing. The eel's teeth catch in the yarn (English and Scottish dialect).

sap (verb) = 2) to fish with a sap.

saponin = a plant poison from members of the family Sapindaceae causing asphyxiation in fishes.

sapp = sap.

sapper = a boatload of cod (Newfoundland). See also sagger and swamper.

sappie = a diminutive for sap.

saprobic = pertaining to an environment rich in organic matter and low in oxygen.

saprolegniasis = a fungal infection from Saprolegnia, Aphanomyces and Achlya, usually a secondary infection after skin damage or scale loss but also affecting eggs in hatcheries. Appears as white to brown cottony or hairy patches on the skin, fins and gills. Death may occur if the gills are obstructed.

sapropel = the slimy, foetid, decayed bottom material in lakes. Rich in organic material and ferric sulphide formed from plant decay under saprobic conditions.

saprophagy = feeding on dead or decaying organisms. See also necrophagy, detritophagy and coprophagy.

saproplankton = plankton found on the surface of stagnant water, developing on decaying organic matter.

sarco- (prefix) = flesh or fleshy.

sarcophagy = feeding on flesh, carnivorous.

sardine = 1) a general term for fishes of the family Clupeidae which are canned, e.g. young Clupea harengus on the Atlantic coast of Canada, Sardinops sagax in California and Sardina pilchardus in England. English sardines are immature pilchards and the name was reserved for these fish only, by law. See also sprat.

sardine = 2) a sailor (American), as space on ships was limited (packed like sardines, q.v.).

sardine box = 1) a box in which sardines are packed.

sardine box = 2) an ornamental box to hold sardines for the table.

sardine key = a device to open a can of sardines, a slotted piece of metal that, when fixed to a flap on the can and rotated, peels off the lid.

Sardine Run = an immense spawning school of South African pilchard Sardinops sagax, 7 km long, 1.5 km wide and 30 m deep, off the east coast of South Africa from May to July.

sardine shears = scissors or shear used for opening a can of sardines.

sardine sorbet = a dish using sardines or herring fillets (or sardine broth and herring fillets), with cream, sour cream, shallots, chives, gelatine leaves and pepper, mixed and refrigerated.

sardines in (a) the box = a game of hide-and-seek in which the seeker joins the hider on discovery, until only one seeker remains.

sark = the black membrane lining the body cavity of fish (Orkney dialect).

sashimi = thin slices of raw fish (often tuna), usually with soy sauce and green mustard; a Japanese delicacy eaten immediately after preparation. Also called tsukurimi.

satellite = a small male fish which mimics a female and attempts to sneak a spawning opportunity by darting in on an adult spawning pair, e.g. in Lepomis gibbosus (Centrarchidae).

satellite species = the condition found in Petromyzontidae where a non-parasitic species is believed to have evolved from most parasitic species, forming a series of species pairs.

Saturday's slap = a gap in a weir to allow fish to swim upriver to spawning grounds from Saturday night to Monday morning (Scottish dialect). Fishing at this time was illegal.

Saturday's sloppe = Saturday's slap.

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.

sauced = a fifteenth century word for dressing tench (preparing this fish for consumption), no longer in use.

Sauer hering = a marinade made from gutted fresh or salted herring with bones and head. May also be headed (Germany).

Sauerlappen = block herring fillets cured in vinegar-acidified brine in barrels as a semi-preserve and used as raw material for making marinades and herring salads (Germany).

sauroid poisoning = scombrotoxism.

saury and brandy = a Japanese flavour of ice cream, made with many others in response to a hot summer in 2004 (sauries are members of the family Scomberesocidae). See also shark fin and noodle and eel.

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.

save = salting and drying cod to preserve it (Newfoundland).

save one's spring = showing a moderate profit at the end of the fishing season (Newfoundland).

save one's year = showing a moderate profit at the end of the fishing season (Newfoundland).

Savi's vesicle or ampullae = sensory organs in the form of closed sacs in Elasmobranchii associated with the lateral line and somewhat similar to the ampullae of Lorenzini, e.g. ventral surface of head of Torpedo.

saving trip = a moderately profitable fishing venture (Newfoundland).

saving voyage = saving trip.

sawtooth scale = a sharply pointed scale on the mid-belly of Clupeidae.

sc. = abbreviation for scilicet, meaning namely.

scaffold = 1) a raised platform on which nets are placed to dry, or are stored (Newfoundland). See also net horse, net gallows and shear.

scaffold = 2) a raised platform to store fish safely.

scag = 1) fish that become rotten through exposure to the sun (Scottish dialect).

scrag = 2) a small fish found in the stomach of a larger one (Scottish dialect).

scaine = a variant spelling of seine.

scalariform = ladder-shaped.

scalation = arrangement of scales, squamation.

scale = 1) a small, stiff, typically plate-like body in the skin of fishes, serving to protect, colour, and support the body. May be modified into spines, tubercles, bony plates, an exoskeleton, reduced or even lost. Phylogenetically absent in Amphioxi and Cyclostomata, and lost in various examples of the other groups, e.g. Torpedo, Ictalurus. The teleost scale is dermal in origin and consists of two major parts - the outer bony, hyalodentine or sclerite layer and the deeper fibrous section called the lamellar layer, fibrillary plate or basal plate. See placoid scale, ganoid scale, cycloid scale and ctenoid scale (latter two also called leptoid or elasmoid scales). Scales have a central focus or centre, an anterior or oral filed, a posterior or aboral field (visible on the flank), and dorsal and ventral fields. See also annulus, circulus.

scale = 2) to remove scales from a fish. Usually done by scraping.

scale = 3) to shed scales.

scale = 4) calcium buildup or plaque in an aquarium.

scale = 5) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for fishes.

scale = 6) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for ichthyologists (coined as a joke).

scale bone = the small superficial dermal bone lying between the epiotic and pterotic and covering the posttemporal bone. Also called tabular bones, extrascapulae, cervicals, nuchals, postparietals or supratemporals.

scale counts = see lateral line, longitudinal scale series, transverse rows, circumference, caudal peduncle, cheek, predorsal, etc.

scale eater = lepidophore (a scale-eating fish, specialised to tear off the scales of other fishes, e.g. the Lake Tanganyika cichlid Perissodus microlepis).

scale fish = 1) a term used in the U.S.A. for bottom-dwelling fish cured by salting and drying (other than cod and relatives).

scale fish = 2) a finfish or true fish as opposed to shellfish.

scale formula = scale counts are sometimes presented in the form of a formula. The number of scales above the lateral line is given above as the numerator, the number below the lateral line as the denominator under the line; before and after this fraction are given respectively the lowest and highest number of scales in the lateral line, e.g. 44 9-10/12-14 48, means 44 to 48 scales in the lateral line, 9-10 scales above the lateral line (not including the mid-dorsal scale) and 12-14 scales below the lateral line. Sometimes the count is given as L. transv. 9/14 which means 9 scales above and 14 below the lateral line. Sometimes also given as 9+70+11, meaning 9 above the lateral line, 70 in the lateral line, 11 below the lateral line.

scale picker = scale eater.

scale pocket = the skin fold in which a scale is situated.

scale protrusion = a disease found in aquarium fishes where the scales stick up and eventually fall off. Caused by a bacterial infection and treatable with antibiotics in the food.

scale reading = age determination by examining the annuli or growth rings on fish scales.

scale-eating = lepidophagy (scale-eating, several unrelated taxa are known to specialise in eating scales from other fishes using various methods, e.g. Terapon jarbua removes scales from Mugil cephalus. Scales and associated mucus and skin are not usually the exclusive diet of these species).

scale-fish = scalefish.

scale-less = lacking scales; use to avoid the confusion of scaled below.

scaled = 1) used in the sense of having scales, scaly; but could mean 2).

scaled = 2) past tense of scale, i.e. removing or lacking scales. Scaled seems to be (along with cleave) one of the few words in English that has two opposite meanings.

scalefish = fish bearing scales.

scaleless = lacking scales; usually in reference to species of fish that do not have scales such as catfishes but may refer to fish that have been scaled (2).

scalelet = subunit on the scale surface separated from others by radii.

scales = 1) an instrument for measuring the weight of a fish, e.g. small, hand-held spring loaded scales, not very accurate, digital scales.

scales = 2) money (American slang). See also shadscales.

scalimetry = age estimation using growth zones found on fish scales.

scaling = removing the scales but not the skin from a fish in food preparation.

scalloped = having a continuous but wavy border.

scalp = sculp.

scalpel marking = a retractable and sharp spine on the caudal peduncle of the aptly named surgeonfishes (Acanthuridae).

scaly = 1) having scales, covered with scales, being a scaly organism.

scaly = 2) shabby, mean (slang).

scaly fish = an honest, rough and blunt seaman.

scamel = a bench on which fish were cut up and offered for sale (Scottish dialect). Also spelled skemell and schamill.

Scandinavian housewife's disease = diphyllobothriasis (a parasitic, intestinal disease of humans caused by eating raw of lightly processed fish. The parasite is a tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium) and man is the definitive host, fish the intermediate host. Also called Jewish housewife's disease). The name arises from the tendency of preparers of fish balls to taste this dish before is was fully cooked.

Scania Market = a major fish market for herring held from 24 August to 9 October in the Middle Ages, so important that from about 1200 A.D. it made Scania a central point for other Western European goods entering Scandinavia. The market was held between the two Scanian towns of Skanör and Falsterbo but the exact locality varied as the fishermen set up shop close to the area where the herring spawned.

scantach = scantack.

scantack = a fishing line with hooks and bait fixed in a river or along the sea shore; often used by poachers at night (Scottish dialect). Also spelled skantack, scantick and scantach.

scantick = scantack.

scapefish = the use of fish similar to that of a scapegoat, bearing the blame of evil or a sin of humans, e.g. in Assyria, fish were used symbolically to transport evil from the earth to subterranean waters.

scaphium = the second of the four Weberian ossicles, q.v., named for its spoon shape.

scapula = the upper, paired endochondral bone on which the pterygials, actinosts or radials of the pectoral fin rest. It articulates ventrally with the coracoid an anteriorly with the cleithrum. A notch on the lower edge of the scapula matches a similar notch on the coracoid to frame the scapular foramen.

scapular arch = scapular girdle or pectoral girdle.

scapular area = the shoulder area behind the head.

scapular cartilage = a rod-shaped cartilage forming the lateral part of the coracoscapular bar in Elasmobranchii, articulating ventrally with the coracoid cartilage and dorsally with the suprascapular. The pectoral fin attaches laterally to its glenoid cavity.

scapular foramen = a notch on the lower edge of the scapula matching a similar notch on the coracoid to frame a foramen.

scapular girdle = pectoral girdle (the bony support of the pectoral fin behind the gills and usually attached to the posterior part of the skull; the "shoulder" girdle. Composed of the following basic elements (some of which may be lost): coracoid, scapula, pterygials, postcleithrum, cleithrum (main bone), supracleithrum and posttemporal. The "primary" pectoral girdle includes actinosts, scapula, coracoid, and sometimes mesocoracoid cartilage or endochondral bones and supports the fins directly. The "secondary" (and more primitive) pectoral girdle encloses the dermal post-temporal, supracleithrum, cleithrum, and two postcleithra, which are membrane bones and is only indirectly related to the fins. Also called shoulder girdle).

scapular thorn = large spines on each side of the anterior midline (shoulder region) of skates.

scapulo-coracoid = a region of the pectoral girdle skeleton in Actinopterygii.

scarce = the distance between two points in ripper-fishing (q.v.).

scaring line = 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.

scarified = cuts in the thicker parts of the muscle of a fish to allow penetration of salt.

scart = a poaching technique where hooks are dragged along the river bed (Scottish dialect).

scatter point = a position along a structure where fish begin to separate or scatter; often in shallow water close to a break line.

scatterer = an ecological group comprising reproductive guilds (q.v.) where eggs are scattered and develop pelagically, attached to submerged or emergent objects, or on the substrate. Most fishes simply scatter their eggs in high numbers. The eggs are nutrient poor, embryonic differentiation is delayed and there is a long larval period ending in metamorphosis.

Schaefer model = the basic form of production model in which the relation between yield and effort takes the form of a symmetric parabola. B_MSY (q.v.) is at one-half carrying capacity.

schamill = scamel.

sched. = scheda.

scheda = label; used for the label on a specimen. Abbreviated sched.

schematochrome = colour in a chromtophore produced by light reflections from a colourless surface and tissue refractions. Also called structural colours.

Schillerlocken = hot smoked strips from the belly wall of dogfish, Squalus acanthias, named for the poet's curly locks.

schizotype = a syntype regarded by a subsequent author as the type of a taxon but not specifically designated as the type for that taxon.

Schmidt's index = the horizontal distance between the anus and the dorsal fin origin as a percentage of total length. Used as a measure of fin length and position in eels.

schnabel length = German for bill or beak. Schnabel length in ichthyology is the length of the pointed projection or beak on the chin of some Sebastes.

Schnabel method = a mark-recapture method for estimating population size of a closed population. Individuals are marked and released, more are caught and marked with the same mark and released, the catches of marked and unmarked fish being counted.

Schnauzenorgan = a German word for the chin protuberance or chin appendix of elephant nose fishes (Mormyridae), where there is the highest density of electrical receptors.

Schoener Index = a measure of dietary similarity on a scale from 0 (no overlap, completely different) to 1 (identical diet).

scholl = a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for fishes.

school = 1) a group of fishes, usually constituted of the same species, which tends to orient and move in the same direction. There are obligate and facultative schoolers. The latter can only be forced to stop schooling momentarily by considerable violence and will not maintain a state of random orientation. See aggregation and shoal.

school = 2) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for butterflyfish.

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

school = 4) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for sharks.

school = 5) scull (1).

School of Fish = an alternative rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1989 and disbanded 5 years later. The main members were Josh Clayton-Felt and Michael Ward.

schoolfish = a fish species that forms schools.

schoolie = a fish, especially a young fish, that swims in a school.

schooling = acting as a school.

schooling up = a grouping of a large number of fish near the surface.

Schreckreaktion = the alarm response to alarm substance (Schreckstoff).

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

schrod = scrod.

scientific cruise = a voyage by a vessel for scientific purposes.

scientific fishery survey = studies from a vessel aimed at increasing scientific knowledge of the fishery. Usually exempt from fishing regulations. As it uses standard gear, it is not affected by the commercial need to change gear in response to economic needs, thus giving a clearer picture of abundance.

scientific name = the Latin or latinized name of a taxon as opposed to its popular or vernacular name. Consists of two words, the genus name and the species or trivial name, e.g. Squalus acanthias, the spiny dogfish. Convention demands that this name be underlined, italicised, in bold face or in some other fashion distinguished from the rest of the printed text. See also name.

scientific research vessel = a vessel owned or chartered by, and controlled by, a foreign government agency, a national government agency, a university, an international treaty organization, or a scientific institution. The vessel must have scientific research as its exclusive mission during the scientific cruise in question and its operations must be conducted in accordance with a scientific research plan.

scilicet = namely. Abbreviated as sc.

scintillon = a chemically active membrane bound particle in Gonyaulax which reacts with molecular oxygen to produce living light or bioluminescence.

sclera = the opaque protective outer coat of the back of the eye. Supported by sclerotic bones or scleral cartilage.

scleral cartilage = circular cartilage ringing the posterior portion of the eye in the sclera. Supports the eye.

scleral ossification = bones lying in and supporting the sclera of the eye. There are commonly two in Perciformes but there is only one in Callionymidae and some Gobioidei (other gobioids have only a circular ribbon of scleral cartilage).

sclerite = bony upper layer lying on the fibrillary plate of a teleost scale.

scleroblast = osteoblast (a cell which deposits calcium salts and forms bone, the precursor cell of an osteocyte. Osteoblasts migrate to centres of bone formation during early development).

sclerochronology = the study of calcified structures (otoliths, scales, skeleton) to reconstruct the past history of an organism.

sclerotic bone = one of a series of bones in the sclera of the eye, e.g. in Salmo there are anterior and posterior sclerotic bones, in Gasterosteus dorsal and posterior, and in Xiphias the entire sclera ossifies with two openings, one for the cornea and one for the optic nerve.

sclerotic coat = sclera.

sclerotome = the block of mesenchyme tissue destined to become a vertebral centra, the posterior and anterior halves of two adjacent sclerotomes fusing to form the centra (rarely each forms a centra as is the case naturally in Amia, or teratologically in other forms).

sclope = slap.

scoliosis = a lateral curvature of the fish vertebral column, often caused through malnutrition.

scombrotoxic fishes = those fishes causing scombroid fish poisoning - certain species of Scombridae, Scomberesocidae, and possibly other dark-meated marine species.

scombrotoxin = the poison in scombrotoxic fishes, believed to consist of histamine, saurine and possibly other toxic by-products resulting from bacterial action on histidine, a normal muscle constituent of dark-meat fishes.

scombrotoxism = a form of fish poisoning resulting from consumption of scombrotoxic fishes. Certain bacteria in improperly preserved fish act on the histidine in the dark meat of the fish, converting it to saurine and histamine. The ingestion of the latter causes an allergy-like reaction. Toxic scombroid flesh has a sharp or peppery taste. Symptoms, which usually develop a few minutes after ingestion, include headache, epigastric and abdominal pain, burning of the throat, cardiac palpitation, thirst, vomiting and diarrhoea. A general erythema and, in severe cases, respiratory distress may develop. Acute symptoms usually last 10-12 hours, death is rare. In the event of poisoning, the stomach should be evacuated and epinephrine administered. Brotoxin, eperephrin, cortisone, and intravenous bendryl may be employed.

scoo = a flat scoop-shaped basket used by fishermen to hold their lines after they have been baited or into which herrings are put when being gutted (Scottish dialect).

scoop = scoop net.

scoop basket = a basket made of wicker, plaited material, clothing and even spider webs in the shape of a scoop or shovel used to catch small fishes.

scoop net = dip-net (a bag-shaped net held open by a square or rounded frame on the end of a long pole. Used to scoop fish from the water, either on small scale in streams or ponds or commercially from large catches).

scoop seine = a small purse seine used to extract fish from a large enclosure that lacks any concentrating nets to ease capture of the fish.

scooping gear = a net kept under water for some time and then rapidly raised to capture any fish swimming or resting over it.

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

scoring = making cuts through the fish skin to allow faster penetration of salt before smoking or to allow softening of small flesh bones when frying.

Scotch barrel = a wooden container for export of herring processed as Scotch cured.

Scotch cured herring = unwashed, fresh herring that has been gibbed, roused and packed tightly in barrels and mild cured in their own blood pickle. This form of processed herring has a limited shelf life.

Scotch pack = Scotch cured herring.

scotophilia = darkness loving; fish that move away from light, such as some cave fishes.

Scottish seine = a seine set from a free-floating marker buoy. When the free end is returned to the buoy, both ends are lifted onto the vessel and dragging and hauling begins as the vessel moves forward. This process is called fly dragging.

scour = the process of plant and sediment removal by water action, as in floods.

scouting = a vessel searching for fishes by visual, acoustic or other means that does not involve catching of fish.

scow = scoo.

scrae = fish preserved by being dried in the sun (Scottish dialect). Also spelled skrae, skrea and scray.

scran = left over fish or fish caught accidentally with the target species, eaten by the crew of a boat (Scottish dialect).

scranner = a fishing boat that poaches within the three-mile limit (Scottish dialect).

scrap = fish waste.

scrap fish = non-commercial fish, those not used for human consumption.

scraper = fishes scraping food from rocks or plants, e.g. Chondrostoma nasus.

scraper trawl = a trawl net designed to maximise groundfish catches by increasing area swept, i.e. they have very long wings and do not require a high headline.

scraping net = a large bag or skimming net held from a boat against the current or on a beach for short intervals. Sometimes operated with counter-weights to lift it out of the water.

scratcher = a trawler that fishes as close as possible to the three-mile limit and so is able to land catches more frequently (Scottish dialect).

scratcher disease = a infestation of the intestinal canal caused by worms (Acanthocephala) which dig into the canal wall causing inflammation, perforation, anaemia and weakness. Can be fatal to smaller fishes.

scray = scrae.

screamer = a hard fighting fish since it makes the reel "scream".

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

screenge = to fish the sea bottom inshore with a small seine (Scottish dialect).

screenge net = a small seine used inshore (Scottish dialect).

screenger = one who fishes with a screenge net (Scottish dialect). Also spelled scringer.

screw = to press dried cod tightly into a cask or drum for export (Newfoundland).

screw trap = a trap consisting of a cone through which fish, such as lampreys enter the trap, the cone has a cork-screw fin in it that turns the cone when water hits it, and as the cone spins, all the fish are funneled into a live box. The live box has a perforated debris drum at the back to remove floating debris.

screw-cap vial = a vial with a threaded plastic cap, often used to store parts of a dissected specimen or very small specimens that would be lost in a large jar.

screwed fish = dried cod pressed tightly into a cask or drum for export (Newfoundland).

screwing room = an area in a merchant's premises in which cod are pressed in casks for export (Newfoundland).

scringer = screenger.

scrod = 1) a New England term for a young cod, haddock or pollock split and boned for cooking as the catch of the day. Usually the smallest market size fish. Also spelled schrod (from the Middle Dutch schrode).

scrod = 2) past pluperfect of screw.

scrogag = a half-dried fish (Scottish dialect). Also spelled scroggan.

scroggan = scrogag.

scroll intestinal valve = an intestinal valve where the valve is very long and rather like a scroll of paper inserted along the length of the intestine.

scrubber = a small bundle of twigs, usually heather, used for scrubbing the insides of a split fish in Scotland.

scruff = an inferior grade of fish (Newfoundland).

scrunche(o)ns = scrunchins.

scrunchings = scrunchins.

scrunchins = pieces of fish liver after the oil has been removed (Newfoundland). Also spelled cruncheons, scrunche(o)ns, scrunchings or scrunchions.

scrunchions = scrunchins.

scull = 1) the annual migration of capelin (Mallotus villosus) to spawn on beaches with associated feeding on this concentration by Atlantic cod and seabirds. Also spelled school and skull.

scull = 2) any fish migration.

scull = 3) a boat oar.

scull = 4) to propel a boat with one oar worked from side to side over the stern.

scull = 5) a shallow, scoop-shaped basket, deep at one end for the fishing line and shallow at the other for the baited hooks. Also used to carry fish. See also setting of the sculls.

sculp (noun) = 1) the fleshy part of a cod's head, cut off and eaten as a delicacy (Newfoundland).

sculp (verb) = 2) to cut off the fleshy part of a cod's head (Newfoundland).

sculpin = 1) a member of the the family Cottidae.

sculpin = 2) a mean or mischief-making person (New England slang).

sculpted = sculptured.

sculptured = having ornamentation, surface shapes or textures.

scum = 1) a surface layer of algae. Also called mat.

scum = 2) an outsize angling net used scoop salmon out of pockets in fly nets (q.v.) (Scottish dialect).

scum net = 1) an additional net used to scoop up fish that fall out of drift net as it is is being hauled in.

scum net = 2) a scoop net used for catching salmon in rivers.

scumming net = scum net.

scun = 1) to keep a lookout for fish (Newfoundland).

scun = 2) to fasten parts of a fish net together or to repair a net, often temporarily (Newfoundland).

scuta = plural of scutum.

scuttle dan leno = a lighter version of the dan leno bobbin, q.v., a hemisphere.

scutum (plural scuta) = scute.

scutatus stage = pelagic juvenile Antennariidae characterised by bony plates extending posteriorly from the cranium beyond the level of the operculum bones and with an expansion of the anterior margins of the bones of the suspensorium.

scute = an external shield-like plate or scale, usually with a keel or spiny point e.g. bony plates along the body of Acipenseridae, sharp-edged midventral scales of Clupeidae.

se koke disease = a wasting disease of fish fed on silk worm larvae.

sea = 1) a large body of salt water, smaller than an ocean, more or less landlocked and part of or connected with an ocean or larger sea.

sea = 2) waves caused by wind and the state of the ocean or lake in regard to waves.

sea anchor = the American term for the British word drogue, namely a drag, usually a canvas-covered conical frame, floating behind a vessel to prevent drifting or to maintain a heading into the wind.

sea cage = a floating enclosure of wire or netting used to hold and rear fish in the sea or open water.

sea cubbie = a woven straw fish basket (Orkney dialect).

sea dog = the old English name for sharks. Shark was introduced in 1569 by John Hawkins' sailors who exhibited one in London. Based on Caribbean usage for large sharks and is probably from the Yucatec Maya word for shark, xook, pronounced [ʃoːk].

sea farming = mariculture (marine cultivation or aquaculture of organisms in tanks, pens, ponds or cages or net enclosed areas in the open sea).

sea fishing = saltwater fishing in American English.

sea food = any marine organism used as food including fishes, shellfishes, seaweeds, etc.

sea frozen fish = fishes frozen on board a vessel.

sea grass = eelgrass (a submerged aquatic plant with very long and narrow leaves, often a habitat for fishes).

sea horse soup = a Cantonese medicinal soup made with dried seahorses. Supposedly sea horses are good for the skin, lungs and cleansing the kidneys in traditional Chinese medicine.

sea ice = pack ice (floating ice that has been driven together into a single mass).

sea ivory = the scutes of sturgeons (Acipenseridae) made into jewelry in North America.

sea kitten = a name for fish used by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), in a youth-focused campaign in an attempt to make fish more endearing to people who would eat them, to stop angling, encourage conservation, address overfishing, etc.

sea leopard = ornamental leather made from the skin of wolffishes (Anarhichadidae).

sea level rise = the long-term trend in mean sea level.

sea mile = nautical mile, or one minute of arc of a great circle (1,842 metres at the equator and 1,861 m at the pole).

Sea Monkeys = brine shrimp (Artemia nauplii) are used as food for fry in aquaria and, to a limited extent, adult brine shrimp may be fed to larger fish. They are not very nutritious and should not be used as the sole food. The nauplii are hatched from purchased cysts in warm, aerated, saline water and must be rinsed to remove salt before feeding to fry. Sold as "Sea Monkeys" in comics.

sea purse = mermaid's purse (an egg-case of an Elasmobranchii, usually oblong with horns or tendrils).

sea puss = a strong and dangerous longshore current or rip current caused by return flow.

sea ranching = release of fish into the sea that are then re-captured on their migratory return, e.g. salmon smolts harvested as adults 2-5 years after release. Recapture rates are usually less than 5% but may be as high as 20%.

sea run = said of fishes that enter the ocean, usually for feeding.

sea serpent = a huge, elongate, mythical, marine animal. Various fish species of large size and form unfamiliar to the layman have been mistaken for sea serpents. Also the decayed remains of basking sharks that have their massive gill arches washed away can resemble popular ideas of a serpent.

sea stick = old term for herring salted in barrels at sea and later repacked on shore (United Kingdom).

sea taboo name = a special vocabulary used at sea, presumably to prevent bad luck and ensure a good catch.

sea time = logged time spent at sea; may be used to measure effort in scientific collecting.

sea water = the water in the oceans having a mixture of dissolved salts and a salinity of 30-35 p.p.t.

sea-gypsy = a Malayan fisherman (and family) who spend all their lives at sea.

sea-ledger = ledger tackle (q.v.) used for fishing in the sea.

sea-net = a net used for fishing in the sea.

sea-packed = fish packed at sea to be sold on arrival in a port.

sea-runner = an anadromous fish.

sea-trap = a trap used for catching in the sea.

seafood = food for humans comprised of organisms from the sea including fishes. May be restricted by regulation to exclude aquaculture products. Often excludes mammals and birds.

seafood birdsnest = the crunchy nest is made of dried taro and can have a fish fillet filling (as well as scallops, celery, mushrooms, shrimps and calamari).

Seafood Watch = a listing of sea foods giving best choices, good alternatives and sea foods to avoid. The latter includes fish that are caught or farmed in ways that harm the environment and include sharks, sturgeons, tunas, farmed salmon, orange roughys, etc. (see www.seafoodwatch.org.

seahorse = 1) a member of the family Syngnathidae which also includes pipefishes. These fishes are characterised by a body enclosed in bony rings, and seahorses have an erect body posture, a prehensile tail, a long snout and the males have a pouch in which they brood the young. Often displayed in aquaria and sold dried as curios.

seahorse = 2) a large, white crested wave.

seahorse soup = sea horse soup.

seal-head cod = cod with a deformed head (Newfoundland). See also bulldog cod.

seam = a calm spot in a river caused by a log or other obstruction.

seamount = 1) an undersea mountain; usually of volcanic origin and with high endemism.

seamount = 2) the shore of the sea.

sean(e) = a seine used at sea. Also called seyne.

search time = the time a fishing vessel spends looking for fish schools. In purse seining, search time may be time at sea minus duration of the set.

season = the time of year when certain fishes are caught with specific gear.

seasonal closure = a closed season when fishing is banned in an area of for an entire fishery for a specified time to protect stocks, juveniles or spawners.

seasonal fishing mortality rate = conditional 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 (Ricker, 1975). Also called annual mortality rate. Abbreviated as m).

seasonal growth rate = the number of fish which die during a season, divided by the initial number (Ricker, 1975).

seasonal total mortality rate = the number of fish which die during a season from causes other than fishing divided by the initial number (Ricker, 1975). Also called annual mortality rate, annual natural mortality rate, conditional natural mortality rate, seasonal natural mortality rate.

seastick = herring salted at sea immediately after being caught (Newfoundland).

seat = a place where fishermen fish with hand lines (Shetland Isles dialect). Also called hand line seat.

seat box = a specially designed box used in match fishing in Europe or in any static fishing where the angler sits for long periods at the same spot. The box contains drawers and compartments for holding rigs and tackle.

seawall = a structure built to prevent erosion by wave action.

sec. = abbreviation for secundum, meaning according to.

Secchi depth = a measure of transparency; see Secchi disc.

Secchi disc = a 20-30 cm diameter disc marked in 2 black and 2 white opposing quadrants, lowered into the water. The average of the depth at which it disappears from sight and the depth at which it reappears when lowered and raised in the water column is the Secchi disc reading or Secchi depth, a measure of transparency.

Secchi disc reading = a measure of transparency; see Secchi disc.

second = one in command of a fishing vessel under the captain.

second boat = the boat which neither shoots nor hauls the net in pair trawling.

second fry pond = second fry rearing pond.

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

second hand = second.

second suborbital = third infraorbital in Characidae.

second-level consumer = a fish that feeds on other animals that themselves feed on plants. Also called middle-level consumer.

secondarily anaulacorhizid = a condition of the chondrichthyan tooth where the median groove of a holaulacorhizid type of root is totally overgrown to form a closed tube internally connected or merged with the pulp cavity (Herman et al., 1994).

secondary bone = bony tissue deposited in an area where the bone has been reabsorbed.

secondary contact = the zone where the ranges of two taxa now overlap or abut following their geographical isolation and differentiation from a common ancestor.

secondary freshwater fishes = those fish rather strictly confined to fresh water but evidently capable of occasionally crossing narrow sea barriers; tolerance of sea water for short periods is known for many species, e.g. Lepisosteidae, most Poeciliidae, most Cichlidae, Synbranchidae.

secondary homonym = the two or more species-group names applied to different taxa of the group and included in the same nominal genus as the result of the transfer of one or more of the species-group taxa from another genus.

secondary host = intermediate host (a fish in which a parasite passes a larval or non-reproductive phase).

secondary lamella = lamella (plural lamellae) (a layer, a thin plate, e.g. the plates in the sucking disc on the head of Echeneidae; in gills the transverse vertical plate on the gill filaments through which capillaries run).

secondary male = a male fish produced by regression of the ovaries and proliferation of testicular material, e.g. in Rivulus marmoratus (Cyprinodontidae). See hermaphrodism and primary male.

secondary osteon = an erosional cavity formed from a vascular canal secondarily filled with concentric bone layers.

secondary radius = a radius on a scale that does not reach the focus or extends only part way between focus and margin of the scale.

secondary scale = one of a series of small scales on the exposed surface of main scales, e.g. in some Mugilidae.

secondary sex characteristic = any characters that identify or separate the sexes other than ovaries and testes (the primary sex characteristics). These characters may be be colour or some anatomical feature.

secondary structure = zones that do not agree with the opaque and translucent zones of an annulus in ageing fish. These secondary structures are false and split or double rings or zones.

secondary type = a referred, measured or figured specimen, not a primary type.

seconds = fish not meeting the requirements of number one grade in commercial sales.

secretocyte = a highly specialised cell in the skin of the discus fish that secretes nutrients for the young.

secretory granulocyte = a type of blood cell of unknown function found in Ictiobus cyprinellus and Ictiobus niger (Catostomidae).

secular = pertaining to the passage of time.

secundum = according to. Abbreviated as sec.

sed = sud.

sedek = seddick.

seddick = a fishing ground (Scottish dialect). Also spelled saedick and sedek.

sedentary = 1) fish which do not move far, e.g. less than 1.6 km from a release point.

sedentary = 2) the Newfoundland fishery carried out by fishermen from nearby harbours, not migratory fishermen.

sedis incertae = incertae sedis (of uncertain seat, meaning of uncertain taxonomic position or affinities).

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

seepage lake = a lake without a significant inlet or outlet, fed by rainfall and groundwater. The water has a long residence time. Often susceptible to acid rain where there is little groundwater flow.

segmental artery = the artery leading from the dorsal aorta or caudal artery to the spinal cord.

segmental plate = an unsegmented field of paraxial mesoderm found posterior to the somite file, from which somites will form.

segmental vein = a vein lading from the spinal cord to the caudal vein, axial vein or posterior cardinal vein.

segmentation = a repetition of elements, particularly along the anterior-posterior axis. Used to define the period of embryonic development between the gastrula and pharyngula.

segmented = divided, particulate; used to describe egg yolk in larval fishes as opposed to homogenous.

segmented ray = a fin ray divided into segments along its length.

seiche = a periodic oscillation or stationary wave of the water in a lake usually caused by strong winds or barometric pressure changes; stratified layers may be mixed and shoreline habitats flooded or exposed. Small inflowing streams can flow backwards, disconcertingly.

seine = 1) a net shaped like a curtain used to encircle fishes, usually weighted at the bottom and with floats at the top, and often with a bag in the centre. May be operated from shore, or from a boat (Danish or Scottish seines).

seine = 2) a kind of net for effecting an involuntary change of environment. For fish it is made strong and coarse, but women are more easily taken with a singularly delicate fabric weighted with small, cut stones (from "The Devils' Dictionary" by Ambrose Bierce).

seine ball = a lead sinker attached to the foot of a seine to keep the lower edge near the bottom and the net stretched.

seine barrow = a flat and rectangular wooden frame with handles at each end for two men to carry a cod seine.

seine boat = the boat that was operated from a schooner catching mackerel with a purse seine, q.v.

seine gallows = a wooden frame on which a seine is placed to dry.

seine lead = seine ball.

seine linnet = netting which forms a seine.

seine man = a man engaged in fishing with a seine, especially for bait to supply banking vessel in Newfoundland.

seine master = a man in charge of a boat and crew fishing with seines. Also called master of the seine.

seine rope = one of the two long ropes used to haul in a seine.

seine skiff = a large open boat, propelled by oars, used to fish with seines.

seine tar = a form of tar used to tan nets.

seine vessel = the largest vessel used to operate a seine.

seining = using a seine.

seismosenory = pertaining to lateral line sense organs.

sekoke = a disease of Cyprinus carpio fed on silk worm pupae resulting in muscle wasting, loss of appetite, poor growth and death.

selachine = a neurohumor causing paling. Found in Mustelus.

selachophobia = fear of sharks, a medical term where the sufferer feels anxiety even when viewing a shark in an aquarium or other safe environment. Also called galeophobia.

selection = 1) in taxonomy at one period used nomenclaturally for subsequent designation of a type.

selection = 2) process favouring one feature of an organisms in a population over other features through differential reproduction (organisms with favoured features produce more young and are more numerous in subsequent generations).

selection = 3) selectivity.

selective breeding = the intentional selection of individual spawners in artificial production programmes to produce particular traits in subsequent generations.

selective feeder = a fish that chooses a given type of food from several that are available in the environment.

selective feeding = choosing a given type of food for feeding in aquaculture.

selective fishery = a fishery that allows the unharmed release of non-target fish stocks/runs.

selective gear = a gear allowing fishers to capture few (if any) species other than the target species.

selective harvest = where an angler keeps some of the catch as food but releases others alive for future sport.

selective trawl = a trawl designed to catch certain smaller species or fish sizes thereby facilitating a pre-sorting of the catch and protecting species or stocks.

selectivity = the ability of gear to catch a certain kind (species selectivity) or size (size selectivity) of fish compared to its ability to catch other kinds. May allow young and non-target species to escape.

selectivity curve = escapement curve (the relationship between size (or age) and the probability of a fish escaping from the gear after having encountered it, e.g. swimming through the mesh of a net, the sorting grid of a trawl, or the escape gate of a trap).

self depth adjusting waggler = a float used in angling that automatically sets itself to the correct depth. It has a two point friction device at the float bottom where the line passes through. When cast out with a slack line the float will rise to the surface, the line can then be tightened until only the desired float tip is showing, and the float will lock as long as the line is tight. Also called ledger float.

self-cocking float = a float used in angling with a weighted base, cocking the float immediately and allowing the unweighted line to sink slowly.

self-feeder = a mechanism that dispenses food when a fish activates it. Also called pendulum feeder or demand feeder.

self-sustaining population = a population of fish that exists in sufficient numbers in a natural ecosystem to maintain its levels through time without human interference such as supplementation with hatchery fish.

sella turcica = a cavity in the basisphenoid where the adenohypophysis is found.

sellak = sellok.

selloc = sellok.

sellok = a newly hatched fry or the young of fish, especially herring (Scottish dialect).

semelparous = organisms having only one brood per lifetime, the adult dying after spawning, e.g. Pacific salmons.

semestrial - referring to a period of six months.

semi- (prefix) = half, partly.

semi-anadromous = incomplete migration between fresh and salt water. The fish spawns and overwinters in fresh waters but feeds in large, brackish estuarine areas, the plumes of fresh water mixed with saline sea water that are rich in nutrients and important foraging areas. Such populations are known as winter races and often grow faster, mature at larger sizes, spawn earlier in spring and move further upstream than non-migratory stocks (spring races).

semi-boneless cod = a superior grade of salted cod from which bones and skin have been removed but some smaller bones are left behind.

semi-diadromous = living in brackish water near river mouths and only entering fresh water to spawn.

semi-diurnal = having a period or cycle of approximately one-half of a tidal day (12.4 hours). See semidiurnal tide.

semi-dry = a grade of cod involving a quick drying operation.

semi-dry ration = in aquaculture, a diet formed from a dry product and ground meat.

semi-enclosed = used of a water body mostly surrounded by land, e.g. the Baltic Sea.

semi-intensive culture = aquaculture where only part of the life cycle of the fish is under controlled conditions. Generally the early stages are controlled and then the fish is released for ongrowing.

semi-lunar valve = elasmobranchs have semi-lunar valves in the conus arteriosus of the heart, q.v.

semi-preserves = fish or fish products that have been stabilised by various methods for a limited period of shelf life (1-2 months usually).

semi-submersible submarine = a submarine carrying passengers, usually tourists, who can view fishes and other undersea life through windows while the skipper drives the submarine from a wheelhouse above water level.

semibottom trawl = a trawl fished just above the bottom of the sea bed.

semibuoyant = said of eggs that neither sink nor float but remain suspended in the water column.

semicircular ear canal = fluid-filled canals embedded in the cranium and concerned with balance and hearing. Gnathostomata have 3 canals, lampreys have 2 (lacking a horizontal canal), and hagfishes have only one canal, perhaps appearing secondarily by the joining of two canals. Fossil Cyclostomata my have had 7 or more semicircular canals. Each canal and otolith camera has an inner area (the macula or spot) covered with a receptor epithelium.

semidemersal = semipelagic.

semidiurnal tide = a tide with two high and two low waters in a tidal day with comparatively little diurnal tide inequality. The commonest type of tide.

semidrift gill net = a gill net with one end anchored and the other allowed to drift.

seminal receptacle = the blind sac between the anus and excretory pore behind whose opening is a ridge of skin with the shape of an anteriorly opened triangle followed by a tongue-shaped posteriorly directed appendage, the caudal pad.

seminal vesicle = the enlarged lower end of the genital duct which is secretory in nature and completes the formation of the spermatophores and stores them. The so-called "seminal vesicles" of teleosts (Blennioidea, Gobioidea) are misnamed and do not store sperm; their function is uncertain. Siluriformes have seminal vesicles.

semilunate = shaped like a half-moon.

semipelagic = said of fish that spend part of their life on the bottom and part in the water column above.

semipelagic trawl = a trawl fished off the bottom.

semispecies = a component species of a superspecies, incipient species.

senescent fishery = a fishery showing significant declines for a number of years, usually through overfishing.

senescent period = old age, a time when fish growth is extremely slow, arrested or negative and gametes are inferior or not produced. This period can last several years, e.g. in Acipenseridae, or several days, e.g. Oncorhynchus.

senior homonym = the earlier published of two homonyms.

senior synonym = the synonym with the earlier publication date.

sens. = abbreviation for sensu, meaning in the sense of.

sens. amplo. = sensu amplificato (in an enlarged sense).

sens. lat. = sensu lato.

sens. str. = sensu stricto.

sensory canal bone = canal bone (one of the series of bones of dermal origin that enclose the neuromasts and seismosensory canals. May be formed from one or more ossification centres).

sensory canal = lateral line (a tube-like sensory organ (usually bearing pores) extending along the side of the body. Detects water movements, low frequency vibrations and perhaps temperature changes. In some fishes the sensory organs are uncovered (without a tube or pores). The lateral line is innervated by the vagus or Xth cranial nerve. The similar sensory system on the head, often called the cephalic sensory canals, is differently innervated. Lateral lines may be single, multiple, complete (extend to the base of the caudal fin) or incomplete, have accessory branches, be decurved, recurved, arched. etc.).

sensu = in the sense of. Used in nomenclature in front of the name of the author misapplying a name. Abbreviated as sens.

sensu amplificato = in an enlarged sense. Abbreviated as sens. amplo. or s. ampl.

sensu amplo = sensu lato.

sensu lato = in the broad sense; using a taxon inclusively to embrace two or more taxa which other authors consider distinct. Abbreviated as sens. lat., s. lat. or s. l.

sensu stricto = in the strict sense, in the narrow sense; using a taxon restrictively, excluding taxa which other authors include. Abbreviated as sens. str., s. str. or s. s.

sentinel fishery = monitoring a threatened stock through time by a scientific fishery, often with commercial fishermen who can sell the catch.

sentry effect = an awareness of predators increased by the presence of many fish in a school.

separability = the assumption, made in some age-structured stock assessment models, used to track changes in fishing mortality by fish age and by fishing year, that the fishing mortality matrix can be partitioned into two components: These are an age-specific component that does not vary over time, i.e. a constant exploitation pattern, and an annual multiplier that scales the age-specific pattern up or down.

separata = plural of separatum.

separate = separatum.

separation = separatum.

separator panel = sieve netting.

separator trawl = a trawl that catches fish in separate sections of the net based on behavioural differences, e.g. cod and plaice would be caught in a lower section while haddock would be taken in an upper section. The meshes of the two compartments can be different and adjusted to catch the size of adult fish required.

separatum (plural separata) = a reprint (a printed copy of an article in a serial publication or in a separate work, intended for distribution subsequent to the publication of the work that contains it; the text is identical with the original, but there may be changes in headings, pagination, or page arrangement). The advance distribution of separates after 1999 does not constitute publication for purposes of zoological nomenclature.

septal bone = an unpaired median ossification of the interorbital septum embracing posteriorly with two thin flanges the ethmoid cartilage, and which touches dorsally the frontal and posteriorly the basisophenoid. Found in Pholidichthyidae.

septomaxilla = pre-ethmoid (one of the paired deep bones lying above the vomer in Amia and Esox. Similar bones occur in Catostomidae and Cyprinidae. Formerly called septomaxilla but not homologous with that bone in tetrapods).

septum = a thin partition.

septum papillaris = a division of the pupil or eye. In Osteoglossum the septum is horizontal permitting simultaneous vision over and beneath the water surface.

seq. = abbreviation for sequens.

sequens = following.

sequential key = an identification key composed of a series of alternatives; a dichotomous key.

sequential population analysis = methods of back-calculating stock sizes, recruitment levels, and fishing mortality for different ages or years using catch-at-age data. The past history and present abundance of a stock. This data can be used to predict the numbers of fish in the stock for the next year using sophisticated statistical programmes, allowing determination of the total allowable catch for the next fishing season. Abbreviated as SPA.

ser. = abbreviation of series.

serial spawning = spawning more than once in a season, cf. synchronous spawning.

series = the sample available for study.

series = series, the sample available for study. Abbreviated as ser.

serology = study of serums and the nature of antigens and antibodies.

serous membrane = the membrane lining the pericardial and peritoneal cavities and supporting the organs therein.

serosa = serous membrane.

serpentiform = snake-shaped.

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

serrate = notched like a saw.

serrated appendage = Wilder's organ (paired serrated appendages in the gill chamber attached to the isthmus by connective tissue and some sternohyoideus muscle fibres in Amia (Amiidae). It is supported by bone and equipped with tooth-like structures. Function unknown).

serriform = notched or saw-like edge.

Sertoli cell = a companion or follicle cell enveloping the cysts of spermatogenic cells in the testis.

serum protein = see antigen; usually a blood protein.

servant = a person indentured or engaged on wages or shares for a period in the fishery in Newfoundland.

sesamoid angular = coronomeckelian (a small bone on the postero-lateral part of Meckel's cartilage of the lower jaw. Often a point of insertion of the adductor mandibulae muscle. Also called supraangular, sesamoid articular, articular sesamoid, splenial, os meckeli or d bone).

sesamoid articular = coronomeckelian (a small bone on the postero-lateral part of Meckel's cartilage of the lower jaw. Often a point of insertion of the adductor mandibulae muscle. Also called sesamoid angular, supraangular, articular sesamoid, splenial, os meckeli or d bone).

sesamoid bone = a supernumerary bone formed from a fragment of an existing bone or by a new ossification; see above.

sessile = with a stalk or pedicel; permanently attached to the substrate.

session = the period of time spent fishing in a day, typically in Europe about 5 hours. May be a morning, afternoon or day session.

seston = particulate organic matter such as plankton, organic detritus and inorganic particles such as silt.

sestonophagy = feeding on seston. Also called suspensiphagy.

set = 1) a single use of a net, pot or string of pots from laying it out to hauling it in.

set = 2) the total units of a longline.

set = 3) the direction towards which a current flows.

set = 4) to pull on a fishing line in order to fix a hook in a fish's mouth; to set a hook.

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

set impounding net = an impounding net fixed to the bottom so that it cannot be readily moved from place to place over a short time span.

set line = a line with one or more hooks often left unattended in the water, perhaps overnight. Often illegal in various jurisdictions and/or localities such as tidal waters. Some set lines are tended by a fisherman who pulls on the line to set the hook when vibrations are felt.

set longline = a main line, sometimes of considerable length, to which snoods with baited or unbaited hooks are fixed at regular intervals. The main line is set either horizontally on or near the bottom or less commonly near the surface.

set net = a large trap net, of variable size and construction, but having floats, ropes, leaders, main net and anchors or stakes.

set out = to lower a net or line into the water.

set time = the period over which net is allowed to fish before being pulled form the water or the fish removed.

seta = a bristle or bristle-like structure.

setaceous = bristly.

setiform = bristle-like; brush-like.

setline = a line of baited hooks laid out on the sea floor. It is anchored in some way and not free to move with wind or water currents.

setting = used to describe the process of putting a net out, e.g. a trawl into the sea, a gillnet in a lake. Also called paying away and laying out.

setting of the sculls = a tradition at a fisherman's wedding where the bride's female friends arranged the bridegroom's lines in the scull for his first fishing trip as a a married man (Scottish dialect).

setting shot = a split shot used on float rigs. It is attached 15-20 cm away from the hook when that stretch of line is lying on the bottom. When a fish takes the bait, it lifts the shot off the bottom and the extra weight is transferred to the float which sinks to indicate the bite.

setting the hook = pulling up on a fishing rod to drive the hook home in a biting fish. Fish may easily recognise an artificial fly as not being food and spit it out or may be wary of baits.

settled species = those fishes living in the same locality and showing no short or long range movements or migrations, e.g. coral reef fishes.

settlement = process whereby pelagic larvae or juveniles adopt a substrate-based life.

settlement stage = the developmental stage of a fish which adopts a benthic or substrate-based life.

settlement success = a measure of the numbers of fish completing the settlement process.

settling check = a check ring on some marine groundfish otoliths, occurring just outside the nucleus and formed when the fish first become benthic in habit.

seu = either, or.

several fishery = an exclusive right to fish derived from ownership of the soil. Compare free fishery and several fishery.

severely fragmented = increased extinction risks to a taxon result from the fact that most individuals within a taxon are found in small and relatively isolated subpopulations. These small subpopulations may go extinct, with a reduced probability of recolonisation.

Severn capon = a sole. See also capon.

seviche = fish marinated in sour lemon juice (see ceviche).

seyne = sean.

sewage pond = an aquaculture facility using treated sewage as a fertiliser.

sex inversion = change of sex naturally or after steroid hormone application. Also called sex reversal.

sex ratio = the relative number of males and females in a population.

sex reversal = sex inversion.

sexing = determination of the sex of a fish, usually by external characters (secondary sex characteristics).

sexual dichromatism = the difference in colour between male and female fish.

sexual dimorphism = the difference in shape and size between male and female fish.

sexual hooklet = one of a series of tiny spines or hooks along the anteriormost rays of the ventral and anal fins of most male Characidae. May also be present on the dorsal and caudal fins. They are used as a coupling device in mating.

sexual parasite = a gynogenetic or hybridogenetic form which uses the sperm of males of bisexual species to activate development of its eggs.

sexually active period = that time during its life span when a fish possesses the ability to reproduce.

shack = cleaning, repairing, putting on new hooks and coiling the trawl line.

shack fishing = fishing from a boat where several men operate several lines and are responsible for their own gear.

shad = 1) the common name for certain members of the herring family Clupeidae. Am Old English word for these fishes.

shad = 2) a term of abuse (rare).

shad bird = the Wilson' snipe (Capella gallinago), appearing at the same time as shad runs in North America.

shad bush = North American shrubs of the rosaceous genus Amelanchier whose white blossoms open in April or May, when the shad run.

shad coat = a Quaker coat, from its shape resembling a shad. See shad-belly coat.

shad fly = mayfly.

shad frog = Rana halecina, so named because it appears at the same time as the shad runs in rivers.

shad planking = 1) a political gathering in Wakefield, Virginia held every four years where shad feature prominently on the menu. Originally a tribute to the start of the fishing season.

shad planking = 2) slang for a high density of posted signs, based on the above gathering which featured tens of thousands of political signs.

shad roe = the eggs of shad, served parboiled, sauteed or baked.

shad wallow = the spawning grounds of shad.

shad wash = 1) the splashing sound of shad spawning.

shad wash = 2) the spawning ground of shad, from the washing, splashing or swishing noise made.

shad-belly coat = a Quaker coat, from its shape resembling a shad, sloping gradually from the front to the tails without any angle.

shad-belly = a Quaker, from shad-belly coat.

shadow stalking = a behaviour where the fish follows another organism around as an easy way to locate food, e.g. a trumpetfish following a spiny lobster on a reef as the latter disturbs sand looking for food, the fish darting in to seize food the lobster misses.

shadow zone = the gently sloping bank of a meandering river.

shadscales = money (American slang). See also scales.

shafe = a flake of cooked fish (Scottish dialect).

shagreen = 1) untanned sharkskin retaining the placoid scales; it has a rough sandpaper-like surface and was formerly used for sandpaper, sword grips, etc.; also used to refer to the skin of sharks which has been treated by filing down and painting or varnishing to produce a form of leather. May be derived from the Farsi saghari, which is a leather made from ass skin which has an indented surface obtained by spreading the moist skin over Chenopodium seeds.

shagreen = 2) used in a general sense for any structure having the appearance of shagreen, i.e. bearing many, small, irregularly-placed, round protuberances.

shakeii = whole or gutted fish boiled in brine (Taiwan).

shale = the mesh of a fishing net (Kentish dialect).

shallop = a large fishing boat (over 35 feet, 10 m), partially decked and a vessel type between a skiff and a schooner. Used in the cod and seal fisheries of Newfoundland.

shallop tub = a large and heavy tub used to carry bait and cod in Newfoundland. It was a 200 lb flour or salt-meat barrel with about a quarter sawn off the top and rope handles added.

shallow water zone = the area from the lake shore to the first major dropoff.

shalloway = a French vessel later used by the English in the offshore fishery, especially for collecting fish from smaller craft and transporting them to shore for curing. Also called sherway.

shan = said of fish when reluctant to bite (Scottish and English dialect). Also spelled shand, shandy and shannie.

shand = shan.

shandy = shan.

shanglo dal = a purse net operated in river upper reaches and estuaries from a dug-out canoe (India).

shank = the main stem of a hook, q.v., between the eye and the bend. May be long- or short-shanked, depending on types of bait used, rounded (regular) or flattened (forded).

shannie = shan.

shanty town = a collection of ice-fishing shacks.

shape = the curved part of a hook, q.v. Also called bend.

share = a proportion assigned to owner and to the crew based on the value of the catch taken by a fishing voyage after deducting the expenses of the enterprise (the boats's share). Often instead of wages (Newfoundland).

shared stock = 1) a stock that migrates across an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of adjacent states.

shared stock = 2) a stock fished by two or more countries.

shareman = a member of a fishing crew who receives a proportion of the profits of a voyage rather than wages.

shark = 1) a member of the Selachimorpha or Selachii, a group of fishes with over 400 species world-wide mostly in warmer marine waters.

shark = 2) a name for fish unrelated to true sharks, e.g. Epalzeorhynchos bicolor, the red-tailed black shark, a cyprinid popular in aquaria.

shark = 3) a swindler, pickpocket or pilferer (slang).

shark = 4) to live by swindling; to take advantage of someone.

shark = 5) to drive around a parking lot looking for a space.

shark = 6) a word commonly used for sport teams, advertising gimmicks, military equipment, movies (see jaguar shark), and in slang.

shark = 7) a custom-house officer (slang).

shark = 8) a recruit (military).

shark = 9) reckless absence from college duties, said of persons or their conduct at Yale (slang).

shark = 10) a lean and hungry hog (western United States slang).

shark = 11) to beg for a dinner (slang).

shark = 12) a heavy drinker (Cameroon).

shark and taties = fish and chips (New Zealand slang).

shark attack = 1) something to be avoided by humans. There about 70-100 attacks on humans each year with 5-15 fatalities. Lightning, bee stings, dog bites and snake bites all produce more fatalities than sharks. The great white (Carcharodon carcharias), tiger (Galeocerdo cuvier), oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus) and bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) account for most fatal attacks on humans. Oceanic whitetips are often associated with ship sinkings or plane crashes and bull sharks with fresh water as well as marine attacks. Most attacks are in warmer waters since there are more sharks there in terms of individuals and species, and more humans swimming. Attacks can be "hit and run" in surf areas, presumably a human being mistaken for prey, or the shark defending territory, "bump and bite" attacks where the shark circles the human, and bumps with the snout before biting, and "sneak" attacks which occur without warning. Hit and run attacks usually involve minor leg lacerations while the latter two involve severe injuries and death.

shark attack = 2) name for several bands, including a reggae band from Texas, a surf song band from Louisiana, and a rhythm and blues, soul and funk band from England.

shark cartilage = touted as a cure for cancer based on the observation that sharks don't get cancer because something in their cartilage inhibits angiogenesis (blood vessel formation that tumours need to feed and grow). The absence of cancer in sharks is disputed. Cancers are documented, even in cartilage, but perhaps they are not as common as in other vertebrates. Not all cancers need angiogenesis. The preparation of the cartilage for human use often leaves something to be desired and any active element may well be no longer present. Ingesting cartilage does not mean significant amounts will reach the cancer site. Some more careful preparations have shown inhibition of blood vessel growth in tumours but also failed to prolong survival of patients with metastatic kidney cancer.

shark fence = a fence, often made of wire netting, enclosing an area to protect swimmers from sharks, e.g. in Australia.

shark fin = a Japanese flavour of ice cream, made with many others in response to a hot summer in 2004. See also saury and brandy, and eel.

shark fin soup = a Chinese soup made of shark fins according to various recipes. May include chicken broth, chicken breast, ham, scallops, mushrooms, green onions, ginger and other seasonings. The fins may need to be boiled for 2-3 days and the cartilaginous elements are tasteless; much of the taste comes from the other ingredients. Can cost $130 a bowl (in 2003). See finning.

shark flies the feather = the observation by sailors that sharks will scavenge many items, even inedible ones, but do not take fowls or sea birds.

shark god = shark gods, known as Aumakua, are guardians of the sea and particular ones, manifested as sharks, protect family members in Hawaiian mythology. There are at least 11 shark gods in this mythology.

shark liver oil = shark oil.

shark man = 1) the mythological storm god of Japan.

shark man = 2) a character in the video game Mega Man III; his weapon is a Shark Boomerang.

shark oil = a fatty, yellow to brown oil obtained from the livers of sharks. Used for dressing leather, as a source of vitamin A and in a popular haemorrhoid preparation.

shark pit = a depression in the sea bed where sharks gather, the area being well-oxygenated by wave action and protected. Juvenile sharks rest here before leaving to forage and females use the area to give birth and as a nursery.

shark rattle = coconut shells or snail shells moved to and fro on the surface of the water in Oceania. The rattling noise attracts sharks which are then caught by a loop of line slipped over their heads.

shark repellent = 1) a chemical compound or electronic device that discourages sharks from attacking humans. Electronic devices irritate the ampullae of Lorenzini (q.v.) and are fairly effective. Chemical compounds are less so. Copper acetate and black dye used by sailors in World War II was ineffective. The Moses sole (Pardachirus marmoratus) produces a milky chemical from its dorsal and anal fins that freezes the shark jaw and generally repels sharks. The man-made version, pardaxin, was only effective when squirted into the shark's mouth (rather risky).

shark repellent = 2) a measure undertaken by a corporation to discourage unwanted takeover attempts.

sharkie = a notched spanner (wrench) resembling a shark's jaw.

sharking = 1) catching or angling for sharks.

sharking = 2) living by trickery, swindling.

sharking = 3) moving rapidly or aggressively, in humans.

sharking = 4) pulling down women's underwear, there being both top sharking and bottom sharking (slang).

sharks and minnows = a pool game where one person is the "shark" and the rest are "minnows". The shark tries to tag the minnows before they can swim across the pool. A tagged minnow becomes the shark in the next round. The game continues until all minnows have been tagged. Variations on this simple explanation exist. Also called sharks and maidens. See also fish-out-of-water.

Sharkwater = an acclaimed Canadian documentary appearing in 2007, written and directed by Rob Stewart. Details how sharks are being driven to extinction and attempts to debunk myths.

sharp frozen fish = fish frozen by laying out on refrigerated shelves or in a cold store.

Sharpey's fibres = fibres in scales of Brachiopterygii and Lepisosteidae. Also known from bones and teeth, these fibres are formed of periosteal connective tissue collagen.

shatterpack = frozen fillets separated by a continuous, interleaved sheet of polyethylene. Dropping or shattering the pack separates the fillets.

shauling = killing salmon in shallow water by spearing them (Scottish dialect).

shaur = a surface ripple caused by fish moving below (Scottish dialect).

shauve-acker = a person liberal with money or goods, from the practice of Moray Firth fishermen in Scotland who strewed offal on the water near shore to attract fish.

shear = 1) one of a series of a sloping poles on which nets are hung to dry (Newfoundland). See also net gallows, net horse and scaffold.

shear = 2) one of a series of heavy logs (also called shores) placed crosswise as support for an elevated platform (or flake) on which fish are dried (Newfoundland).

shearboard link = backstrop link (a triangular steel link with rounded corners on the back of a trawl's otter board. The backstrop is attached here. Also called board link, door sling ring and VD link).

shearing board = a flat board used in angling and commercial fishing to make the line shear laterally or downward. Lateral shearing enables two lines to be towed behind a boat and downward shearing helps send the baited hook into deep water. Also called paravanes and otter boards.

shears = sloping poles on which nets are dried (Newfoundland).

sheen = 1) a glistening surface brightness often seen on freshly caught fish.

sheen = 2) the backbone of fish (Scottish dialect). Sheens were extracted in preparing fish and sold as cheap food in Scotland.

sheer = a sweeping circular motion used in throwing a castnet for capelin (Mallotus villosus) in Newfoundland.

sheet = 1) lint (netting in the main body of a drift or gill net. Also called body, middle twine, middle yarn, netting, webbing, yarn).

sheet = 2) to block the entrance to a cruive (q.v., a fish trap) with a tarred sheet to prevent fish from ascending the river (Scottish dialect).

shelf break = region where the continental shelf and continental slope meet; i.e. where the more gently sloping region of the seabed adjacent to a landmass rather abruptly slopes steeply down towards the ocean depths; commonly around depths of 200 m. May be used as the limit for summarising national ichthyofaunas.

shelf edge = a narrow zone at the outer margin of a shelf along which there is a marked increase of slope.

shelf escarpment = the edge of the bank or shelf where depth increases rapidly into deep oceanic water.

shelf fauna = refers to those animals living on or over the continental shelf (0-200 metres, rarely shelf extends to 300-400 metres).

shelf life = the length of time a fish or fish product can remain available for sale before deteriorating. Varies with how the fish has been processed and how it is stored and displayed. Even commercial, pre-packaged baits for angling have a shelf life, e.g. boilies, q.v.

shelf reef = a reef that forms on the continental shelf of large land masses.

shelf stowage = fish stowed at sea head to tail and belly down on ice but without ice on top or on the sides.

shelf-edge reef = ribbon reef (a large, offshore and linear reef, seaward of a fringing reef, which is elongate but does not form a barrier to the land. Also called sill reef).

shelf-slope = a line marking a change from the gently inclined continental shelf to the much steeper depth gradient of the continental slope.

shell-gland = the portion of the oviduct in certain Elasmobranchii which make the egg capsule or shell.

shellfish = not fish but crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, shrimps) and molluscs (clams, mussels, periwinkles, scallops).

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. See fish apartment house.

shelter brooder = a general term for cavity brooders and mouth brooders, q.v.

sherway = shalloway.

shidal sutki = sun-dried fish immersed in water, drained, packed with fish oil in containers and buried in the ground for several months.

shifted otolith = an otolith which has moved in the sacculus. This is recognized by growth along a different axis from previous growth. Shifting often occurs in conjunction with crystallization of an otolith.

shigellosis = bacillary dysentery caused by Shigella and found in fish from polluted waters, contaminating fish products in unsanitary conditions.

shimi = ornamental carp or koi (q.v.) with undesirable tiny black spots, appearing particularly in older fish, spoiling their pattern.

shimmies = swinging sickness.

shimmy = shimmies.

shine = light reflections from fish below the water surface.

shingler = sinkler-codlin.

shioboshi = whole or split fish dried after soaking in salt water or dry salt (Japan). Usually the name of the fish used is appended.

shiokara = fermented viscera of skipjack tuna (Japan). The product is a brown, salty viscous paste made by fermenting the raw material with salt in containers for up to a month. It is packed in glass or plastic containers.

ship fishery = the English migratory fishery in Newfoundland waters.

ship green = to stow cod aboard a vessel salted but not dried .

shiraboshi = sun-dried or artificially-dried unsalted fish (Japan).

shirako = sperm sacs of the cod fish as served in a sushi restaurant.

shiraz = a mutated strain of zebrafish lacking haemoglobin, named for the wine. Other mutants are chianti and chardonnay. These zebrafish (Danio rerio) are used in studies of haemoglobin formation as their inner body parts are easily seen in these small and transparent fishes and their genome has been sequenced.

shirt buttoned shot = adding small lead weights or shot to a fishing line under a float or bobber at regular intervals like shirt buttons so that the line sinks evenly and slowly.

shiver = a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for sharks.

shoal = 1) a social group of fish, e.g. in shallow water or at the surface, cf. school where synchronised swimming is the criterion.

shoal = 2) a submerged ridge, bank, or bar covered by mud, sand or gravel which is at or near enough to the water surface to constitute a danger to navigation.

shoal = 3) said of waters where there is a change in depth from deep to shallow.

shoal = 4) to become shallow gradually.

shoal = 5) to proceed from a greater to a lesser depth of water.

shoal = 6) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for barbels.

shoal = 7) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for fishes.

shoal = 8) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for herrings.

shoal = 9) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for mackerel.

shoal = 10) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for minnows.

shoal = 11) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for perch.

shoal = 12) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for pilchards.

shoal = 13) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for roach.

shoal = 14) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for salmon.

shoal = 15) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for shad.

shoal = 16) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for sharks.

shoal = 17) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for sticklebacks.

shoal = 18) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for trout.

shoal cod = cod that are found in inshore waters.

shoaling fish = large schools, usually of small pelagic fish.

shock leader = a length of strong line (about 6-10 m) connecting the rig to the main reel line and meant to absorb the shock when making long-distance casts with heavy weights and swimfeeders (q.v.). Also protects against abrasion from teeth or hard bottoms.

shock tippet = in angling, a heavy section of leader above the fly as protection against abrasion and the teeth of the fish.

shocking = physical agitation of eggs where infertile eggs turn white and can be removed.

shoe = sole plate.

shoe dhoni = an Indian estuarine boat used to operate stake nets, wide and flat forward, narrow aft and propelled by poles or by outboard motors.

shoot = set out, as in shooting a trawl. See also shot.

shoot carp = a carp population showing an asymmetrical increase in weight variation die to interactions between individuals in the population and competition for food.

shooting fish in a barrel = slang for doing something guaranteed to be successful.

shooting fry = fry that grow rapidly.

shooting head = a heavy section of fly line attached to a thin running line, used for long distance casting. Easily changed according to conditions.

shooting line = extending the cast of a fly line by releasing line held in the hand not holding the rod during the forward cast.

shooting net = a conical net of various materials and sizes, used in running water to catch fry carried by the current.

shooting taper = shooting head.

shore = 1) the land bordering a large body of water.

shore = 2) shear.

shore boat = any small undecked craft used in the coastal fishery of Newfoundland.

shore cure = salt curing of fish on shore as opposed to on a ship. Also lightly salted Kench cured (q.v.) cod in North America, hard dried to 32-36% moisture and 12% salt in the flesh.

shore fish = 1) cod (Gadus morhua) in, or migrating to, coastal waters in Newfoundland.

shore fish = 2) shore cure.

shore fishery = a fishery carried out in inshore or coastal waters in small boats, e.g. for cod in Newfoundland.

shore labrador = cod caught in Labrador waters and prepared for market with light application of salt and extended drying period (Newfoundland).

shore meal = fish consumed on shore forming part a daily catch limit.

shore reef = fringing reef (a coral reef formed as a narrow band close to shore).

shore season = period when the cod fishery in inshore or coastal waters is carried out from small boats (Newfoundland).

shore seine = beach seine (a net used to encircle fish in shallow water; usually operated by two people wading out from shore, the net has lead weights to keep the bottom on the sea floor and floats to keep the top of the net at or near the surface; there may be a bag extending back from the centre of the nets length to increase capture efficiency. The seine may be set from a boat but hauled in from the land).

shore skipper = retired fisherman.

shore species = marine fishes that are always found near the shore.

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

shoreline = the waters inside and shoreward of the 2 metre depth contour below the chart datum (0 tide) or, more simply the water's edge, its position varying with the tide.

shoreman = beachmaster (a person responsible for curing and drying fish on shore in Newfoundland).

short line = a short piece of line attached to the end of a pole (a very long fishing rod used in Europe). This allows fast strikes at bites from small fish and gives greater control over the float in windy conditions.

shore rope = a rope connecting a net with the shore.

short leader = a section of netting fastened to the landward side of the leader of a cod trap and fixed to the shore.

short seasonal pond = a pond containing water for 3-4 months in a year.

shore seine = a type of seine hauled ashore, usually with one wing shorter than the other.

short bath = in aquaculture, a treatment with a high concentration of a chemical against parasites, for example, for a short period such as one hour, where water flow is stopped in the facility.

short strike = a bite by a fish that misses the lure or bait, usually the fish hits part of the lure or bait but not the hooks.

shortwiring = a trawling technique where the net is brought up out of the level it was fishing at but not out of the water. The otter boards may or may not be brought on board. The trawler continues to tow, often at a reduced speed, to keep the fish in the net. The purpose is to keep the fish in good condition until a catcher boat arrives to take the fish to a mothership for processing, or to prevent the cables from tangling while turning the trawler around, or simply to see the amount of fish caught.

shot = 1) split shot.

shot = 2) a single piece of net in a fleet of gill nets.

shot = 3) shoot, that is the setting of nets.

shot = 4) a catch of fish, in nets or a boat.

shot = 5) a reach, a fishing ground at sea or a place where nets are shot.

shot bite = a fish nibbling at the shot (lead weight) on a line giving a false bite. Happens often when hemp bait (a round black seed) is used in roach (Rutilus rutilus) fishing in Europe.

shot fare = the mackerel season about the beginning of May in Kent.

shot head = the upper part of a shot (a set of nets) in a river.

shot net = a mackerel net (Kentish dialect).

shot-by-shot = pertaining to each separate deployment of fishing gear by a vessel.

shott = a depression surrounding a salt marsh or lake, or the bed of a dried salt marsh (in North Africa). Also spelled chott.

shotten = recently spawned and thus less desirable as food, e.g. especially said of herring.

shotten herring = 1) recently spawned herring.

shotten herring = 2) worthless or spiritless persons.

shotter = a boat of 6-26 tons used in the mackerel fishery (Sussex dialect).

shotting pattern = the arrangement of split shot on the line below a float. This varies with the float type, the rig, and the fishing conditions. Shot can be grouped together, making the line sink swiftly and this avoiding small or unwanted fish, or spread out so it sinks slowly and fishes all depths.

shottsuru = a fermented fish sauce produced by pickling the sandfish (Trichodon trichodon) with salt and malted rice (Japan).

shotver-men = the mackerel fishers at Dover named for their shot nets.

shoulder = in food preparation, the thickest part of a fish, just behind the head.

shoulder bone = the bone at the shoulder of a fish that forms the leading edge of a belly flap, q.v., in preparing fish as food. Also called collar bone, lug bone and nape bone.

shoulder girdle = pectoral girdle (the bony support of the pectoral fin behind the gills and usually attached to the posterior part of the skull; the "shoulder" girdle. Composed of the following basic elements (some of which may be lost): coracoid, scapula, pterygials, postcleithrum, cleithrum (main bone), supracleithrum and posttemporal. The "primary" pectoral girdle includes actinosts, scapula, coracoid, and sometimes mesocoracoid cartilage or endochondral bones and supports the fins directly. The "secondary" (and more primitive) pectoral girdle encloses the dermal post-temporal, supracleithrum, cleithrum, and two postcleithra, which are membrane bones and is only indirectly related to the fins. Also called scapular girdle).

shoulder net = a fishing net fixed on a pole and resting on the fisherman's shoulder.

shoulder organ = a black-lined pit or sac under the cleithrum in members of the Platytroctidae which is connected to the exterior by a tube visible above the pectoral fin. The sac produces a luminous fluid which can be discharged to confuse predators.

shouldered = a form of fish preparation where the head, viscera, and belly flaps are removed by a cut made from the back of the head to the rear of the belly cavity.

showa = ornamental carp or koi (q.v.), being black fish with a red and white pattern.

showers of fish = fish falling from the sky, attributed to unusual meteorological conditions scooping them up from surface or shallow waters and later dropping them. Variously attested and derided.

shredded = grated (commercially, a mixture of particles of fish that have been reduced to a uniform size but are discrete and do not comprise a paste).

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

shrink = 1) loss of weight in fish due to fluids draining from the food product. Also called drip or purge.

shrink = 2) loss of seafood when it becomes too old to sell.

shrinking = a mathematical procedure to assess fishing mortality in the latest year so that it does not differ markedly from the average for the preceding three years. Mortality can be difficult to estimate in more recent years.

shui yu = sleeper goldfish.

shusui = ornamental carp or koi (q.v.), being a blue and orange fish, partially covered with large mirror scales.

shut-off seine = a seine used to enclose a bay or area of water.

shutter trap = a device with a hook connected to a spring mechanism and spike. The hook is baited with a small fish and, when the prey bites this hook, the spring is released and the spike pierces the head of the prey or at least grips it, e.g. used for pike in Sweden and France. See also fish trap.

sib = short form of sibling.

sibling = progeny of the same parents.

sibling species = closely related and often sympatric species that are reproductively isolated but morphologically indistinguishable. Also called cryptic species.

sic = thus, in this manner; calling the reader to note spelling or reference is just as given, even though this is in error in the original cited.

sick goldfish call = a query from a member of the public addressed to a museum scientist on an ichthyological topic, occasionally and actually about a sick goldfish. Implies that the query cannot be answered, as museum scientists work with pickled fish and are not experts at maintaining fish in aquaria, or the query lacks sufficient detail to be answered with authority, as in failure to observe key characters used in identification of a caught and discarded fish.

sid = sud.

side = 1) a single fillet, usually from a salmon.

side = 2) either of two vertical sections of netting forming the walls of a cod trap.

side channel = a lateral channel with an axis of flow roughly parallel to that of the main channel. It is fed by water from the main channel but has a lesser flow.

side piece = netting attached on either side of the belly to join the upper and lower parts of a four panel trawl.

side trawler = a fishing vessel that deploys its trawl-net over the side of the vessel.

side wedge = side piece.

side wing = the lower or upper wing of a side panel or a four panel trawl.

side-mounted reel = a fishing reel with its foot on the side of the reel frame.

side-set trawler = side trawler.

sided = a fifteenth century word for dressing haddock (preparing this fish for consumption), no longer in use.

siemen = a metric unit of conductance, a reciprocal ohm or mho.

sieve netting = a piece of netting with a mesh size which must be at least twice the mesh size of the codend. Its purpose is to catch fish selectively.

siever = all the fish caught at one tide (Sussex dialect).

sight (noun) = 1) a position on the bank of a salmon river where fish can be observed.

sight (verb) = 2) watching for salmon movements in a river.

sight fishing = angling in clear water where the fish are visible.

sight line = a horizontal line or groove running forward from each eye, used by the fish to aim attacks on prey. The sight line facilitates judgement of depth and distance.

sighting seat = a look-out post for salmon in a river.

sightman = a look-out at a sight.

sightsman = sightman.

sigmoid heart = the s-shaped heart which develops from the primitive heart tube.

sigmoid position = an s-shaped position (viewed from above) adopted by fish in social interactions.

sign = the appearance of migrating fish in coastal waters, their numbers or amount (Newfoundland).

sign stimulus = the cue (visual, olfactory) which starts an innate behavior pattern, e.g. courting behavior in a male stickleback is instigated by the sign stimulus of a silver colored female (or model) with a swollen abdomen. Also called a releaser.

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.

sild = market name for a young herring processed as a sardine in Norway.

sile = the fry or young of fish, especially herring (Scottish dialect).

silhouette = the appearance of a dry fly as it presents to a fish, ideally resembling a natural food item.

silk worm dregs = silkworm faeces, slough and mulberry residues, rich in organic matter and used as food for fish in aquaculture. About 8 kg of dregs produces 1 kg of fish.

sill = 1) shallow entrance to an enclosed body of deeper water.

sill = 2) milt (Scottish dialect).

sill fish = a male fish (Scottish dialect).

sill reef = ribbon reef (a large, offshore and linear reef, seaward of a fringing reef, which is elongate but does not form a barrier to the land. Also called shelf-edge ref).

siller-back = any fish with a white or silvery back (archaic).

sillock = Pollachius virens, the saithe of Europe (Scottish dialect).

sillock bru = fish soup made with coalfish (Scottish dialect).

sillock heuk = a bait-hook for sillocks (Scottish dialect).

sillock oil = oil made from the livers of sillocks (Scottish dialect).

sillock pock = a bag-net for catching sillocks (Scottish dialect).

sillock rod = a fishing rod for sillocks (Scottish dialect).

sillock-pocker = a maker of sillock pocks (Scottish dialect).

silluck = sellok.

silluk = sellok.

silo culture = aquaculture using large vertical containers, inside or outside a building.

siloryb = fish and fish offal treated with hydrochloric, sulphuric and formic acids to form dry pellets as commercial feed for Cyprinus carpio.

silt = mineral particles 0.02-0.002 mm (or 0.004-0.062 mm, sources vary) in diameter, intermediate between clay and sand.

siltation = deposition of silt; on spawning grounds can smother fish eggs.

silting = siltation.

Silurian = a geological period within the Palaeozoic ca. 441-113 million years ago. Most of the major groups of fishes are thought to have originated in the Early Silurian. Abbreviated as S.

silver cured herring = 1) very heavily salted, mild smoked herring.

silver cured herring = 2) herring less heavily salted and smoked than red herring (q.v.)(United Kingdom).

silver cured herring = 3) a hard dried, salted herring, not smoked (Netherlands).

silver fish = silverfish (1).

silverbright = chum salmon harvested at sea rather than in fresh water.

silverfish = 1) any fish having silvery scales. Now used in Britain by anglers to denote a group of cyprinids such as the bream, Abramis brama, but excluding sought-after carp (Cyprinus carpio) and other non-silvery appearing species.

silverfish = 2) a silvery variety of Carassius auratus, the goldfish.

silverfish = 3) not a fish but a primitive, wingless thysanuran insect with a body covered in silvery scales, commonly found in houses, e.g. Lepisma saccharina.

similarity = a generic measure of the resemblance between two objects, usually on a scale from 1 to 0.

simple = not divided or branched.

simple ray = an unsegmented, unbranched soft ray.

simulation = a predictive analysis showing production and harvest of fish using mathematical formulae. Can be deterministic, where for each set of inputs there is one output of the calculation, or, stochastic, where multiple calculations are performed to characterise the range of variability in the results.

simultaneous hermaphrodite = synchronous hermaphrodite (organisms with simultaneously developed ovarian and testicular tissue).

sinaeng = gutted full-grown mackeral packed in clay pots or other containers with or without spices, steamed-cooked or simmered over a slow fire (Philippines). See also paksiw.

sinciput = the upper half of the cranium, especially the anterior portion above and including the forehead; the forehead.

sine = without.

sine numero = without number; used to indicate absence of a collector's number from a list of specimens. Abbreviated s. n.

sine typo = without type.

singing reel = the high frequency clicking of a click drag reel caused a by a big fish rapidly pulling off line.

single action = a fly reel where one turn of the handle causes one turn of the spool. Also called single-action reel.

single fillet = a fillet of flesh removed from one side of a round fish such as cod. Each fish produces two such fillets and the belly wall may be left on or cut off. Also called side.

single fish = slang for urination (Scotland).

single gill net = set gill net.

single haul = in fly fishing, pulling out line in a false cast (in the air) only on the forward swing.

single hook = a fish hook with one point.

single naping = cutting through the belly wall on one side only when preparing fish.

single rig = gear comprising a single trawl net.

single side = single fillet; particularly used for salmon fillets.

single species fishery = a fishery where only one species of fish is targeted.

single species model = a model of species dynamics not including interactions with other species.

single-action reel = a fishing reel whose spool rotates at the same speed as the crank, as opposed to a multiplier reel.

sinistral = left; referring to flatfishes having the left-hand side uppermost.

sink = habitats where birth rates are lower than death rates and emigration lower than immigration, as applied to equilibrium populations. See also source (3).

sink net = set gill net.

sink rate = the speed at which a fly line sinks. There are 6 or more different rates for fly lines from very slow to extremely fast.

sink tip = a fly line with a floating section except for the last 3 metres that sinks. Used in fast water and in some still water situations.

sink-and-draw = an angling retrieval technique where the lure is allowed to sink and then lifted by lowering and raising the rod.

sinkant = a liquid applied to artificial flies to make them sink.

sinker = 1) a lead weight attached to a fishing line to enable it be cast out further, to maintain position of the bait in fast water, or to sink a line and its baited hook to a particular depth. Available in numerous weights and patterns for varying conditions. See also drift sinker.

sinker = 2) baits such as trout pellets designed to sink in the water.

sinker = 3) one of the lead weights on the bottom of net, meant to keep the net on the bottom or the lower edge at depth relative to the upper edge. Also called weights.

sinker = 4) a rock dangerous to vessels.

sinker stone = a stone used as a weight for sinking a fishing line or net.

sinking feed = food pellets in aquaculture that sink when thrown in the water.

sinking line = a fly line designed to sink in the water and position a wet fly or streamer deeply.

sinking tip = in fly fishing, a line weighted at the tip to sink the fly in deep water. An intermediate line sinks about 1 inch in a second and is used on lakes to cast in windy conditions and to sink below the waves. A full-sinking line are used for fishing at depth; their sink rates can go up to 8 inches per second. Sink-tip lines are used in rivers; the first 5-15 feet sinks but the rest of the line floats and facilitates control; sink rates are 1-5 inches per second. Integrated-head lines are used for casting long distances and sinking quickly; the front, sinking portion or head is between 20 and 30 feet and is followed by a thin running line, floating or intermediate in type.

sinkler-codlin = a cod with a large head and small or lean body (Scottish dialect). See also shingler.

sinks = sinker (1).

sino-auricular valve = one of the valves at the sinus venosus and atrium junctions in the heart, q.v. Presumably sino-atrial is more correct.

sinuate = curved, having a curved border.

sinuosity = degree of meandering of a river channel.

sinusoidal = wavy or tortuous.

sinus = a space in the tissues of an organism, usually a blood cavity, e.g. in the Myxinidae.

sinus venosus = a heart chamber collecting blood from the paired common cardinal veins and delivering blood to the atrium; see heart.

siphon = 1) a blind sac at the base of the claspers communicating posteriorly with the apopyle; contracts to eject the sperm from the tube formed by the clasper in Selachii.

siphon = 2) strictly a u-shaped tube but used in some fish descriptions of the gut shape to indicate an elongate s-shaped tube. Also spelled syphon.

siqqu = a fermented sauce made from fish, shellfish and grasshoppers, used in the kitchen and at the table, in ancient Mesopotamia.

siren = a symbolic figure appearing as a fish-woman (or bird-woman). Sirens with fish tails inhabited rocky islands and cliffs and could entice sailors to their doom by their song.

Siskiwit = Siskowit.

Siskowit = a place name in Michigan (and its variant cisco), meaning a mooneye, cisco or lake trout, from the Ojibwa for fish having a certain kind of flesh.

sister group = a taxon thought to be the closest relative of a given taxon, exclusive of the ancestral species of both taxa.

site fidelity = the degree to which species or individuals are confined to a community or physical location.

siver = syver.

size class = fish of a certain size, often related to age classes.

size cod = cod of twenty four inches and more in length, measured from the back of the head to the tail, paid as duty (Scottish dialect).

size distribution = the number of fish of various lengths or weights in a sample or catch.

size fish = fish payable as import duty.

size frequency distribution = length frequency distribution (the number of individuals encountered in each length interval).

size group = a group of fish falling within a given size range.

size limit = a legal limit on the size of fish that can be caught, either minimum or maximum. A minimum size allows fish to grow to a marketable size and to reproduce and a maximum size limit protects large and successful spawning adults.

size sample = a sample taken from landings of fish used to determine size distribution of catches for stock assessments.

size selection = size selectivity.

size selectivity = the way fishing gear selects fish by size, usually allowing the small fish to escape and grow to be caught later at a marketable size.

size-at-age = length or weight at a particular age.

size-at-first-capture = a limit set on when the smallest fish can first be caught in a fishery, allowing the fish time to grow to a marketable size and allowing reproduction.

size-at-first-maturity = length or weight at maturity. Maturity is defined as minimal size attained at maturity or the size at which 50% of the fish at that size are mature.

sizing fish = a procedure where pickled fish is graded by size before brining begins.

Skagen net = a wing trawl fished like a seine net or as a conventional trawl (Scandinavia).

skantack = scantack.

skate = members of the Rajoidei, Rajidae (skates) and Anacanthobatidae (smooth skates), or more generally those members of the Order Rajiformes that are termed skates.

skate barrow = the egg case of a skate.

skate bree = the water in which a skate has been boiled (Scottish dialect). A folk remedy for sprains and rheumatism in man, gout in pigs, and lameness in cattle.

skate purse = the ovarium of a skate.

skate rumple = the caudal part of the backbone of a skate above the root of the tail (Scottish dialect).

skate shears = skate sheers.

skate sheers = the pelvic fins of the male or claspers (Scottish dialect).

skate soup = a broth made from skates supposed to have aphrodisiac and other properties.

skate wing = the enlarged pectoral fin joining to the head and body found in Rajoidei. Used as food, the flesh separating into fingers of meat with a rich gelatinous texture, resembling scallops.

skeletal system = the notochordal, connective, cartilage, bone and associated tissues that support the body, anchor the muscles and protect delicate organs.

skeletochronology = age estimation using marks or zones found in the fish skeleton.

skeleton = all the cartilaginous and bony elements comprising the exoskeleton (or dermoskeleton) which includes the dermocranium, secondary pectoral girdle and scales, and the endoskeleton. The latter has a somatic axial component comprising the neurocranium, vertebral column and paraxial elements, a somatic appendicular component comprising the median fins, paired fins, radials, pterygiophores and fin rays, and a visceral component, the viscerocranium, comprising the mandibular arch, the hyoid arch and the branchial arches.

skeo = a small building made of dry stone walling which allows wind drying of fish (Scottish dialect).

skeo blawn = fish cured by drying in a skeo.

skemell = scamel.

skiff = a small boat, propelled by oars or powered; any small, light boat. Used in purse seine fisheries, for example, to pull the net in a circle from the main ship around the school of fish to be caught.

skiff-load = the number of fish a skiff can carry (Newfoundland).

skimmer = 1) young silver bream, Abramis brama (Cyprinidae).

skimmer = 2) protein skimmer (an aquarium chemical filtration system which removes dissolved organic compounds and microscopic particles. Many small bubbles are sent through a column of water, forming a foam, to separate dissolved organic compounds from the water. The compounds and particles stick to the bubbles and are carried to the top of the unit where they are collected in a removable cup. They come in four varieties, downflow, venturi, counter-current, and co-current and are only really effective in salt water. They may be placed in the tank, hung on the side, or placed in a sump. Also called a foam fractionator).

skimmer = 3) a young man who catches with a hand net any herring that drop from the main net when it is hauled in (Scottish dialect).

skimmer bream = skimmer (1).

skimming = repeated stocking and harvesting in aquaculture to maintain a gap between carrying capacity and standing crop.

skimming net = a triangular net supported by cross-shaped poles that can be clapped together to close the hand-held net. Used for catching small fish while wading or from a small boat.

skin = a museum specimen of a fish preserved as a skin without the interior organs and musculature. Some old type specimens are in this form.

skin a cat = more than one way to skin a cat (usually applied to felines but in the southern United States where eating catfish (Ictaluridae) is common, applied to a fish and also meaning there is more than one way to do something).

skin brooder = a fish in which the eggs are attached to the belly, e.g. certain South American catfishes.

skin slime disease = costiasis (an infection of the skin, fins and gills of aquarium and hatchery fish by the flagellate protozoan Costia sp. (or Ichthyobodo; and also Chilodonella, Trichodina). Found in young fish just as they start feeding externally, in colder waters. Stress may be a factor. Fish may show lethargy, appetite loss, flashing, respiratory distress in the form of gill flaring and gasping, fin erosion, and produce abundant mucus, giving a cloudy appearance, hence the names blue slime disease or skin slime disease. The skin and scales may peel away in strips in acute cases).

skinless fish = fish or fish fillets without the skin attached. Also called skinned fish.

skinned fish = skinless fish.

skinner = 1) 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)).

skinner = 2) the person in a fish plant who removes the skin in preparing cod fillets.

skinning = the process of removing fish skin.

skipped spawning = sexually mature fish that do not spawn every year. The reasons vary but usually relate to poor conditions. However the reason can be increased food availability which is then used for growth, as well as decreased food availability not providing enough energy for egg growth. The condition is seen early in life, in those fish that spawned in the previous year(s), when fishing mortality at spawning grounds was high, when natural mortality at feeding grounds was low, and when the cost of migration was too high in terms of mortality and energy requirements.

skirlie = oatmeal, chopped onions and fish livers fried in fat in a pan (Scottish dialect). Also spelled skirly.

skirly = skirlie.

skirt = 1) a rubber or vinyl addition to a fishing lure that give action and texture.

skirt = 2) the vertical wall or side of a cod trap.

skirt-shaped = said of structures distally broadened like a skirt, e.g. internasal flaps of some rays.

skirted spool = a spool on a fishing reel allowing for greater line capacity and protection of the internal reel mechanism from salt and water.

skittering = use of a cane pole (q.v.) to swing a spoon or pork rind among lily pads or other vegetation where it moved rapidly, or skittered, over the surface.

skiver (noun) = 1) a skewer such as a forked stick on which fish strung through the gills or imapled for carrying (Newfoundland).

skiver (noun) = 2) the load of trout carried on a skiver.

skiver (verb) = 2) to pierce or impale such as bait on a hook or stringing trout (Newfoundland).

skiver line = a rope with wire hangers used for landing fish when a boat is prevented from coming alongside the dock (Newfoundland).

skoomer = a hand net comprised of a circular frame on a long pole used for scooping salmon out of a fly-net or for catching herring spilling out of a drift net (Scottish dialect).

skow = a barge-like vessel used to purchase fish from larger ships on busy fishing grounds.

skrae = scrae.

skrea = scrae.

skrei = the Arcto-Norwegian or north-east Arctic stock of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), currently the world's largest stock. The Norwegian term means "the wanderer" and is used to separate this stock from the non-migrating coastal cod.

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

skull = 1) the cartilages and bones associated with the brain, sense organs (smell, sight, hearing), mouth and gills, collectively the syncranium. The parts associated with protection and support for the brain and sense organs are called the neurocranium and dermocranium (both q.v.) and the parts supporting the anterior digestive system and the respiratory apparatus are called the splanchnocranium or viscerocranium (q.v.). Cartilage elements in the skull are called the chondrocranium and bony elements the osteocranium.

skull = 2) variant spelling of scull (1 and 5).

skunked = said of angler who fails to catch a fish.

skute = scute.

skuvie = the tail of a large fish, e.g. a flatfish (Scottish dialect).

sky pond = a pond filled by rainwater and therefore seasonal.

SL = abbreviation for standard length.

Sl = abbreviation for standard length.

sl = abbreviation for standard length.

slab = slab-sided.

slab rubble = rubble (76-305 mm diameter stones) of relatively flat shape.

slab-sided = a fish with a compressed body, oval in cross section with flattened sides.

slack = 1) a stream in a valley (Viking).

slack = 2) fish that are scarce or slow in appearing (Newfoundland).

slack ice = ice covering five-tenths to eight-tenths of the water surface. Also called broken ice, loose ice, loose pack ice, open ice, open pack ice.

slack line = the loose line from the rod tip to the lure; may be line on the water surface or simply the bow formed by line weight from rod tip to float or lure.

slack salted = light salted (cured fish with only small amounts of salt used, fish have 20-30% salt on a dry basis. Also called light cure).

slack tide = the period at high or low tide when there is no visible flow of water.

slack water = 1) the period at high or low tide when there is no visible flow of water.

slack water = 2) an area in a sea or river unaffected by currents; still water.

slack salted fish = light cure (fish such as cod and other white fishes cured with small amounts of salt (16-20 parts per 100 fish, fish contains 20-30% salt on a dry basis) or left in salt for short periods (3-5 days)).

slacked fish = frozen fish that have been thawed or refreshed (U.S.A.).

slacked out = slacked fish.

slaip = slap.

slap = a gap in a weir to allow fish to swim upriver to spawning grounds (Scottish dialect). A Saturday's slap allowed fish to pass from Saturday night to Monday morning. Also spelled slop, slopp, sloppe, slope, sloip, sloap, sloop>, sclope, slapp, salppe, slape and slaip.

slape = slap.

slapp = slap.

slash = a cut made in the abdominal wall enabling the viscera to drain in fish preparation.

slat = 1) spent salmon, a salmon that just spawned.

slat = 2) removing a hook from a fish with a quick skilled jerk (Newfoundland).

slat trap = a trap for catfish used in Louisiana of varying form but made of slats.

slate = a piece of slate set at an angle in an aquarium is used by certain fish species for spawning.

slatting = violent shaking or flapping, a term used in the past for unhooking a mackerel in a commercial fishery.

slaughter house = an area on a longliner where the fish catch is sorted and dressed and where hooks are re-baited (Nova Scotia).

sleep with the fishes = dead, killed, assassinated, drowned.

sleeper goldfish = upside down goldfish (Carassius auratus with a swimbladder or intestinal infection, once valued in China as the shui yu).

sleeping sickness = a disease of fishes caused by a unicellular parasite. The fish lie on their side, breathe slowly and move little for weeks.

sledge = trawl head (a strong, heart-shaped iron frame fitted at each end of a trawl beam to raise it about one metre off the sea bed. The after side is straight and slopes upward of each head to stake the ropes or wires by which the trawl is towed. The sides of the net are seized or lashed at a point close to the ground. Also called head iron and sledge).

slew = slough (1, 2 and 3).

slice = a broad knife for lifting and dividing fish at a table.

slick = 1) bass (Micropterus spp., Centrarchidae) too short to meet tournament standards; usually less than 14 inches (ca. 36 cm). Also called baby, dink, throw back, nubbin, and pop corn.

slick = 2) a surface indication of fish feeding below, comprising oil, faecal matter and fish fragments, e.g. a feeding school of bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) causes a slick.

slick = 3) run (transitional segments of streams, between a riffle and a pool, with moderate to fast current and depth, little or no turbulence and a smooth water surface).

slicker = a lead weight incorporated into the hook, used in hand-lining for cod near the surface. It enables the hook to be sunk rapidly (Newfoundland).

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

slider = a means of fishing with a float in deep water as it is difficult to cast out a float with a line below it longer than the fishing rod. The float has a large eye at the bottom and slides readily along the line until it is halted by a stop knot or rubber stopper set where the float will operate at the required depth. When casting, the float is down near the hook and slides up the line once in the water. The float may have a hole through its middle for the line to run freely through. Known as slip bobber or sliding float rig in North America.

sliding float rig = slider.

slime = 1) a natural covering of fish forming a protective film, often damaged or lost when captured fish are handled with dry hands, leaving the fish open to infection when returned to the water. On death the slime becomes opaque and milky, and yellowish with time.

slime = 2) microbial colonies on under-salted white fish evidenced by a sticky feel and by smell.

slime = 3) to remove loose skin and blood from mild cured fillets.

slime = 4) moisture on the surface of salted cod caused by imperfect drying.

slime coat = slime (1).

slime line = the commercial fish processing line where fish are gutted.

slime pore = one of a long series of pores along the flank of Myxinidae which produce large amounts of slime used in defense or in suffocating other fishes.

slime-food = marine plant and animal organisms fed on by fish (Newfoundland).

slimer = a worker who processes fish, cleaning, gutting and sorting them.

sling = backstrop (a short wire or chain system between the otter board and bridle on an otter trawl. Also called backboard becket, backstrop, board bridle, board leg, board strop, door legs and door strop).

sling rock = a rock used to sink a net.

slinger = a spent salmon or a thin cod out of condition (Scottish dialect).

slink = 1) white fish, such as cod, with an unacceptably high water content.

slink = 2) spent fish (1).

slink = 3) a salmon still in fresh water after spawning or a thin salmon in poor condition.

slink = 4) a thin cod, one caught in the spring before summer feeding in coastal waters (Newfoundland).

slip = stern ramp.

slip bobber = slider.

slip sinker = a lead or other metal weight having a hole through its centre, sliding freely up and down the fishing line. Called running lead in Britain.

slippery as an eel = 1) an idiom, sliding from one's grasp as easily as an eel (which has an elongate, muscular body, no firm protrusions to grasp, small scales and a slimy skin, making it difficult to hold).

slippery as an eel = 2) a good negotiator not easily pinned down on a commitment.

slippery as an eel = 3) of a person, too smart and sly to be trustworthy.

slippery dick = 1) a wrasse, Halichoeres bivittatus.

slippery dick = 2) a shooter containing Bailey's Irish Cream and Amaretto (or other ingredients), shaken with ice and strained into a shot glass.

slippery dick = 3) a name used for various politicians (see slippery as an eel).

slipping = releasing fish from a net, particularly from a purse seine without bringing the fish on board.

slipping clutch = drag (a device in the mechanism of fishing reels that puts pressure on the line as it is pulled off the reel, allowing a hooked fish to pull line without breaking it, and to restrain a running fish).

sliver (noun) = 1) a small thin piece cut, split or broken off, as in a piece of fish cut off as bait.

sliver (verb) = 2) to cut into slivers.

slivering = the act of cutting off a slender piece, e.g. in preparing bait.

sloap = slap.

slob = a brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) living in estuaries in Labrador.

sloch = the membrane covering the intestines of fish (Scottish dialect). Also spelled slowch, sluch and slough.

slocum = slowcome.

sloip = slap.

sloonky = said lean and emaciated fish (Scottish dialect).

sloop = slap.

slop = 1) a cod which is split, washed, heavily salted and undried (Newfoundland).

slop = 2) slob.

slope = 1) a major region from a drainage divide to the sea, e.g. the Pacific slope.

slope = 2) the slope seaward from the shelf edge to the beginning of a continental rise or where there is a general reduction in slope.

slope = 3) slap.

slopp = slap.

sloppe = slap.

slot = a Shetland Isles dish comprising fish livers and roe made into a paste with flour or oatmeal, and then boiled and fried.

slot limit = a limit on the size of fish that may be kept under a minimum and over a maximum size, but not those inbetween. This prevents small fish being caught and protects medium to large-sized spawning fish but allows trophy fish to be caught by anglers.

slott = slot.

slough = 1) a swampy or marshy area, sometimes with a sluggish flow, sometimes isolated from flowing water. May (swamp) or may not have trees growing out of it. Pronounced to rhyme with slew.

slough = 2) a tidal channel in a salt marsh. Pronounced to rhyme with slew.

slough = 3) a marine bay. Pronounced to rhyme with slew.

slough = 4) a piece of dead tissue separated from a wound or inflamed surface. Pronounced to rhyme with tough.

slough = 5) the process of separating tissue from a wound or inflamed surface. Pronounced to rhyme with tough.

slough = 6) sloch.

slow roll = a spinnerbait retrieved slowly through and over cover.

slowch = sloch.

slowcome = a small cod, not large enough to split (Newfoundland).

slub = 1) the deposit resulting from salt reactions with the mucus of fish during curing. Slub is assessed from clean to poorly washed in commercial products.

slub = 2) deposits of slime and mucus from marine organisms, or seaweeds, on fish nets.

slubby = covered with fish slime.

sluch = sloch.

slue = slough (1, 2 and 3).

sluice = a structure for impounding the water of a river or canal with a sluice gate controlling the water volume.

sluice gate = a structure in a watercourse for regulating the inflow or outflow of water.

sluiceway = an artificial channel fed or controlled by a sluice.

slumry = said of fish in poor condition or spent after spawning; lean (Scottish dialect).

slunging = the act of salmon throwing themselves into the air in aimless and noisy jumps (Scottish dialect).

slunker = spawned-out sturgeon.

slurp gun = a device for collecting fishes and other organisms in water, consisting of a cylinder with a plunger. Retraction of the plunger creates a sudden suction or slurp of water, pulling the fish unharmed into the cylinder which can then be capped. The gun has to be quite close to the fish to work.

slush bait = a topwater plug with a flat or pointed head.

smack = a fishing boat sailing under various rigs, according to size, and often having a well used to transport the fish catch to market.

small = various grades of dried and salted cod (Newfoundland).

small fish = fish, such as haddock, whiting, flounders, mackerel and herring, etc. caught inshore by smaller boats in comparison with large deep-sea fish, such as cod, ling, skate, halibut, etc. caught by the larger boats further out to sea (Scotland).

small fries = plural of small fry but not commonly in use; more likely to mean small French-fried potatoes.

small fry = 1) young or small fish.

small fry = 2) children, from Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. See also fry.

small fry = 3) any insignificant person, group or thing.

small lines = lighter longline gear used in shallow water for the smaller species. May have 1200 hooks.

small pit organ = sense organs found in the epidermis. See also superficial neuromasts, canal neuromasts and large pit organs.

small-scale fishery = artisanal fishery (a fishery involving skilled but non-industrialized operators; typically a small-scale, decentralized operation; normally a subsistence fishery although sometimes the catch may be sold. Usually fishing trips are short and inshore and fishing vessels are small but in developed countries may apply to trawlers, seiners or longliners). Limits of small and large scale fisheries vary between countries and fisheries. Also called small-scale producer.

small-scale producer = small-scale fishery.

small sportfisherman = an inshore-offshore fishing boat of aluminium or fibreglass, up to 25 feet in length, with an inboard or outboard motor. Used by anglers for access to relatively distant fishing grounds but slow enough for trolling.

smeak = smeek.

smeeck = smeek.

smeek = to smoke fish in order to cure or preserve them (Scottish dialect). Also spelled smeeck, smeak, smeik and smick.

smeik = smeek.

smell = the characteristic odour of fish on the hands can be removed by rubbing them on stainless steel (or carefully on a knife in the field).

smells fishy = dishonesty in a situation or explanation. From fresh fish having practically no smell, while rotten ones do.

smelter = a fisher for smelt (Osmeridae, or generally small silvery fishes).

smelting = fishing for smelt (Osmeridae) through the ice.

smeowt = smowt.

smick = smeek.

Smith Butchering Machine = a machine used in canneries to remove the head, fins and guts of fish. Also called iron chink.

smoat = smowt.

smoke dip = liquid smoke (a spay or dip formed from a condensate of the components of wood smoke, used to impart a smoky flavour to fish. Also called smoke dip, smoke solution).

smoke drying = use of hot smoky air (wood smoke, q.v.) from burning wood to dry fish for preservation. Wood, wood chips, wood shavings or sawdust is used and the smoke depends on the type of wood, its water content, temperature attained and the manner in which it is heated.

smoke flavour = natural or synthetic chemicals used to impart a smoky flavour to fish.

smoke house = smokehouse.

smoke solution = liquid smoke (a spay or dip formed from a condensate of the components of wood smoke, used to impart a smoky flavour to fish. Also called smoke dip, smoke solution).

smoked fish = fish cured by being exposed to smoke from slowly burning wood, often in a special smoke house, using particular woods. Partly dries the fish and imparts a smoky flavour.

smoked salmon = whole gutted salmon, split down the back (kippered salmon) or fillets, brined or dry salted, dried and cold smoked for several hours to give a mild cure. Usually sliced for retail and sold fresh, frozen, semi-preserved or canned in oil.

smoked trout = a pinkish-grey, proprietary, paint colour, similar to dead salmon, q.v.

smokehouse = a small structure or shed used for smoke drying.

smokeless smoking = artificial smoking (adding colour and flavour to a fish product resembling that of naturally smoked fish).

smoker = 1) smokehouse.

smoker = 2) the deepsea hydrothermal vent emitting heated, mineral-rich water; has a unique associated invertebrate fauna and various fishes. Usually called black smoker.

smoker = 3) a fast strike from a large fish causing the reel to "smoke" as it pulls out much line.

smokie = headed, gutted and hot smoked small haddock.

smoking kiln = smokehouse.

smolt (noun) = a young salmonid which has developed silvery coloring on its sides, obscuring the parr marks, and which is about to migrate or has just migrated into the sea.

smolt (verb) = to undergo the transformation from parr to smolt.

smolt up = smoltification.

smolt window = the short period when salmonid smolts can be transferred safely from fresh to sea water.

smoltification = the process of transforming from a parr to a smolt. The functioning of the gills and kidneys must be reversed. The process is also called smoltify.

smoltify = smoltification.

smoot = smowt.

smooth = a surface without projections.

smothered = entangled and killed in a net (Newfoundland).

smoult = smowt.

smout = smowt.

smowt = a young salmon or smolt (Scottish dialect). Also spelled smowte, smeowt, smout, smoat, smoot and smoult.

smowte = smowt.

snaar = a wooden pin, notched in the middle where a string was attached, slack at one end with a loop by which the baited hook was kept in hanging position. This loop easily slipped off at a touch and the pointed ends of the pin would then stick across the mouth of the fish (Scottish dialect). Also spelled snar, snarr, snaara, snarl, snarel and snarle.

snaara = snaar.

snaara pin = snaar.

snae = said of fish ready to take a bait (Scottish dialect). Also spelled sney, sne, snei and sny.

snag = any structure in the water which can catch up a lure, e.g. a sunken tree.

snag line = a wire attached to otter boards dragged ahead of a trawl to catch any obstructions and prevent loss or damage to the main net.

snagging = catching fish by means of unbaited hooks strung on lines. The fish swim into the hooks and are caught on them. Usually illegal. May also refer to inadvertent snagging when sport fishing with a bait or lure, the fish being hooked on some body part outside the mouth.

snaggletooth = having teeth not in alignment with neighbouring ones, or liable to catch on irregularities, e.g. in Silurus triostegus.

snake = 1) a steelhead salmon returning to the ocean. Also called downer.

snake = 2) a pink rubber worm, used in angling.

snake bite = a form of fishing line used by anglers that has a soft, braided inner material covered with a more rigid, anti-tangle coating that is easily cast. Another type is called snake skin.

snake guide = one of the smaller guides through which the line runs along a fly rod, so-called because of their s-shape.

snake skin = see snake bite.

snake trolling = using a boat in a controlled fashion to troll a lure in a weaving pattern, imparting an erratic action to the lure to avoid spooking shallow fish. Also called zigzagging.

snakehead = 1) a member of the family Channidae.

snakehead = 2) a member of a Chinese gang involved in smuggling people from China into western countries.

Snakehead Terror = a 2004 movie starring Bruce Boxleitner where snakeheads, affected by human growth hormones dumped in the local lake to revive the fisheries (how?), attack the residents of a small town. The snakeheads even move out onto land.

snap clip = a brass or stainless steel clip with the end bent to lock it when closed to facilitate easy changing of hooks, lures, leaders or sinkers. It may have a swivel.

snap freezing = flash freezing (very rapid freezing of small pieces of fish).

snap net = a net with a hinge or folding wings that can be closed abruptly when a fish enters.

snap netting = a single wall of netting with a floating head rope and a weighted ground rope, designed to suspend between two boats and into which the catch is drawn. Used in Ireland.

snap swivel = a swivel allowing rotation without twisting a fishing line and having a snap, a bent wire which can be locked and unlocked from a metal groove for attachment of lures.

snap-jigging = rip-jigging (jigging in areas with thick vegetation. The jig is allowed to settle in the weeds and then a strong pull rips the jig through them, cutting the weeds, and the process repeated).

snapper = 1) Cape Island vessel (a speedy fishing vessel, 32-45 feet long (and up to 57 feet), carrying a crew of two, of carvel construction with an inboard engine amidships and a shelter forward. Used for herring and groundfish gillnetting, inshore longlining, shallow water stern trawling, herring pumping and trolling).

snapper = 2) a successful fisherman (Newfoundland).

snappie = a small cod.

snappy = snappie.

snar = snaar.

snare = 1) a running noose on the end of a pole that can be used to catch a fish. It may be passive with the fish's movements causing the snare to close or more usually it is actively used when fish in shallow water, such as on spawning grounds, have a snare slipped over their head and pulled tight. The snare may be baited or run through a hollow stick (stick-snare).

snare = 2) snaar.

snarel = snaar.

snaring = active use of a snare.

snarl = snaar.

snarle = snaar.

snarr = snaar.

snatching = snagging.

sne = snae.

sneak spawner = sneaky male.

sneaker = sneaky male.

sneaky male = a small, non-dominant male fish which attempts to fertilise eggs by darting suddenly onto the nest site. Also called sneaker or sneak spawner.

snee = an inclination of fish to take a bait (Scottish dialect).

sneet = snit.

snei = snae.

snell = the North American word for the British hooklength (the line directly attached to a hook. Usually of lower breaking strain than the main line so that the fish will not break off a long length of line and become entangled).

snelling = the process of attaching a leader to a spade end hook. Eyed hooks can also be snelled, the knot being very strong, and gang rigs (q.v.) are snelled. A series of loops are made around the shank over a single loop laid parallel to the shank, the end of the line is fed through the single loop and the loop drawn tight so the series of loops clamp down on the single loop.

sney = snae.

snig = 1) slang for a small eel.

snig = 2) a small freshwater tomcod (Microgadus tomcod) (Newfoundland).

snigger = catching salmon illegally by dragging a cluster of weighted hooks along a river bed or through a pool (Scottish dialect).

sniggling = a method of capturing eels using a gorge (q.v.) in France and England. A needle is buried in the earthworm bait used in this technique.

snit = a small nd insignificant object, e.g. a small cod (Scottish dialect). See also snitt and sneet.

snitt = snit.

snood = a short line connecting a fishing line with the hook.

snorkel survey = a method using by divers with snorkels to estimate fish abundance, especially spawning fish.

snorkie = a salmon infected with a fungus (Scottish dialect).

snout = the tip of the head in front of the eyes.

snout length = the distance from the front tip of the head to the front edge of the orbit.

snout organ = an innervated group of cells in a round capsule at the end of a jelly-filled tube opening to the skin surface of Gymnarchidae and Mormyridae; electric sense organ. Also called mormyromast or multicellular gland.

snow = marine snow (organic particles and dead organisms that sink into the deep sea where they form a basis for life without sunlight).

snowman rig = in angling, a method of mounting two boilies, q.v., one above the other and thus resembling a snowman.

snub = a cod with a rounded, elongate and upturned snout, believed to be a sign of good luck (Newfoundland).

snubby = snub.

sny = snae.

snye = 1) a meandering side channel of a river with a dead end.

snye = 2) a channel joining two rivers.

snye = 3) a side-channel that later rejoins the main river.

so = soe.

So = a photophore below the middle of the eye and above the jaw in Myctophidae.

SO = 1) supraorbital canal.

SO = 2) a photophore near the tip of the lower jaw.

so help me salmon = an oath (obsolete). See also by (the) salmon.

soak = 1) a bait or trap fishing for some time to catch fish.

soak = 2) to haul a net using the slow roll of the boat as leverage (Newfoundland).

soak time = the total time a baited hook, net or trap is available to fish in the water.

soam = soom.

soap fish = or saippuakala in Finnish, spoiled lutefisk (q.v.) left too long in the lye, allowing saponification to occur.

soboro = boiled, shredded and dried fish (Japan).

social constraints = behaviours of fishers or a local community which constrains entry to a fishery.

sockeye salmon virus = infectious haematopoietic necrosis (an acute Rhabdovirus-group viral disease of salmonids transmitted from fish to fish and by eggs in western North America, e.g. in chinook and sockeye salmon and rainbow trout. The disease destroys the haemotopoietic tissues in the kidney and spleen. Fish become lethargic or hyperactive, dark in colour, develop popeyes, anaemia (pale gills) and a swollen belly, and produce faecal casts. Haemorrhages on the skin, viscera and fins occur. Particularly affects fish less than 5 cm long in water below 10°C with high mortality. Potentially dangerous to humans. Abbreviated as IHN).

sodium merthiolate = a disinfectant for living fish eggs. The sodium salt of ((o-Carboxyphenyl)thio)ethylmercury. Also called thimerosal.

sodium tripolyphosphate = an additive used on fish to retain moisture. Abbreviated as STP.

soe = bait, such as half-boiled and chewed limpets or other shellfish, which are thrown or spat into the sea to attract fish (Shetland Isles dialect). Also spelled so and sow (2).

soft bait = any lure made from soft rubber or plastic.

soft cure = salted fish, such as cod, with a moisture content after drying over 40%.

soft egg disease = flaccid, easily deformed, incubating eggs. Caused by microorganisms forming holes in the egg from which yolk leaks. Also called soft shell disease.

soft ray = an articulated or segmented fin ray, simple or branched.

soft release = in stocking or introducing fishes to a new habitat, the fish are acclimated at the release site to temperature and chemistry, allowed to recover from transport, to develop social bonds, etc., cf. hard release.

soft roe = the milt or sperm of a fish as food. Also called white roe.

soft shell disease = soft egg disease.

soft water = water with a low concentration of dissolved calcium and magnesium salts.

soft-finned = having a fin supported by flexible or jointed rays.

soft-rayed = a group of fishes distinguished from the spiny-rayed fishes (Acanthopterygii) by lacking true spines in the dorsal, anal and pelvic fins, among other characters. Includes herrings, carps, eels, etc.Once known scientifically as the Malacopterygii a term not now in general use. A convenient designation for those lower fishes lacking spines.

soldier's fish-hook = grenade; a means of mechanical narcosis, q.v.

sole = 1) the elongate forward-projecting flattening on the underside of the abdomen of Opisthoproctus (Opisthoproctidae). May act as a reflector for the light organ inside the body near the anus. Also called sole reflecting organ.

sole = 2) the common name for certain unrelated flatfishes belonging to such families as the Pleuronectidae and Soleidae. The word is from the Latin for sandal and refers to the flat shape of these fishes.

stole = 3) the bottom rope of a fish net (Scottish dialect).

sole plate = a steel plate on the bottom of an otter board or the trawl head of a beam trawl.

sole reflecting organ = sole.

solitary = living alone, not in schools.

Solomon Gundy = herring or anchovies pickled in vinegar, white sugar and sometimes pickling spice and bay leaves, layered with onion rings in a large bottle. May also be a mixture of minced veal, chicken or turkey, onions and a fish component. The term is derived from salgama condita, Latin for preserved pickles or from the Countess Salmagondi, a lady of honour to Maria de Medici, said to have invented it. See also salmagundi.

solum nasi = the floor of the nasal passage, particularly when ossified. In Actinopterygii it gives rise to an orbitonasal lamina articulating with the palatine.

somactid = radial (a bony or cartilaginous support for a fin ray or spine. Usually three - the proximal, middle and distal radials. If the proximal radial is notably larger it is spoken of as a basal. Teleosts have only one row of radials between the fin rays and the supporting skeleton and these are called actinosts).

somite = a body segment. In the embryo an undifferentiated mesodermal component of an early trunk or tail segment or metamere, derived from paraxial mesoderm. The somite forms the myotome, sclerotome and perhaps dermatome.

sonar = use of transmitted and deflected sound waves under water to detect objects, including fish schools.

sonic hedgehog = a gene controlling eye and mouth formation, e.g. in the blind form of the fish Astyanax mexicanus, this gene and another, tiggy-winkle hedgehog, are expressed in larger region of the body than in sighted fish, preventing normal eye development. Eyes are lost as a more effective mouth is developed for catching food in the dark. Not to be confused with the computer game.

sonic muscles = muscles associated with the swimbladder used for sound production. See extrinsic and intrinsic sonic muscles, and drumming muscles, elastic spring mechanism and protractor post-temporalis mechanism.

sonic scattering = sound scattering layer.

soniferous = sound producing; many fishes produce sounds under water.

sonification = act of producing sound.

sono-buoy = an attachment to a pound net that transmits the underwater noises made by trapped fish, enabling a remote estimate of catch, quantity and kind.

sook - souk.

sooked = half-dried fish (Orkneys).

soom = the swimbladder of a fish, used as food (Scottish dialect). See also soam, soum and sum.

sooshler = soosler.

soosler = a thin fish, especially a cod in poor condition (Caithness dialect, Scotland). See also Also sooshler, sousler, sooslin.

sooslin = soosler.

sorting grid = a grid inserted into a shrimp trawl to allow shrimps to fall back into the cod-end but diverting many fish to an escape panel in the top of the trawl.

souk = the young of cod (Scottish dialect).

soum = soom.

sound = 1) gas bladder (a thin membranous, sometimes alveolated sac in the dorsal portion of the abdominal cavity. Composed of three layers, the tunica externa, the submucosa or middle layer and the tunica interna, all q.v. Contains a varying mixture of gases, not identical to the composition of air. May be one, two or three chambered. May be connected to the gut by a tube, the ductus pneumaticus (then called physostomous) or unconnected (then called physoclistous). May function as one or more of:- hydrostatic organ, sound producing organ, sound receptor, respiratory organ. Found in Actinopterygii. Often lacking in bottom fishes. Sometimes called swim bladder or air bladder, less appropriate terms. An item in Chinese cuisine. Used to make isinglass, q.v.).

sound = 2) a long and wide body of water connecting larger water bodies and between the mainland and islands, larger than a strait or channel.

sound = 3) to measure the depth of water by means of a weighted line.

sound as a roach = quite sound or solid; a pun based on the roach (Rutilus rutilus, Cyprinidae) and the French roche or rock.

sound as a trout = of good and sound constitution.

sound production = see sonic muscles and eructation.

sound scattering layer = any layer or object which scatters sound in water. Sonar devices can be used to detect fish schools by recording sound scattering layers.

sound-bone = the vertebral column to which the sound is attached, possibly just the anterior vertebral column (Newfoundland).

sounding = 1) a measured depth of water.

sounding = 2) testing the depth of a water body or the quality of the bottom.

sounding line = a weighted line or wire used in sounding.

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

soup and fish = 1) evening or formal dress.

soup and fish = 2) a formal, white-tie dinner (nineteenth century America).

sour fish = 1) a partially decomposed fish that smells sour.

sour fish = 2) fish kept until it acquires a game flavour.

source = 1) a spring, the beginning of a stream.

source = 2) any water body from which water is taken for a given purpose.

source = 3) areas where birth rates exceed death rates and emigration rates are higher than immigration rates as applied to equilibrium populations. See also sink.

souse = to plunge into or soak in a liquid.

soused = cooking of fish in salt, vinegar or lemon juice with herbs and spices for seasoning.

soused herring = potted herring (herring pickled with salt, vinegar and spices. Often as rolled fillets baked in an oven and sometimes sprayed with kipper dye after cooking).

soused gurnet = a term of opprobrium (from gurnard).

sousler = soosler.

sow = 1) a boat-based fish wheel (q.v.), found on the Columbia River in Oregon.

sow = 2) soe.

sp. (spp. plural) = species (singular and plural)( biologically, a group of populations of actually or potentially interbreeding organisms which are reproductively isolated (by behavior, ecology, morphology or physiology) from other such groups. Taxonomically, the name of a category of organisms below the genus-group; an individual taxon of the category "species", e.g. Perca fluviatilis. Morphologically, the smallest group of animals that can always be separated (+95% of the specimens or all of the specimens) from other such groups by morphological characters (other than sex or individual genes) – does not include sibling species. A species is a subjective unit insofar as it is based on only a sample of the population and insofar as the point of separation where there is some overlap must be arbitrary. A nominal species is a named species, objectively defined by its type-specimen).

sp. ind.= species indeterminata (an indeterminate species; one which cannot be recognized from its original description).

sp. indet. = species indeterminata (an indeterminate species; one which cannot be recognized from its original description).

sp. n. = species nova (new species; given after the scientific name instead of the authority (who as author of the article is assumed to be the authority)).

sp. nov. = species nova (new species; given after the scientific name instead of the authority (who as author of the article is assumed to be the authority)).

sp. rev. = abbreviation for species revivisco, meaning species revived, e.g. from an earlier synonymy.

SPA = abbreviation for sequential population analysis.

space cadet = a strain of zebrafish (Danio rerio) that turns towards a prodding needle or spins on the spot, rather than swimming away. This strain has abnormal connections between nerves feeding into the Mauthner neurons, q.v., at the rear of the brain. There are also spaced out and twitch twice strains.

space suit for a fish = definition of a human.

spaced out = a strain of zebrafish; see space cadet.

spacer = a small bobbin, q.v., inserted between the main bobbins along a groundrope.

spaciotemporal = existing in both space and time together. Also spelled spatiotemporal.

spadate = spade-shaped.

spade-end hook = hooks without an eye but having a flattened end requiring whipping or snelling, q.v., to attach the line. These hooks are usually the smaller sizes, 16 and below.

spaghetti trawl = rope trawl (the netting of the front part of a four-seam trawl made of plaited warps running parallel for a few meters. The aim is to save energy required for towing by decreasing the resistance of the gear).

spail (noun) = 1) a wooden skewer used to stretch open a fish for drying (Scottish dialect).

spail (verb) = 2) using a spail (Scottish dialect).

spalding = 1) spelding.

spalding = 2) a dried fish split open.

spale = spail.

span board = a board fastened across the centre of a fish barrow to strengthen the surface on which the load is carried (Newfoundland).

span line = a rope running from the main buoy to the leader of a cod trap (Newfoundland).

Spanish = a grade of dried and salted cod prepared for the markets of Spain and Portugal (Newfoundland).

Spanish fish = Spanish.

Spanish room = a tract of land on the water-front of a cove or harbour from which the fishery was prosecuted by Spaniards in Newfoundland.

Spanish water dog = similar to the Portuguese water dog, a dog used to retrieve fish and fallen articles from the water, to carry messages between boats and to guard boats. Used from about 1500 A.D. onward. Now used for bomb and drug sniffing.

sparganosis = infestation of a fish with the larval stage of a pseudophyllidean cestode. spat = the spawn or larval stage of oysters or other molluscs; occasionally used for fish spawn when adhering to objects.

spate = a heavy rainstorm, excessive runoff, a sudden flood.

spathiform = resembling a spar (rounded pole) in form.

spatial closure = a permanent or seasonal ban on fishing in a defined area.

spatial heterogeneity = the non-homogeneous nature of habitats or spatial distributions of organisms, often ignored in simple models.

spatiform = presumably meaning spatulate, in reference to branchiostegals, but not in any dictionary.

spatio-temporal = spatiotemporal.

spatiotemporal = existing in both space and time together. Also spelled spaciotemporal.

spatulate = spoon-shaped, depressed and concave.

spawn (noun) = the eggs of fishes (and other aquatic organisms).

spawn (verb) = to lay (and fertilize) eggs in the process of reproduction.

spawn bag = fish eggs used as bait for such species as Pacific salmons, enclosed in a mesh bag to keep the eggs together. Also called roe bag.

spawn binding = said of aquarium fish with ripe eggs that fail to spawn through lack of a male, incorrect environment, etc. Eggs may be shed, reabsorbed or decay and cause bacterial infection.

spawn herring = mature herring migrating inshore to spawn (Newfoundland).

spawned out = fish that have completed spawning, shed eggs or sperm, and are now in an exhausted or depleted state.

spawner = a female fish, especially at spawning time.

spawner trap = a barrier erected in a stream or in a fish ladder intended to divert adult fish holding prior to taking their eggs or sperm for culturing.

spawner-recruit relationship = the number of young fish or recruits entering a population is related to the number of parents or spawners.

spawner-to-spawner ratio = an estimate of the number of spawners in one generation produced by the previous generation of spawners. A spawner-to-spawner ratio of 1.0 indicates that, on average, each spawner produced one offspring that survived to spawn.

spawning = release of ova, fertilised or to be fertilised.

spawning area = part of the bottom on which fish spawning takes place.

spawning biomass = the total weight of all sexually mature fish in a population.

spawning bottom = part of the bottom suitable for fish reproduction. Also called breeding bottom.

spawning box = a box filled with gravel and submerged in a stream or lake providing a substrate for fish eggs to be deposited.

spawning can = a container in which mature catfish are placed to spawn.

spawning channel = an artificial gravel-bed area in which flow, depth and velocity are controlled at ideal levels for spawning by a particular species of fish.

spawning check or mark = a ring on a scale cutting through the annuli, caused by erosion of the edge of the scale during spawning.

spawning colour = the pigmentation that develops during spawning. Also called breeding colour.

spawning dress = spawning colour.

spawning escapement = the total number of adult fish returning to a hatchery or stream to spawn.

spawning fishery = a fishery targeted on knowledge of the fishes spawning habits or grounds.

spawning ground = the locality in which a given species spawns. Also called breeding ground.

spawning habit = usual manner of spawning characteristic of a given species.

spawning livery = spawning colour.

spawning migration = the movement of fishes from feeding or overwintering areas to the spawning area.

spawning mop = an artificial, aquarium spawning medium for those fishes that deposit or scatter adhesive eggs in or over vegetation; consists of a mass of synthetic yarn tied into various configurations. See also floating (or top) mop, bottom mop and trailing mop.

spawning period = a defined time period when spawning occurs.

spawning place = the exact locality where fish spawn. Also called breeding place.

spawning platform = a floating or suspended platform in a lake used by fish for spawning

spawning pond = a small pond specially designed for natural spawning by brood fish in aquaculture. Also called breeding pond.

spawning population = the mature part of a stock or population, especially during the spawning season.

spawning potential ratio = the number of eggs that could be produced by an average recruit in a fished stock under a given regime divided by the number of eggs that could be produced by an average recruit in an unfished stock. This may also be expressed at the spawning stock biomass per recruit (SSB/R) of a fished stock divided by the SSB/R of the stock before it was fished. Abbreviated as SPR. Also called percentage maximum spawning potential or %MSP.

spawning ropes = unwound ropes tied together and weighted and used as a removable spawning substrate in ponds.

spawning rush = a rapid burst of swimming, usually vertical or steeply inclined, that culminates in the release of gametes at its apex, followed by a rapid return to the substrate or aggregation.

spawning season = that period of a year in which fish are sexually active. Also called breeding season.

spawning spread = the time between start and end of spawning when spawn is released over days and weeks rather than all at once.

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

spawning stock biomass = the total weight of the fish in a stock that are old enough to spawn; the biomass of all fish beyond the age or size class in which 50% of the individuals are mature. Generally used for females only. May be used instead of measuring egg production. Abbreviated as SSB.

spawning stock biomass per recruit = the spawning stock biomass divided by the number of recruits to the stock. It is the expected lifetime contribution to the spawning stock biomass for a recruit of a specific age, e.g. per age 2 individual. Abbreviated as SSB/R.

spawning substrate = the bottom type required by a fish for spawning.

spawning survey = counts of redds and fish carcasses to estimate spawner escapement and identify habitat being used by spawning fish. Annual surveys can be used to compare the relative magnitude of spawning activity between years.

spawning tile = a piece of hard and flat material such as a pottery tile, plastic or glass intended as an area for fish to deposit their eggs in aquaria. Rocks may also be used as in nature.

spawning time = that portion of the spawning period when the fish actually spawn.

spawning trigger = an environmental cue or change which stimulates a fish to spawn. Often temperature (increase or decrease) but can be a salinity change, increase in food supply, water level or daylength. Some fish do not have triggers, breeding continuously or only at a certain point in their life cycle.

spear = 1) a fish spear often has 2-7 prongs on the end in various arrangements used to capture fish. Often barbed. Many variants and impromptu structures exist. See also narsoo.

spear = 2) bite (the straight part after the bend on a hook, q.v.).

spear gun = any explosive propelled spear used to catch larger fishes, e.g. swordfishes.

spearfishing = using a spear to catch fish. The spear is propelled by hand, by a spring, elastic band, compressed air or a bow. Spearfishing is usually restricted to certain species and a licence is required.

spearing = using a spear to catch fish.

spec. = abbreviation for specimen.

specialist = a fish harvester with one license directing all efforts towards one species.

speciation = the evolution of species.

species (singular and plural) = biologically, a group of populations of actually or potentially interbreeding organisms which are reproductively isolated (by behavior, ecology, morphology or physiology) from other such groups. Historically, a cohesive lineage of ancestral-descendent populations of organisms that maintains its identity from other such lineages. Taxonomically, the name of a category of organisms below the genus-group; an individual taxon of the category "species", e.g. Perca fluviatilis. Morphologically, the smallest group of animals that can always be separated (+95% of the specimens or all of the specimens) from other such groups by morphological characters (other than sex or individual genes) – does not include sibling species. A species is a subjective unit insofar as it is based on only a sample of the population and insofar as the point of separation where there is some overlap must be arbitrary. Abbreviated as sp. (singular) spp. (plural). A nominal species is a named species, objectively defined by its type-specimen.

species aggregate = a group of species that are morphologically similar and therefore difficult to identify.

species assemblage = group of species co-occurring in a given area and likely to be caught together in a given gear.

species flock = concentration of large numbers of distinct but related species in an isolated area, e.g. Cichlidae in African Great Lakes.

species group = group of species considered together, often because they are difficult to differentiate without detailed examination, e.g. very similar species, or because data for the separate species are not available, e.g. in fishery statistics or commercial categories.

species indeterminata = an indeterminate species; one which cannot be recognized from its original description. Abbreviate as sp. indet. or sp. ind.

species inquirenda = a doubtfully identified species needing further investigation, a species incompletely defined that requires further clarification. Also called species inquirendum.

species name = specific name.

species nova = new species; given after the scientific name instead of the authority (who as author of the article is assumed to be the authority). Abbreviated as sp. nov. or sp. n.

species richness = number of species in a given area or habitat.

species risk group = in food inspection, a group of fish species with common risks related to environmental contaminants, therapeutant residues, histamine production, marine toxins and /or sanitary water quality conditions.

species selection = species selectivity.

species selectivity = the way fishing gear is designed to catch a particular species or a limited number of species of fish.

species tank = an aquarium in which only one species is kept.

species-group = 1) the co-ordinate categories species and subspecies (superspecies and infrasubspecific forms, although used by some taxonomists, are not recognized by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature).

species-group = 2) a group of closely related species, a superspecies in some usages.

species-rich = speciose.

specific action potentiality = the state of an animal responsible for its readiness to perform the behavior patterns of one instinct in preference to all other behavior patterns; level of motivation. Abbreviated s.a.p.

specific growth rate = a term used in aquaculture to estimate the production of fish after a certain period (weight at harvest - weight at stocking)/production period*100.

specific name = the second component of the binomial name of a species. When a species is placed in a given genus, the combination of the generic name and the specific name forms a binomen. A specific name has no meaning in nomenclature when cited in isolation.

specifier = a species, taxon or apomorphy that anchors a name in a phylogenetic definition.

specimen = 1) an individual from a scientific sample; sometimes an individual regarded as typical of the group.

specimen = 2) any large individual of a species, used by anglers in Britain to describe sought after fish; called trophy or lunker in North America.

speciose = having many species, species-rich, usually applied to a taxon.

specious = having deceptive attraction or allura; having a false look of truth or genuineness. Often misused for speciose.

Speckfisch = a trade name for hot-smoked pieces of sixgill shark, Hexanchus griseus, in Germany.

spectacle = a transparent membrane covering the eye. Petromyzontidae have a primary spectacle that is an unattached modification of the cornea while other fishes may have a secondary spectacle formed from skin originally fused to the cornea and subsequently separated. The secondary spectacle is found in fish that live in habitats with abrasive substrates or in fish with protruding eyes that require some streamlining.

speed = swimming speed in fish is divided into cruising, sustained or prolonged, and burst or darting speeds (all q.v.).

speed trolling = trolling a lure behind a boat moving quickly (20 m.p.h.); used for fast-swimming marine fishes, for example.

speet = 1) a pointed stick or skewer on which herring or other fish are strung up to dry (British dialect).

speet = 2) a horizontal iron rod through a sinker from which the hooked lines hang down on either side (Scottish dialect).

speet = 3) a pole on which fish lines are hung (Scottish dialect).

speetler = a young eel (Scottish dialect).

spelaean = pertaining to a cave.

spelean = pertaining to a cave.

spelder = a person who splits fish for curing.

spelding = 1) headed, gutted split fish such as whiting (Merlangius merlangus) immersed in weak brine (even seawater) and air dried.

spelding = 2) a dried fish split open.

speleic = pertaining to a cave.

speleifer = a cave-tolerant organism.

spelk (noun) = 1) a wooden skewer used on a split fish hung up to dry, especially on a young dogfish (Scottish dialect).

spelk (verb) = 2) to skewer a split fish and keep it open for quicker drying (Scottish dialect).

spelling, original = the spelling of an available name when first published. The original spelling of a name is to be kept as the "correct original spelling" unless it does not meet the requirements of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. An incorrect original spelling is an original spelling that is incorrect. Multiple original spellings are two or more different original spellings for the same name.

spelling, subsequent = see subsequent spelling.

spelling, variant = different spellings of specific or subspecific names that are deemed to be identical for the purposes of the Principle of Homonymy.

speleophil = 1) a reproductive guild (q.v.) in which a few, large adhesive eggs are hidden in crevices in caves. There is extensive embryonic respiratory plexuses and the emerging larvae are large, e.g. Astyanax mexicanus.

speleophil = 2) a reproductive guild (q.v.) including cavity roof nesters with moderately developed embryonic respiratory structures, e.g. Pimephales notatus, and bottom burrow nesters having strongly developed embryonic respiratory structures, e.g. Acarichthys heckeli.

spent fish = 1) a fish which has recently completed spawning. Fat content and general condition is usually low. Most fish caught on spawning migrations are caught before they are spent.

spent fish = 2) live fish with a flesh fat content less than 2%. Also called lean fish.

spent-wing = a type of dry fly with wings at right angles to the shank suggesting a dead mayfly. Various named patterns come under this heading.

sperm competition = occurs when a male sneaks into a nest to fertilise eggs of a mating pair.

sperm packet = spermatophore.

sperm parasite = a fish that has all-female forms dependent on sperm from other species to stimulate egg development without a genetic contribution.

sperm sac = in male sharks, sperm descend through the ductus deferens and the seminal vesicle into a sperm sac.

sperm sinus = a space which develops within the wall of the gonad near the genital veins and which feeds into the sperm duct.

spermary = the male equivalent of ovary; probably more commonly used for invertebrates than fish.

spermatic artery = runs from the coeliaco-mesenteric artery to the left testis and from the gastric artery to the right testis.

spermatic crypt = the more or less spherical space in the male tissue of hermaphroditic Serranidae, in which the sperm develops. The crypts are surrounded by connective tissue membranes that break down when the sperm reach maturity.

spermation = sperm production.

spermatogonia = precursors of sperm.

spermatophore = a cluster of sperm surrounded by a capsule. The capsule can be deposited into the female and fertilisation can then occur long after this mating.

sperm packet = a mass of sperm transferred from the male to the female by a gonopodium of the Poeciliidae.

spermatozeugmata = packaged sperm found in Goodeidae and Poeciliidae.

spermozeugma = sperm held in large masses by a mucoid substance as in Neostethidae.

spermatozoa = the flagellated male gamete or sperm.

spey = a fly casting technique using a two-handed rod and a modified roll cast, named after the Scottish river where it was developed.

sphenoid = a region of the skull lying between the ethmoid and otic regions made up of the orbitosphenoid, basisphenoid and, in various groups, the alisphenoid, and mesethmoid.

sphenotic = a deep bone below the frontal, above the pterosphenoid (or alisphenoid) and under the dermosphenotic. Also called autosphenotic.

sphenotic spine = a projection of the sphenotic bone seen in some Lophiiformes.

spheroidine = tetrodotoxin, q.v., the poison found in tetrodotoxic fishes.

spice cure = curing fish with salt to which spices have been added.

spider web bait = a thick ball of spider webs used to catch gar fish that are entangled by their small teeth.

spider web net = formed by a New Guinea spider. A long piece of bamboo is bent over at the end to form a loop and placed in an area where the spiders are common. The spiders spin their web over this loop. The resulting net can be used to scoop up fish of about one pound in weight.

spicule = minute, hard, needle-like or sharp-pointed processes or projections.

spiced cured fish = fish cured with salt to which is added sugar and various spices.

spider = a wet or dry fly with long hackles, falling lightly to the water surface (and so good for novice casters) and riding high and resembling many insects. Most effective on glassy water.

spider hitch = a knot used by anglers to produce a loop. Used mostly with lines over 15 kg test. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

spider jig = in angling, a soft plastic grub with a skirt or tentacles at the forward end.

spider weight = a lead weight with copper wire legs. Used by surf fishermen to anchor their bait, the legs digging into the sand.

spiesman = high spy (a salmon fisher posted to keep watch on the movements of fish in a river (Scottish dialect)).

spillånga = dried ling (Molva molva), headed, and most parts of the backbone removed. The ling is stretched by means of splints before it is hung for drying (Sweden).

spiller = a long and stout fishing line with many hooks attached. May be up to 500 feet with 60 hooks baited with pilchards or mackerel. Also called boulter.

spillet fishing = a series of hooks on snoods set along one line. Also called spilliard fishing, trawl fishing or bultow fishing. See also boulter, spiller, trot line, longline, etc.

spilliard fishing = a series of hooks on snoods set along one line. Also called spillet fishing, trawl fishing or bultow fishing. See also boulter, spiller, trot line, longline, etc.

spillover = movement of adults from a protected area to fishing grounds or larval export from a protected area to surrounding areas.

spillway = passage for overflow of surplus water, e.g. from a dam.

spin casting reel = an angling reel in which the spool is fixed. A bail arm is folded back to let the line come off in a cast and when in place rotates to wrap the line on the spool, cf. bait casting reel. Also called fixed-spool reel.

spin fishing = sport fishing with a lure that rotates on the end of the line as retrieved; often a swivel is used to prevent the line becoming twisted. The reel used has a fixed spool and a bail wire loops retrieved line onto it. The reel hangs below the rod which is fitted with large guides. Also called spinning.

spina (plural spinæ) = spine.

spina pterotica (plural spinæ pteroticæ) = pterotic spine (a pointed process of the pterotic bone).

spinæ = plural of spina.

spinæ pteroticæ = plural of spina pterotica.

spinal nerve = a series of paired nerves emerging from the spinal cord via vertebral foramina with dorsal and ventral roots and variously innervating body structures, e.g. the first three spinal nerves innervate the pectoral and pelvic girdle muscles; the first spinal nerve innervates the back of the cranium via a dorsal or occipital branch and the hyoid muscles via a ventro-anterior branch.

spinate = spine-like or composed of spines.

spincaster = fishing with a reel having an enclosed face using a push button to release the line (which peels off a stationary drum), mounted on the topside of a baitcasting rod. A favourite of beginning anglers. Called coffee grinder in slang.

spindle = dan leno spindle (a steel spindle through a dan leno bobbin, q.v. Also called axle).

spine (fins) = a usually stiff, sharp, dermal rod which supports and or arms the fin; spinous ray. Lacks segments and is not laterally paired as are rays. Spine counts are given in Roman numerals, e.g. XI-XIV. See also ray.

spine (body) = sharp hard bony structures on the skeleton or skin, e.g. preopercular spines. Both serve as predator deterrents.

spine length = spines are measured from their distal tip (excluding filaments) to their base).

spinescent = tending towards the form of a spine, e.g. in the gill rakers of Gempylidae and Trichiuridae.

spiniform = having the shape of a spine.

spinner = 1) a lure consisting of a wire shaft with a hook(s) and a blade that spins when pulled through the water. Variously coloured and decorated with feathers, fur, beads and plastic additions. Also called spinnerbait.

spinner = 2) the last stage of a mayfly after mating which falls on the water surface with wings spread horizontally, an easy target for feeding fish.

spinner bait = a weighted hook and spinning blade with the hook surrounded by a rubber skirt. It fishes point up and so is suitable for fishing in heavy vegetation.

spinner fall = a feeding frenzy of fish caused by spinners, q.v., falling on the water surface.

spinning = spin fishing.

spinning reel = spin casting reel.

spinoid scale = a cycloid scale bearing a serrated margin; superficially similar to ctenoid scales but having spines as outgrowths of the scale as oppose to true ctenii.

spinous = stiff or composed of spines.

spinous scale = a specialised larval scale with spines (not ctenii, q.v.).

spinule = a small spine projecting from a larger spine.

spinulose = covered with small spines.

spiny-finned = fish bearing fins with one or more spines.

spiny-rayed = spiny-finned.

spiny-rayed fishes = a natural group of fishes (Acanthopterygii) characterised by spiny rays at the front of the dorsal, anal and pelvic fins. They also have ctenoid scales (q.v.). These "higher" fishes contrast with the "lower" soft-rayed fishes that lack spines.

spiracle = a vestigial gill cleft between the eye and the gill slits in Elasmobranchii, Acipenseridae, Polyodontidae, and Polypteridae. Water for respiration is inhaled through the spiracles in Rajiformes. Connects with the gill cavity; often retains branchial lamellae which are called the spiracular pseudobranch.

spiral valve = a spiral or helical fold in the midgut of Petromyzontiformes, Elasmobranchii, Holocephali and some primitive Teleostomi. Functions to increase the surface area for processing food without lengthening the intestine.

spirit of wine = ethanol (C₂H₅OH; used as a 70-80% solution in water for the permanent preservation and storage of fish specimens in museum collections. Also called ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol).

spirits = spirit of wine.

spit = 1) a narrow strip of land projecting into the sea.

spit = 2) a frothy secretion enclosing the eggs deposited by an insect on a drying cod (Newfoundland).

spitchcock = grilled, fried or roasted eels, cut into small pieces or split lengthwise and flattened, with breadcrumbs and herbs.

splake = an artificial hybrid of male brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and female lake trout (S. namaycush). The name comes from speckled trout (an older name for brook trout) and lake trout. Also called wendigo, a name decided on by a contest sponsored by the Carling Conservation Club. Introduced to many waters in North America, particularly in Ontario where they mature earlier than lake trout and before lampreys become a significant scourge.

splanchnocrania = plural of splanchnocranium.

splanchnocranium (plural splanchnocrania) = the portion of the skull derived from the visceral arches and composed of endochondral bone and cartilage. Also called viscerocranium.

splash fishing = use of a splash net.

splash net = any net into which fish are driven or led by frightening them. The water surface may be thrashed with sticks, boat sides struck, water splashed, etc. Also called lam net.

splash netting = use of a splash net.

splashless tank = a fish-carrying system based on a petrol or gas tanker with over 1000 litre capacity, foam-lined to prevent fish injury, an air compressor and emergency oxygen supply.

splated = a fifteenth century word for dressing pike (preparing this fish for consumption), no longer in use.

splaved = a fifteenth century word for dressing bream (preparing this fish for consumption), no longer in use.

spleen = an elongate element of the viscera lying on the posterior dorsal surface of the fundic part of the stomach, concerned with production and maintenance of blood cells. Deep red, almost black, in colour in teleosts.

splenial = 1) a dermal bone carrying a sensory canal, e.g. in Amia. Also called sesamoid angular or submandibular.

splenial = 2) coronoid (a paired dermal bone bearing teeth located on the upper edge of Meckel's cartilage. One pair is found in Acipenseridae and two pairs in Amia and Lepisosteus. Also called presplenial, prearticular and intradentary).

splenial = 3) coronomeckelian (a small bone on the postero-lateral part of Meckel's cartilage of the lower jaw. Often a point of insertion of the adductor mandibulae muscle. Also called sesamoid angular, supraangular, sesamoid articular, articular sesamoid, os meckeli or d bone).

splenic artery = a branch of the end of the coeliac artery serving the spleen.

splenic vein = delivers blood from the spleen and adjacent parts of the stomach to the hepatic portal vein.

splint = a rudimentary spine.

split = 1) check (a mark or discontinuity on a scale or other hard structure used for aging, caused by cessation of growth and absorption of deposited material due to spawning (hence a spawning check), injury, disease, parasites, or unseasonal lack of food).

split = 2) fish with head and guts removed and backbone cut around, opened and flattened for salting and drying.

split cane rod = a fly rod made of six pieces of split bamboo, triangular in section and tapered, and glued together. Mostly replaced by fibre and graphite rods.

split cure herring = herring in Newfoundland that have been split down the back, the head is retained but the gills and guts removed, lightly brined and packed in salt in barrels for a week, then repacked in 100° brine.

split fish = fish cut open from the throat to the vent or to the tail, gills, guts and gonads removed, head left attached or removed, backbone removed or left in the tail region for support.

split ring = double zone (two rings on an otolith that are close together relative to the size of the calcified stricture and the distance between two annuli. Considered as one annulus). Also called double ring and double mark.

split shot = a ball of lead of varying sizes with a slit in it allowing the shot to be clamped onto a line. Used to weight a fishing line such that the hook and bait sink rapidly or are positioned appropriately in the water column. The smallest size is number 13 and goes up to swan shot, the largest. Lead shot is banned in some countries because of its poisonous nature for wildlife.

splitter = 1) a scientist who engages in splitting (1).

splitter = 2) member of a fishing crew who cuts out the backbone of the cod and opens the fish to the tail for salting and drying.

splitting = 1) separating species on minor differences. The converse is lumping.

splitting = 2) often carried out before salting or drying, a gutted fish is cut partly through exposing some or all of the backbone, with the head on or off. There are various commercial grades of splitting from well split to very poorly split, depending on whether the backbone was removed entirely, whether belly flaps are entire or not, and split tails or round tails, gill covers, cartilage, slivers, skull bones present in varying degrees.

splitting knife = a sharp curved knife used in splitting (2).

splitting stage = a small stage, q.v., where fish were gutted, headed and split before salting.

splitting table = a table in a stage, q.v., where cod or salmon are processed before salting and drying in Newfoundland. The table is about 4 feet by 6 feet and has 1-2 semi-circular cutouts where the splitters processed the fish, the cutout allowing the fish to be worked at an angle as the backbone was removed. Next to the cutouts is a cleat, or small strip of wood, used to steady the fish as it was being split.

splunge = an implement for catching eels (United Kingdom).

splunger = a technique used to catch eels (probably spearing but not specified in source).

spm = abbreviation for specimen.

spobby = an activity not active enough to be called a sport but too competitive to be called a hobby (slang). Angling falls into to this definition.

spodge hook = a stick with a hook on the end, used to catch large catfish in Kentucky.

spoilage = rendering fish unfit for human consumption through the actions of bacteria, moulds, yeasts, etc. Odour, flavour, appearance and texture may be affected. Temperature affects spoilage rate. Fish with a natural low pH like tunas spoil more slowly than demersal fish. Off-flavours produced by hydrolysis and oxidation of oils in fatty fish are strictly not spoilage.

sponge filter = an aquarium filter providing both mechanical and biological filtration. It consists of a large foam rubber block connected to a lift tube or small power head. Water is drawn through the sponge, which removes small particles and grows bacteria for the nitrogen cycle, q.v.

spongivore = sponge eating, e.g. the Lake Tanganyika cichlid Chalinochromis brichardi.

spook = 1) alarming a fish so that it swims away and cannot be observed or caught.

spook = 2) a topwater lure shaped like a cigar.

spool = the central, circular part of a fishing reel on which the line is wound.

spool knot = a knot for tying line to the spool of a reel.

spoon = a lure that is spoon-shaped, with a hook(s) at one end, and that is cast out and retrieved in sport fishing. It flutters when drawn through the water. Numerous sizes, shapes and colours available.

spoon due = the right of the public hangman to take a ladleful of salt or fish from baskets in the public market (Scottish dialect).

spoon hook = spoon.

spoon net = dip-net (a bag-shaped net held open by a square or rounded frame on the end of a long pole. Used to scoop fish from the water, either on small scale in streams or ponds or commercially from large catches).

spoonplug = in angling, a flattened plug, rather like an elongate spoon in shape often brightly coloured with eyes painted on the top anteriorly near the attachment eye and with a triple hook at the opposite end. Retrieves at a constant depth.

spootcher = spoucher.

sporadic fishes = fishes which live and breed indifferently in salt or fresh water or which enter fresh water only sporadically and not as part of a true migration, e.g. many Lutjanidae and Sciaenidae; probably many Mugilidae; Poecilia, Mollienisia.

sport fish = the objective of sport fishing.

sport fishing = catching fish for sport or food, using rod-and-line, lures, flies or baited hooks. Sometimes restricted to catching fish purely for sport, cf. angling, and not for any monetary gain, although tournaments offer prizes and some sport fishers make a living from their ability to catch large fishes consistently. See also recreational fishery.

sporting fish = the objective of sport fishing.

spot = 1) a well-defined circular or sub-circular mark or pigment.

spot = 2) a school of fish.

spot = 3) a shoal frequented by fish.

spot pest = a disease of cyprinids of uncertain origin.

spotter = a person on a fishing boat assigned to looking out for marine mammals caught in gear and assisting their escape.

spotter plane = a plane used to locate schools of fish.

spoucher = a wooden scoop with a long handle used in lifting fish from a net (Scottish dialect). Also spelled spootcher and spuidsear.

spp. = abbreviation for species (in the plural).

SPR = spawning potential ratio ( the number of eggs that could be produced by an average recruit in a fished stock under a given regime divided by the number of eggs that could be produced by an average recruit in an unfished stock. This may also be expressed at the spawning stock biomass per recruit (SSB/R) of a fished stock divided by the SSB/R of the stock before it was fished. Also called percentage maximum spawning potential or %MSP).

sprag = spragg.

spragg = an English term for cod about 63-76 cm long.

sprat = 1) the European sprat, Sprattus sprattus (Clupeidae) often sold as brislings.

sprat = 2) slang for spurious coinage such as sixpences, shillings and four-penny pieces in Britain.

sprat = 3) slang for a sweetheart (Britain).

sprat = 4) slang for personal effects or furniture, usually used in the plural (Britain).

sprat = 5) slang for an undersized, mean-looking boy or man (Britain).

sprat = 6) slang for a scarecrow (Britain).

spread = 1) the horizontal opening of a trawl net (rather than its vertical height).

spread = 2) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for sticklebacks.

spread = 3) to lay fish (usually split and salted cod) out on flakes or racks for drying by sun and wind, turning them occasionally.

spreader = 1) an ice-fishing minnow rig comprising a lead weight and two or more single hooks.

spreader = 2) wooden poles used for spreading and separating certain parts of fishing nets.

spreader bar = butterfly (an L-shaped steel plate shackled between the dan leno spindle and legs. Also called arm, banana, boomerang, dan leno arm, dan leno bracket, dan leno spreader, devil's elbow).

spreading = a quantity of split and salted cod sufficient to cover a given drying area.

spreading wire = leg (one of the wires or chains connecting the net to the dan leno, bridle or otter boards in a trawl).

spreadline = end rope (a line connecting the end of the first or last section of a longline backrope or string to the dan line (all q.v.). Also called back of line, dumb string, longline, dummy, end tow and lud tow).

spreitzer vertebra = a unique type of anterior caudal vertebrae in which the haemal arch is not closed; the open haemal arches of the first 2-3 caudal vertebrae allowing the expansion of the abdominal cavity posteriorly into the caudal peduncle, especially in adults with swollen gonads. Found in Ammocrypta (Percidae) and named for August Edward Spreitzer who was the first person to report on this type of vertebra (John C. Bruner, pers comm., 2004).

sprickle = sprikkle.

sprikkel = sprikkle.

sprikkl = sprikkle.

sprikkle = to wriggle, struggle and thrash about, especially said of fish when removed from the water (Scottish dialect). Also spelled sprickle, sprikkel, sprikkl, sprikl and sprikle.

sprikl = sprikkle.

sprikle = sprikkle.

spring = 1) an outflow of water from the ground.

spring = 2) the season characterised by increasing water temperatures and longer photoperiods, usually March to May in the northern hemisphere.

spring baiting = 1) the quantity of frozen bait fish taken aboard a vessel in spring for use in one trawl fishing trip (Newfoundland).

spring baiting = 2) a fishing voyage to the Newfoundland Banks, the length of which is fixed by the supply of bait aboard.

spring breakup = thawing of ice on rivers and lakes in spring.

spring creek = a stream that derives its water from a ground flow or spring source, having a temperature not as affected by the surface conditions, being cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

spring current = see spring tide.

spring hole = a small area in a lake or river where spring water emerges.

spring overturn = mixing of lake waters in spring through melting of ice cover, warming of surface waters, convection currents and wind action.

spring race = non-anadromous migratory or sedentary stocks that start a spawning migration in spring. See also winter race.

spring range = the average semi-diurnal range occurring at the time of spring tides. Larger than the mean range where the type of tide is either semi-diurnal or mixed and of no practical significance where the tide is diurnal.

spring run = anadromous fish that migrate to fresh water in spring, spawning in late summer or early fall.

spring runoff = snow melt causing water levels to rise in streams and rivers.

spring tide = a tide that occurs at or near the time of a new or full moon when the sun and moon are in line and gravitational forces have greatest effect, and which rises highest and falls lowest from the mean sea level.

spring trip = the first fishing expedition on the offshore banks of Newfoundland.

spring viraemia = an acute haemorrhagic viral infection with a rhabdovirus of Cyprinidae, in particular of cultured Cyprinus carpio, usually appearing in spring. Symptoms include loss of coordination and equilibrium, popeyes, swollen belly, inflamed and swollen vent, and oedema and haemorrhages of various organs. Also called infectious dropsy.

spring-angle = a slender piece of wood such as bamboo with pointed ends, bent in an arch with the points bound together. The points are covered with bait or the bait lies between the points. The binding loosens when the bait is swallowed and the arch straightens out to embed the points in the throat. Also called spring-gorge.

spring-gorge = spring-angle.

springtip = a bite indicator used in legering (q.v.). It screws into the tip ring of a rod and is made of a length of rod-like plastic on a short spring, deflecting when the fish pulls on the line.

spritsail yard = to disable a useless or predatory fish by thrusting a piece of wood through its gills.

sproat = a hook characterised by a gently angled bend with a straight point.

sprole = sprool.

sproll = sprool.

sprong (noun) = 1) a long pole with one or two tines used in transferring cod from boat to stage (Newfoundland).

sprong (verb) = 2) to use a sprong.

sprool = a short length of wire or whale-bone set through a lead sinker of a hand fishing line enabling having hooks to be attached at either end. Also spelled sprole, sproll, spruell and sprule.

sprot = to pull hard on a fishing line, then releasing it quickly, so it springs free of an obstruction (Scottish dialect).

spruell = sprool.

sprule = sprool.

spud = a long-handled chisel used to make ice holes for fishing.

spudger = a long-handled pole used in stirring fish being cured in brine.

spuidsear = spoucher.

spur and groove = a system of shallow ridges, or spurs, separated by deep channels, or grooves, oriented perpendicular to the reef crest and extending down the upper seaward slope.

spurious parasite = a false parasite, an organism mistaken for a parasite.

spurt (noun) = 1) a sudden appearance of fish or school formation in inshore waters, or the fish themselves (Newfoundland).

spurt (verb) = 2) to appear or school as a spurt (1).

spy bucket = a glass-bottomed container for viewing fish underwater.

spy glass = spy bucket.

spy-hopping = lifting the head out of the water to look around, e.g. the great white shark.

sqm = abbreviation for scales counted along the side of the body as if in a lateral line, from the Latin squama for scale. See lateral series scales.

squalene = a low specific gravity hydrocarbon found in the livers of squaloid sharks and used in cosmetics, lipsticks, hair-setting preparations, moisturizers and lubricants for fine machinery.

squama (plural squamæ) = scale.

squama ctenoidea (plural squamæ ctenoideæ) = ctenoid scale (a scale having small spines (ctenii) on the posterior exposed portion and which hence feel rough when stroked towards the head. Typical of many Teleostei).

squama cycloidea (plural squamæ cycloideæ) = cycloid scale (a smooth-edged round or oval scale composed of acellular dermal bone lacking small spines on the posterior exposed edge. Typical of many Teleostei. Some cycloid scales may have a serrated margin and are then termed spinoid scales).

squama ganoidea (plural squamæ ganoideæ) = ganoid scale (a non-overlapping or partially-overlapping scale, often rhomboidal in shape, with thick outer ganoine layer (enamel-like substance), a middle layer of dentine and an inner dermal, cosmine bony layer. Grows by addition of material above and below, e.g. in Lepisosteidae, Amiidae and Polypteridae. Lepisosteidae have lost the dentine layer. The scales of Lepisosteidae are called lepisosteoid scales as distinct from paleaoniscoid scales of Brachiopterygii).

squama linea lateralis (plural squamæ lineæ lateralis) = lateral line scale.

squamæ = plural of squama.

squamæ ctenoideæ = plural of squama ctenoidea.

squamæ cycloideæ = plural of squama cycloidea.

squamæ ganoideæ = plural of squama ganoidea.

squamæ lineæ lateralis = plural of squama linea lateralis.

squamation = the arrangement of scales; scalation.

squamatology = the study of scales.

squamosal = a paired endochondral bone found in Latimeria but incorporated in the preopercle of modern Actinopterygii. Also a term misapplied to the pterotic in fishes.

squamose = covered with or made up of scales.

squamous = 1) flat, as in a cell layer (as opposed to cuboidal and columnar).

squamous = 2) a suture with scale-like and overlapping margins.

squamous = 3) squamosal.

squamous = 4) adjective for squama (scale); possessing scales.

squamula = a small scale.

square = a top canopy extending forward from the opening of a trawl to prevent fish from rising up and escaping over the top of the net.

square bill = in angling, a type of crankbait with a small square diving bill used in areas with many snags.

square mesh = netting tends to assume a diamond shape and even close under tension but modern technology can make netting that retains a square shape and thus fishes better.

square net = a net used to catch gaspereau (Alosa pseudoharengus, Clupeidae) in Maritime Canada rivers as they migrate to spawn. A fence is built about one-third across a river to create suitable water conditions. A large square net is laid on the river bed and is attached to a cantilevered pole. When a shoal of fish passes over the net, the observing fisherman puts his weight on the far end of the pole, lifting the net out of the water, the pole end being secured by a hook. Fish are removed with a dip-net and packed in barrels of salt.

squatter = a migratory Newfoundland fisherman who moved to the coast of Labrador and carried out a summer fishery from a shore base.

squaw net = a small gill net anchored to a pole on shore and a pole in the water.

squawfish = common name for cyprinids of the genus Ptychocheilus, changed to pikeminnow so as not to violate the tenets of good taste. Curiously, though offensive for centuries, its origin is the Algonquian "squa", young woman or wife. See also jewfish.

squeem = the motion of a fish as detected by its effects on the water surface, including its shadow (Scottish dialect).

squid = to fish with squid as bait , or to catch squid for use as bait (Newfoundland).

SSB = spawning stock biomass ( the total weight of the fish in a stock that are old enough to spawn; the biomass of all fish beyond the age or size class in which 50% of the individuals are mature. May be used instead of measuring egg production).

SSB/R = spawning stock biomass per recruit (the spawning stock biomass divided by the number of recruits to the stock. It is the expected lifetime contribution to the spawning stock biomass for a recruit of a specific age, e.g. per age 2 individual).

ssp. = abbreviation for one subspecies.

sspp. = abbreviation for more than one subspecies.

SSR = abbreviation for stock recruitment relationship.

ST = abbreviation for supratemporal canal.

st. = abbreviation for status, meaning rank.

St. Anthony of Padua = lived 1195-1231, a Franciscan monk, who preached to a school of fishes, which listened attentively.

St. Neots's fish = a church in Cornwall has a stained glass window illustrating the story of this saint. Three fish swam in a sacred pool and the saint had heavenly permission to take one at a time, with the understanding that the supply would never fail. When the saint was ill, a follower Barius took two fish from the pool, either from laziness or in attempt to succour his master. He boiled one and baked the other. The saint was most upset and used bad language it is averred but since this was in Cornish the content is unclear. He ordered his acolyte to return the fish to the pond where they rapidly revived despite being cooked. One fish being removed and fed to the saint, he rapidly revived.

St Peter's fish = the John dory or Zeus faber, so named because of the prominent pigment spots where reputedly Saint Peter picked it up and left his fingerprints (ichthyogeographically unlikely). See also St. Peter's mark and the devil's thumb print.

St. Peter's mark = a dark blotch on the anterior flank above the pectoral fin of the haddock, Melanogrammus aeglefinus. Also called the devil's thumb print.

St. Peter's spot = a pigment blotch near the rear of the dorsal fin in juvenile Sarotherodon galilaeus, a tilapia, from Lake Galilee. Supposedly the thumb mark of St. Peter where he picked up the fish and removed a piece of money from its mouth. Actually correlates with schooling behaviour seen in young but reduced in adults, as is the spot.

stab = a half-grown cod (Scottish dialect).

stab net = a balloon gill net used in deep water.

stabber = along pole with a nail in the end used to spear fish in shallow water (Newfoundland).

stability = the consistent use of common names for fishes as opposed to scientific names that can change as understanding of relationships change (but see squawfish above).

stablin = a well-grown, half-sized cod (Shetland Isles dialect).

stabblin = stablin.

stacking lures = fishing more than one lure at different depths using one rod and a downrigger, q.v.

stadia = stages, e.g. of a glacial period.

staff net = stake net.

stage = a fishing stage is 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.

stage door = the entrance to a fishing stage from the land.

stage head = the part of a stage extending over the water where fish are landed (Newfoundland).

stage work = all the operations involved in landing and processing fish for salting and drying (Newfoundland).

staging = 1) in angling, a term referring to seasonal movements when fish will concentrate at certain points, such as drop-offs, before dispersing into shallower or deeper water.

staging = 2) the time period a fish spends at the mouth of a tributary stream which it plans to ascend and spawn in.

stagnant = water standing still as in a pool. Often implies a low oxygen content and an unsuitable environment for fishes.

stagnation = a water body where no mixing of water masses occurs.

stain = a discoloration of water after heavy rain or due to turbulence.

stake bed = an artificial fish habitat of stakes driven into a lake bed before it fills or at low water or the stakes are attached to a weighted frame and lowered into place.

stake gill net = a gill net hanging from poles or stakes in estuaries and shallow bays. Also called fixed gillnet, set gill net.

stake hang = circle of stakes about 6 feet high forced into the sea bed used for trapping salmon and other fish (English dialect).

stake net =1) a gill net hung on stakes, a stake gill net, often in tidal waters.

stake net = 2) a pound net, weir or bag net supported by stakes.

stale = stel.

stale dry fish = gutted fish, fermented and then sun-dried (Myanmar).

stalefish = a skateboard trick where the skateboarder grabs the heel edge with his back hand, behind his back leg.

stalked eye = an eye carried on the end of a stalk or peduncle.

stanck = stank.

stancke = stank.

stand of tide = an interval at high or low water when there is no discernable change in height of the tide.

standard = a quality of dried and salted cod (Newfoundland).

standard environmental temperature = a specified temperature at which the standard metabolic rate of a fish is determined.

standard length = the measurement from the most anterior tip of the body to the midlateral posterior edge of the hypural plate (in fish with a hypural plate) or to the posterior end of the vertebral column (in fish lacking hypural plates). It may be restricted to the tip of the snout if the lower jaw projects. The base of the caudal fin (end of the vertebral column or posterior edge of the hypural plate) is determined by flexing the tail up while the caudal peduncle is held down. The resultant wrinkle or caudal flexure indicates the caudal base. It may also be determined by probing or dissection. Sometimes the posteriormost point is the last scale, the last pored scale or the beginning of the caudal fin rays. It is the usual scientific measurement for length of a fish except in Amphioxi, Myxini, Petromyzontiformes, Elasmobranchii and Holocephali. This measurement is used because long-preserved fish often lose the tips of the caudal fin rays through breakage after the desiccation effect of alcohol. See total length and fork length. In Holocephali the length is usually taken from the tip of the snout to the origin of the upper caudal fin because the caudal filament breaks off frequently. In Scaridae it is taken back to the rear margin of the second to last lateral line scale {because the large scales obscure the point of caudal flexure. Abbreviated as SL, sl or Sl.

standard metabolic rate = the metabolic rate as determined at the standard environmental temperature or when using the minimum amount of oxygen per unit time per unit of body weight.

standard oxygen consumption = the oxygen consumed when a fish is at rest and undisturbed.

standard weight = the 75th percentile of the weights of a given species within specified length increments. Abbreviated as W_s. See also relative weight.

standardised = quantities adjusted to a standard, e.g. catch-per-unit-effort is standardised to remove the effect of factors that are known not to be related to abundance.

standing crop = the amount of living material per unit area or volume; may be expressed as grams of carbon, total dry weight, and so on.

standing end = the short area at the end of the standing part of the line.

Standing Fishes Bible = an 1806 edition of the Bible had "And it shall come to pass that the fishes shall stand upon it...", fishes being a misprint for fishers (Ezekiel, 48:10).

standing flake = a platform built on poles and spread with boughs for drying cod In Newfoundland.

standing net = a fish net in a fixed location, e.g. for salmon in rivers.

standing part = the main part of an angling line that is fixed and under tension such as that part of the line on the reel.

standing stock = biomass; weight of a stock. May apply to a part of the stock such as spawning fish, fish in a particular area or at a particular time.

standing the gaff = enduring goading, a hoax or trick. From hooking a fish when gaff meant a large hook.

standing water = water in a lake, pond, marsh, etc. that does not flow.

standup tackle = a short rod and heavy reel hooked to a harness worn by the angler.

stang = 1) a spiked pole used for catching eels (United Kingdom).

stang = 2) stank.

stangeon = gangen (a branch line with a hook, attached to a main line. Also called tom).

stank = 1) a pond, often one used or built for keeping fish (archaic).

stank = 2) pool (archaic).

stank = 3) a ditch with water (archaic).

stank = 4) a small dam (archaic).

stank = 5) a stretch of slow-moving water (archaic).

stank = 6) a moat (archaic).

stank = 7) a weir (archaic).

stanke = stank.

Stannius corpuscles = the bud-like evagination(s) from the wall of the pronephric duct anterior to the opisthonephros (Holosteans) or in the posterior region of the opisthonephros (Teleosteans) in the kidney. Function unknown.

stanza = one of several different growth rates seen during fish ontogeny.

stapes Weberi = scaphium.

staple diet = basic diet (foods which provide the elementary nutritional requirements to assure normal development. Compare balanced diet).

staple room = a room in a merchant's premises where dried and salted cod are graded and stored for export (Newfoundland).

star drag = a star-shaped device for adjusting drag on reels.

star point hook = a hook used in angling with a point like a spear to hold the hook in a fish's mouth.

starboard = the right side of a vessel when facing the pointy end.

starfish = not fish but echinoderms, with usually five arms, tube-feet and a central mouth on the underside.

stargazey pie = sardines arranged in a circle between layers of short crust pastry, a dish of Devon and Cornwall. The fish are stuffed with herbs, mustard, apple or samphire (sea asparagus). The fish heads are left poking through the top.

starry gazy pie = stargazey pie.

starter feed = feed in aquaculture given to larval and juvenile fish immediately following the switch from relying on the yolk to external feeding.

starting point = the date of a published work that for nomenclatural purposes is considered to be the first available or validly published for a particular group.

startling = a sudden darting or swimming movement caused by stress. Often noticed with low dissolved oxygen as the fish are near the surface.

stasis = a period of little or no discernible change in a lineage.

stat. = abbreviation for status, meaning rank.

stat. nov. = abbreviation for status novus, meaning new status or new rank.

stat. rev. = abbreviation of status revivisco, meaning status revised.

state = the particular expression or condition of a character, e.g. a character, such as a barbel, can have two states, long or short.

state fish = American states may have a particular fish species as a representative or symbol, sometimes two or more under such headings as warmwater, coldwater, saltwater or marine, sport, and commercial. Some states have no fish designated while others share the same fish. Various common names may be given:-

Alabama	tarpon (Megalops atlanticus), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)
Alaska	king salmon or Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Arizona	Arizona trout, Apache trout (Oncorhynchus gilae apache)
Arkansas	-
California	California golden trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita ), garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus)
Colorado	greenback cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii stomias)
Connecticut	American shad (Alosa sapidissima)
Delaware	weakfish (Cynoscion regalis)
Florida	Florida largemouth bass (Micropterus floridanus), Atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus or I. albicans)
Georgia	largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)
Hawaii	humuhumunukunukuapua`a or rectangular triggerfish (Rhinecanthus rectangulus)
Idaho	cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii)
Illinois	bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)
Indiana	-
Iowa	channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)
Kansas	-
Kentucky	Kentucky (spotted) bass (Micropterus punctulatus)
Louisiana	white perch or white crappie (Pomoxis annularis), spotted sea trout or speckled trout (Cynoscion nebulosus)
Maine	landlocked salmon (Salmo salar sebago), Eastern brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), blueback charr (Salvelinus alpinus oquassa)
Maryland	striped bass or rockfish (Morone saxatilis)
Massachusetts	cod or Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)
Michigan	brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
Minnesota	walleye (Sander vitreus)
Mississippi	largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)
Missouri	channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), paddlefish (Polyodon spathula)
Montana	blackspotted cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii)
Nebraska	channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)
Nevada	Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi)
New Hampshire	striped bass (Morone saxatilis), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
New Jersey	brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
New Mexico	New Mexico cutthroat trout or Rio Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis)
New York	brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), striped bass (Morone saxatilis)
North Carolina	Southern Appalachian brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis subsp.), channel bass or red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus)
North Dakota	northern pike (Esox lucius)
Ohio	walleye (Sander vitreus)
Oklahoma	white bass or sand bass (Morone chrysops)
Oregon	Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Pennsylvania	brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
Rhode Island	striped bass (Morone saxatilis)
South Carolina	striped bass or rockfish (Morone saxatilis)
South Dakota	walleye  (Sander vitreus)
Tennessee	channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), largemouth and smallmouth bass (Micropterus salmoides and M. dolomieu)
Texas	Guadalupe bass (Micropterus treculi)
Utah	Bonneville cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah)
Vermont	brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), walleye or walleye pike (Sander vitreus)
Virginia	brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
Washington	steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
West Virginia	brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
Wisconsin	muskellunge (Esox masquinongy)
Wyoming	cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii)

state of stocks = the situation of a stock: protected, under-exploited, intensively exploited, fully exploited, over-exploited, depleted, extinct or commercially extinct.

states of nature = the condition of the fishery as defined by stock abundance, age structure, fishing mortality, the economic condition of the industry and the state of the environment.

static gear = any fishing equipment set out and left to catch fish by their movement, e.g. longlines, traps.

staticonic species = a species described in absolute terms, e.g. most species. Opposite to paralliconic.

station = 1) a small sheltered cove from which seasonal fishing operations were conducted in Newfoundland.

station = 2) a sampling locality where fish are caught and environmental conditions recorded scientifically.

stationary = a parameter or life history characteristic that does not change over time, e.g. in fisheries.

stationary fisherman = fishing locally as opposed to migratory fishing (travelling to distant locations).

stationary net = a net which is fixed in position and is not moved, e.g. a stake net, weir.

stationer = a fisherman without a vessel of his own who operated from a station on the shore (Newfoundland).

statistical rectangle = division of the ocean into rectangles with sides ca. 30 miles long; catches are classified internationally by rectangles.

statoconium = "ear-dust", a microscopic (1-50 microns usually with some up to 250 microns) otolith of Cyclostomata and Chondrostei, made up of calcium phosphate with an apatite structure in the former and calcium carbonate in the form of vaterite in the latter. Also called ossiculiths.

statolith = one of the the large "ear-stones" of all fishes composed of calcium carbonate as aragonite.

status = 1) the status of a taxon indicates the rank (i.e. level in hierarchy of taxonomic categories) to which it belongs, e.g. genus, subfamily, etc. The status of a taxon may be elevated or reduced (with accompanying ending change when necessary), and this has no bearing on the authorship of the taxon.

status = 2) the condition of a stock or fishery based on stock assessment results, e.g. a stock is overfished if its biomass is below the agreed limit reference point.

status novus = new status or new rank. Abbreviated as stat. nov.

status quo = 1) the general state of affairs currently in a fishery.

status quo = 2) current level of fishing mortality.

stay = a fleshy, cartilaginous or bony supporting strut.

steady = a pool or stretch of still water in a river (Newfoundland). Also called still.

steady go = a Newfoundland expression for continual work, such as during a capelin scull.

steady state = a population in a steady state may fluctuate about a mean but does not increase or decline in a systematic way with time.

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

steam = a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for minnows.

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

stede = steid.

steed = steid.

steepel = steeple.

steeple = a pile of fish laid crosswise to dry (Scottish dilaect). Also spelled steepel and stiple.

steeved = of a boat, heavily laden with fish (Scottish dialect).

stegural = a paired bony extension developed from the upper margin of the first uroneural of the caudal skeleton as exemplified in Salmonidae. It articulates with the first preural centrum and may represent the first uroneural fused with the first preural and first ural vertebrae.

steid = a heavy stone used as a sinker for a fishing line (Scottish dialect). Also spelled steed, stede and variants.

stel = 1) a place in a river or estuary used for salmon fishing where a net is stretched between stakes across the channel or drawn through the water. Also spelled stele, stell, stelle and stale.

stel = 2) the name of a fishery using a stel. See also ebb stel and flood stel.

stel fishery = the fishery involving a stel.

stel fishing = catching fish using a stel.

stel net = the net used in a stel.

stell = stel.

stellate = star-like, with radiating points. Said of a tubercle with radiating spines. e.g. in Platichthys, Myoxocephalus, or of a melanophore (sometimes a temporary condition in the latter).

stelle = stel.

stem = in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, that part of the name of the type-genus to which is added a family-group ending; where applicable the genitive singular without its case-ending, not necessarily the grammatical stem.

stem group = all the taxa in a clade preceding a major cladogenesis event.

steno- (prefix) = indicating restricted or narrow. Opposite of eury-.

stenobaric = intolerant of pressure, hence depth changes; restricted to a narrow depth range. Opposite of eurybaric.

stenobasal = having a narrow base as in Actinopterygii fins. Opposite of eurybasal.

stenobathic = able to live in only a narrow range of water depths.

stenobenthic = living on a ses or lake bed within a narrow depth range.

stenoendemic = having a restricted distribution.

stenohaline = organisms able to withstand only small changes or ranges in salinity derived from ocean salts. Opposite of euryhaline.

stenohospitalic = a parasite with a phylogenetically narrow range of hosts.

stenokous = adapted for a few specific ecological niches. Opposite of euryokous.

stenophagy = having a narrow range of feeding.

stenosaline = organisms able to withstand only small changes or ranges in salinity derived from land-derived salts.

stenothermal = organisms able to withstand only a narrow temperature range.

stenotopic = 1) having a limited range of geographical distribution.

stenotopic = 2) having a narrow tolerance for a factor such as temperature.

stenotypic = having a narrow range of tolerance to a given environmental factor.

stepped waggler = a float that becomes larger nearer the bottom by abrupt increases in diameter. Usually there are three steps and this type of float works well in rivers.

stereocilium = sterocilium.

stern chasers = luminous glands on the upper and lower surfaces of the caudal peduncle in members of the Myctophidae. They are believed to help distract predators which strike at this attractive region and are confused when the lights are extinguished and the lanternfish darts away.

stern ramp = a sloping ramp at the rear of a trawler which allows the net to be set and hauled. Also called slip.

stern trawler = a trawler where nets are retrieved from the stern with a derrick or gantry, up a ramp, over a roller or over the bulwark.

sternohyoideus = a large muscle originating on the ventral spine of the postcleithrum and inserting on the sides of the urohyal. It functions in rapid opening of the jaw and expanding the buccal cavity.

sterocilium = one of a series of cilia projecting from each sensory hair cell of the maculae of the inner ear. Sterocilia are often graded in size and distinct from an eccentric, longer kinocilium.

steur herring = round cured herring, packed in barrels (Netherlands).

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

stewed to the gills = drunk; inebriated.

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.

stickbait = a cigar-shaped fishing plug with no built-in action. It can worked in a zig-zag movement across the water to imitate an injured minnow a by a pull and pause action.

stick float = a long straight piece of wood or a quill, the thin body remaining upright in fast water. The stem of the float is a heavy cane, plastic, lignum or wire and the top is a buoyant balsa. The float is attached to the line by two or three plastic sleeves.

stick gear = a ridged or semi-ridged pole, stick, cable, etc., with attached hooks that is fished on the bottom or mid-depth, attached by a line to a surface buoy for retrieval. Used in kelp beds.

stick water = the aqueous, sticky part of press liquor (q.v.) from the manufacture of fish meal; about 20% of the solids in fish meal are recovered from stick water.

stick-held dip-net = a Japanese lift-net (q.v.) spread and suspended by poles from the side of a ship. Fish are attracted to the other side of the ship by strong lights which are then switched off and lights illuminated over the net to guide fish around and under the ship and over the net. Used to catch sardines and Pacific saury.

stick-snare = snare.

stiff rig = an angling rig made of a stiff material, such as amnesia, q.v., that does not flex easily.

stike = a quantity of eels, numbering 25, in 13-14th century England. Also called strike. Ten strikes makes a bind of eels.

stiel = stel.

still = 1) stel.

still = 2) steady.

still fishing = fishing with a bait or lure that does not move through the water, e.g. from a boat or shore with a float or bobber.

still water = 1) a flat section of a stream where no current is discernible.

still water = 2) any aquatic habitat, usually fresh water, that has little or no current.

stillwater = the adjective in describing still water, e.g. a stillwater habitat.

sting = a stiff pointed spine, integumentary sheath, and accompanying venom glands. The integumentary sheath generally includes the venom glands, e.g. sting of Dasyatidae.

stinger = an extra hook attached behind the normal hook on the tail of a lure.

stinging = the act of introducing venom into the flesh of a victim by means of a venom apparatus; envenomation.

stingray leggings = Kevlar cloth leggings used to protect and angler's legs from stingrays.

stingsman = a man who keeps a salmon coble from grounding during fishing by using a sting or pole (Scottish dialect).

stink bait = a bait with added scent or any meaty or fishy bait allowed to rot.

stink box = a large box in which eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus, Osmeridae) are placed to ripen after being caught in March and April in the Pacific northwest (see also grease trail).

stinker = bilgy fish (a foul smelling fish (Canada) caused by rapid growth of anaerobic bacteria. Occurs when fish are stored under conditions where air is excluded, e.g. pressed against the side of a warm container).

stinkpot = a device used by pirates when boarding a ship. The earthenware pots contained potassium nitrate, asafetida (a smelly resin), calcium carbonate and decayed fish. When smashed on deck, a nauseating smoke discouraged the defenders.

stinky = bilgy fish (a foul smelling fish (Canada) caused by rapid growth of anaerobic bacteria. Occurs when fish are stored under conditions where air is excluded, e.g. pressed against the side of a warm container).

stiple = steeple.

stippled = sparsely pigmented with melanophores.

stitched = a lateral line pattern of pigmentation with a dot or line above and below each pore, resembling stitches.

stochastic = having components affected by random variability, e.g. future recruitments in a fishery are projected with a stochastic component (random variables) to allow for unexplained effects.

stock (verb) = to add eggs, young or adults of a species to a body of water to increase the population of that species or growth rate of that or another species.

stock (noun) = 1) a distinct genetic population.

stock (noun) = 2) a population defined by movement pattern or its absence (migratory and resident stocks).

stock (noun) = 3) a population defined by a common growth rate.

stock (noun) = 4) part of a population potentially harvestable, i.e. an assessment or management unit, 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.

stock (noun) = 5) a group of similar species living in the same general area or habitat and managed and caught by fisherman as a group, e.g. small flounders, redfish species.

stock (noun) = 6) all or some of the above. See also fishable stock and spawning stock.

stock (noun) = 7) used for steamed 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. stock assemblage = stocks that live together, have the same life histories and are caught with the same fishing gear.

stock assessment = determining the current and probable future abundance of commercial fish stocks through the collection and analysis of data from life history studies, environmental surveys and catch statistics. There are two main components, studying the biology of the stock and studying the fisheries activities.

stock assessment driven = fishery management where stock assessment is the priority activity.

stock biomass = total weight of fish in a stock.

stock enhancement = release of hatchery raised fish to increase wild fish numbers in a stock.

stock externality = the impact on a non-targeted stock of fish caught when a targeted group of fish is harvested, cf. crowding externality.

stock figure = the number of fish stocked in a particular pond as determined by the pond's productivity.

stock fish = fish that have been gutted, beheaded, split or not, dried hard in the open air without salt, and with a water content below 15%. Usually cod and relatives, particularly a product of Norway and Iceland. Used as money or a medium of exchange, a pair of leather shoes being worth 4 stockfish in trade between Icelanders and English and 120 stock fish being worth 4 tons of beer.

stock number = total number of fish in a stock.

stock origin = the genetic history of a stock.

stock pond = a pond for rearing brood fish.

stock recovery = a significant increase in the numbers of a heavily fished stock after fishing pressure is decreased.

stock recruitment model = a fishery model that predicts the amount of juvenile recruitment as a function of the parent stock. Also called stock recruitment relationship.

stock recruitment relationship = stock recruitment model. Abbreviated as SSR.

stock reduction analysis = a stock assessment method that estimates the biomass of a fish population using catch history data, information on the productivity of the species and a time series of abundance indices such as catch per unit of effort.

stock status = the current condition of a stock, which may be based on escapement, run size, survival, or fitness level.

stock structure = 1) size or age composition of a stock.

stock structure = 2) species composition of a stock.

stock structure = 3) geographical organisation of a species in terms of genetic structure of a stock.

stock structure = 4) geographical boundary of a stock assumed for management and assessment purposes, e.g. North Atlantic and South Atlantic.

stock transfer = transfer of fish from one location to another.

stock-breeder = a fish selected for breeding purposes.

stocker = 1) small fish in a catch given to apprentices (U.K.).

stocker = 2) small fish eaten by the crew.

stocker = 3) fish prepared to some degree by the crew, e.g. skin removed.

stocker = 4) rough or less popular fish.

stockerbait = stocker (2).

stockfish = stock fish.

stocking = moving fish to a water body so that ongrowing can occur.

stocking density = the number or biomass of fish stocked per unit area or volume.

stocking policy = a programme for stocking open waters in order to maintain proper fish stocks.

stocking rate = the number of fish released per unit area or volume.

stocklet = a small or geographically confined stock.

stomach = the part of the digestive tract after the oesophagus, not differentiated as a distinct section of the intestine in all fishes. Where distinct having a straight fundic ventral portion ending as a blind sac and a short pyloric portion extending dorsally to the proximal end of the intestine.

stomodeal denticles = special placoid scales lining the mouth and pharyngeal cavities of some Elasmobranchii, e.g. Heterodontus.

stomodaeum = the embryonic precursor to the mouth cavity and anterior pharynx. In fish (and other vertebrates) the gut develops from the rear and the mouth and pharynx are derived by this secondary invagination of superficial ectoderm. The two eventually meet to form a continuous digestive tract.

stone mound = a Japanese system for catching freshwater fish and shrimps; consists of a mound of 200-900 stones, 2-3 m square at the base, sometimes covered with straw matting. The fish are attracted to the stones as a hiding place. The mound is surrounded by a bamboo screen or net with 2-6 traps attached. Removal of the stones enables the fish to be caught in the traps.

stonfo adaptor = a plastic connector used to connect the elastic, q.v., in a pole to the fishing line. The adaptor has a hook where a loop made in the end of the fishing line attaches and a sleeve that pulls down over the hook to lock the rig in place. The elastic in a pole should be tight enough to hold the stonfo adaptor snugly to the pole tip but retain enough stretch for a fish to pull it out.

stonk = stang.

stonker = 1) a large fish (United Kingdom).

stonker = 2) an implement for catching eels (United Kingdom).

stop = stop netting.

stop net = stop netting.

stop netting = 1) a net positioned to retain fish as the tide falls.

stop netting = 2) a net positioned across a bay or other delimited area, the fish so enclosed being removed with seines, dip-nets, etc. Also called stop seine.

stop seine = a net positioned across a bay or other delimited area, the fish so enclosed being removed with seines, dip-nets, etc. A bar seine.

stopper net = stop netting.

storage pond = a pond for the temporary holding of marketable fish.

storage reservoir = a reservoir that retains water from spring and releases it as required, e.g. for power production, fish passage.

store = fish store (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).

stoup net = a type of salmon fishing net stretched on poles (Scottish dialect). A rope is stretched between two poles, fastened in that part of the river intended to be fished. To this rope are fastened boats in which the fishermen sit. The net is made of three poles, joined together in the form of an equilateral Triangle, round which the net is fastened. The base of the triangle lies on the bottom and to the angle at the top is fixed a pole, which the fisherman holds in his hand, till he feels a salmon strike the net, and then by bending down the long pole over the edge of the boat, he forces up the net with the fish in it.

stour = stower (2).

stow net = a conical net secured by boats, anchors or stakes in rivers or areas with strong currents. Also called gape net, swing net.

stower = 1) a person responsible for stowing fish in a ship's hold.

stower = 2) a stake or post in a fence supporting a fish net.

straddling stock = fish stocks that are found on both sides of a political demarcation, or migrate across it, or migrate between an exclusive economic zone and the high seas.

strag = a catch of fish (Scottish dialect).

straggler = a fish or group of fish that have strayed beyond the usual range or have remained behind when others migrate.

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

straight waggler = a waggler float (q.v.) with no body used for fishing at depth in running water.

strain = a group of fish from the same area or breeding programme distinguished by colour, disease resistance, etc.

strait = a narrow stretch of water connecting two extensive areas of ocean.

straits fish = cod taken and cured in the Strait of Belle Isle (Newfoundland).

strand = a beach or sea shore.

stranding = fish that become washed up on shore through changes in currents or detrimental environmental conditions. In some cases may form a fishery when it happens at predictable times, e.g. salmon on migration that fail to leap a waterfall and strand on land. In the past, large fish coming ashore was taken to mean trouble for the reigning monarch.

strange and wonderful herring = "A most Strange and wonderfull Herring" appeared on an early 1597 printed pamphlet in England. It's scales showed a picture of two armed men fighting on one side and on the other side "most strange Characters".

strange fish = someone aware of culture from the saying "it's a strange fish that knows the existence of water".

strap = a catch of trout hung on a branch through the gills (Newfoundland, Scotland).

stratification = the separation of a lake or body of water into layers of different temperature, due to heating of the surface and failure of heat to reach the bottom. See hypolimnion thermocline, epilimnion.

stratified mean catch per tow = from research vessel surveys and for separate species of fish, each average catch per tow in each geographical stratum of a region is multiplied by the stratum area. All the individual products are added together and the total divided by the sum of the entire area of the region giving stratified mean catch per tow, an index of relative abundance.

stratoconia = fine otolith-like particles in the inner ear varying in size in sharks from a few to about forty microns. These may be endogenous crystals such as aragonite or calcium carbonate monohydrate or exogenous sand grains (see also otoconia).

stratum germinativum = the epidermal cells nearest the dermis that generate new cells by mitosis. This layer of cells is cuboidal or columnar but the cells become flattened as they migrate to the skin surface, eventually sloughing off.

stray-line = a length of line attached to various types of fish nets and gear.

straying = a natural phenomena of adult spawners not returning to their natal stream, but entering and spawning in some other stream.

streaked = a pigment pattern of short to moderate length lines.

streaker = a male that rushes in to join the spawning pair without participating in courtship.

stream = 1) the technical term for any natural body of running water; a river is then just a large stream.

stream = 2) a small body of running water.

stream = 3) an oceanic current.

stream = 4) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for minnows.

stream bed = the channel occupied or formerly occupied by a stream.

stream capture = the process by which the range of a species is extended through the switch of the flow of a stream or a part of a stream from one drainage basin to another.

stream channel = a long channel formed by, and more or less filled by, a stream.

stream current = a narrow, deep and fast ocean current, e.g. the Gulf Stream, important in dispersing fish larvae.

stream net = 1) a stake net used to catch fishes in a fast moving stream.

stream net = 2) a landing net (q.v.) with a very short handle (0.5 m) attached to an angler by an elastic cord. Used to lift caught fish from the water in streams as the angler wades or walks along.

stream order = a classification of stream complexity based on the number of tributaries. The smallest unbranched tributary in a watershed is called order 1; a stream formed by the confluence of two order 1 streams is called order 2; a stream formed by the confluence of two order 2 streams is called order 3; and so on.

stream piracy = stream capture.

stream reach = section of a stream between two points. An individual first order stream or a segment of another stream that has beginning and ending points at a stream confluence. Reach end points are normally designated where a tributary confluence changes the channel character or order.

stream type = chinook salmon populations that emigrate to the ocean as one-and two-year-old smolts. As juveniles, stream-type fish exhibit behavioral and morphological characteristics consistent with establishing and maintaining territories in freshwater systems.

stream weir = a weir blocking a stream and catching fish moving both up and down the stream.

stream-maturing = steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) that enter fresh water in a sexually immature condition and require several months in fresh water to mature and spawn, commonly referred to as summer steelhead.

streamcraft = reading the stream environment in order to catch fish.

streamer = a lure or wet fly with feathers arranged to imitate a fish or other food. Fished below the surface, require action to be effective, the wings moving as the fly is retrieved.

streamflow = the discharge that occurs in a natural channel; usually used to describe the discharge in a surface stream. The term streamflow is more general than the term runoff, as streamflow may be applied to discharge whether or not it is affected by diversion or regulation.

streamlet = a small stream, a creek.

stremel = fillet strips from smoked salmon or coalfish (Pollachius virens)(Germany).

strengthening bag = netting around and attached at intervals to the codend of a trawl. It serves to prevent bursting of a the full codend.

streptococcal septicaemia = an acute systemic bacterial disease of warmwater fishes caused by Streptococcus sp.

streptomyctes = a chronic systemic bacterial disease of salmonids and other freshwater species caused by Streptococcus sp.

stressed area = an area of special concern for the fish, perhaps because they are small or fishers are in conflict.

stret-pegging = an angling technique used in flowing water. Weights are spread evenly along the line or concentrated near the float but a long unweighted section of line is left near the hook. The baited hook then can rise in the water if the float is held back or fall gently to the river bed, or be moved naturally by currents, searching the river.

stretch = in reference to a river, a section of uniform character.

stretched measure = 1) the stretched length from inside corner to inside corner of the mesh of a net, i.e. the size of the holes, used to denote mesh size. Usually the average of 10 consecutive meshes is taken. May be measured when wet from inside the first knot but include the last knot.

stretched measure = 2) the size of a piece of netting when all the meshes are closed by stretching the net.

stretched mesh = 1) the mesh of a net when it is pulled shut.

stretched mesh = 2) also used for stretched measure (1).

stria (plural striae) = strictly a groove but used for a fine parallel line or ridge bordering a groove, e.g. on the opercles of Sardinops, or scales of many fishes, or teeth of Chondrichthyes.

striae = plural of stria.

striated = with fine lines, often parallel. Strictly should be a groove but generally used for parallel lines with a groove between.

striated gut = a gut with many sinusoidal folds resembling lines or bands in lateral view.

Strickland tautonymy = in 1843, H. E. Strickland and others considered rules of zoological nomenclature, one of which was that no genus and species name should be the same. As a result various authors proposed replacement names for the species name; this is no longer the case and unneeded replacement names may occur in taxonomic works.

stridulation = sound production by the rubbing together (friction) of two hard parts, may be internal structures like pharyngeal teeth or external ones like the pectoral fin, e.g. in Callomystax (Siluridae), Bagre (Ariidae), Balistes, Dactylopterus, etc. The channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, produces sound when ridges on the ventrolateral surface of the pectoral fin spine's dorsal process rub against the ventrolateral wall of the cleithrum's spinal fossa.

strike = 1) a sudden pull on the line to set a hook in a fish's mouth when angling.

strike = 2) taking of bait by a fish. Also called bite, bump and hit. In Britain bite has the same meaning as the American strike.

strike = 3) stike.

strike in = 1) fish appearing in large schools in coastal waters (Newfoundland).

strike in = 2) to impregnate with salt in the curing process.

strike zone = the area around a fish where it feeds and where it will take a lure or bait. Varies with the species and its feeding habits, with water conditions and whether the fish is actively feeding.

striking = the process of initial brine contact up to the fourteenth day in fish food preservation.

stringer = 1) a thick line, sometimes with a float, used to hold fish until weigh-in or release. The only effective way for an angler wading in open water to retain his catch and keep it fresh.

stringer = 2) a group of caught fish held on a line for easy carrying or retention.

stringer = 3) the legally caught limit of fish.

stringy = the uneven appearance of salted fish which has become case hardened (q.v.).

strip = 1) to artificially remove eggs or sperm by manual pressure on the sides of ripe fish for purposes of fish culture.

strip = 2) an even piece of fish in the U.S.A., usually half a dried salted cod cut down the middle, fins, skin and bones removed.

strip = 3) pulling line by hand rather than by means of a reel in angling.

strip = 4) in reference to a fish kiln, removing the bottom fish when they are ready in order to move the top fish closer to the fire.

strip bait = part of the belly and fins cut off a fish and used as bait.

strip pit = an excavation made by strip-mining, water-filled and often stocked with a managed fish population for angling.

strip transect = an area in the form of a strip (narrow and elongate), under examination in assessing ecology of fishes living or visiting that area, e.g. on the sea bed.

stripe = 1) a horizontal band of pigment, often along the flank of a fish and usually narrow (a bar is a vertical band of pigment; see also band).

stripe = 2) a straight line of pigment, variable in width, and which may be oriented vertically, horizontally or obliquely.

stripping = 1) pressing on the abdomen to release eggs or milt for artificial fertilisation.

stripping = 2) bringing in a fly line with a series of short or varied pulls so as to imitate an insect or fish.

stripping = 3) pulling line off a reel by hand.

stripping guide = the guide nearest the reel on a fly rod, so-called because the line is pulled over it with some force. Some rods have two stripping guides, the larger nearer the reel. A stripping guide is larger than the snake guides nearer the rod tip.

strodd = strud.

strong = easily observed or highly developed.

struck = the condition of a fish when the salt concentration has reached a maximum in the centre of the thickest part of the fish.

structural colour = colour in a chromatophore produced by light reflections from a colourless surface and tissue refractions. Also called schematochrome.

structure = changes in the bottom contours of water bodies, especially those influencing fish behaviour.

structure fishing = using a knowledge of structure to catch fishes.

structure spoon = a heavy metal lure with a swinging hook used in spinning and jogging.

strud = to pull hard as with a hooked fish (Scottish dialect). Also spelled strodd.

struggle = a supper of fish and chips in a restaurant (Scottish dialect).

struggle shop = a fish and chip shop (Scottish dialect).

strung herring = herring pierced by half inch diameter and 3 feet long rods through the gills and out the mouth for smoking.

struvite = crystals of calcium or magnesium ammonium phosphate found in canned and chilled or frozen smoked fish. Resembles pieces of broken glass but is harmless. Linked to the presence of magnesium chloride in unrefined salt used for making brine and to high postmortem pH in the flesh.

stu apte improved blood knot = a knot used for joining two lengths of monofilament of unequal size. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

Stückenfisch = hot-smoked pieces or Stücken (steaks or cutlets) of various fishes (usually marine fishes)(Germany).

stuckie = a thick codling (Scottish dialect).

study collection = a museum collection with fewer restrictions than a research or primary collection but more restrictive than an education collection. Some experience is required before access is permitted.

study mount = a specimen mounted in a manner to facilitate study, e.g. a fish skeleton, rather than for exhibition.

stuffed eel-skin = from the 1924 novel "Ukridge" by P. G. Wodehouse - "He resembled a minor prophet who had been hit behind the ear with a stuffed eel-skin".

stuffed fish = whole dressed fish with stuffing inserted before cooking. Some flatfishes are marketed frozen and stuffed.

stuffed to the gills = in reference to people not fish, meaning full of food or bloated. May be an analogy to a fish that has been prepared as food with stuffing in the abdominal cavity as far as the gills.

stukkie = stuckie.

stunk = stang.

stunted = fish smaller than normal through lack of adequate food.

stupefying fish = methods of collecting fish that render them unconscious, e.g. throwing rocks and boomerangs, banging on rocks or ice, poisoning with natural and industrial chemicals, explosives, suffocation, use of electricity, etc.

sturgeon = 1) a member of the family Acipenseridae found in northern hemisphere fresh and marine waters with about 24 species. Important for caviar (q.v.) and, in the past, isinglass (q.v.).

sturgeon = 2) not the fish but a proposed measure of magnetic reluctance (the opposite of inductance) named for William Sturgeon.

sturgeon = 3) an encryption system, one of the fish (fibonacci shrinking) German teleprinter cipher used in World War II. Bletchely Park never read much of its traffic. See also tunny.

sturgeon boiler = a person who extracts oil from sturgeons.

sturgeon gear = a fishing method involving numerous unbaited hooks strung across a river to snag migrating sturgeon.

sturgeon glue = a glue made from the inner membrane of sturgeon swimbladders. Used by conservators as a consolidant and adhesive in repairing paintings.

sturgeon lips = having protruding lips like a sturgeon.

sturgeon pickle = a pickle for preserving sturgeon flesh.

sturgeon strike = a law enforcement term for leaping Gulf sturgeon on the Suwanee River, Florida that hit boaters. Sufficiently serious that broken limbs and other severe injuries can result.

strurine = a protamine in sturgeon sperm. See also salmin(e).

stygo- (prefix) = pertaining to groundwater habitats.

stygobiont = an organism inhabiting groundwater.

stygobite = a hypogean organism showing some form of specialisation to the that environment, e.g. in fishes loss of pigmentation and eyes; troglobite.

stygofauna = the animals living in an underground environment.

stygophile = an organisms that uses hypogean resources but may not live there continually; a troglophile.

stygoxene = an organism found actively or accidentally in a hypogean environment; a trogloxene. Some definitions restrict this term to accidentals only.

style = a type of split shot, q.v., being a thin lead bar with a lengthwise cut, used on pole rigs.

styliform = having shape of a pointed rod.

stylohyal = interhyal (the deep, endochondral bone between the hyomandibula and symplectic bone and above the epihyal in the hyoid arch). Not homologous with the stylohyal of Tetrapoda.

stylophthalmoid = the larvae of Myctophidae, characterised by eyes on stalks.

styls = small elongated split shot used for weighting delicate angling rigs.

sub- (prefix) = under, below, inferior; now transmogrified into such meanings as near, almost approaching, lesser, more or less, approximately, sort of, e.g. subtriangular meaning almost a triangle in shape.

sub-endemic = a species endemic to a place, e.g. an island, and also a nearby area, e.g. the mainland adjacent.

sub-tropical convergence = ocean region where warmer water of tropical origin interfaces with water originating in colder regions.

subabdominal pelvic fin = pelvic fins located anteriorly on the abdomen but not attached internally to the pelvic girdle.

subadult = an individual similar to the adult in appearance but not yet capable of breeding.

subaerial beach = that part of a beach uncovered by water. Also called drying beach.

subaqueous = in or under water.

subcaudal marsupium = the name applied to the brood-pouch in Syngnathidae. It consists of a vascularized groove formed by flaps of skin along the underside of the tail of males.

subclavian artery = the artery supplying the pectoral fin.

subclavian vein = the vein carrying blood from the pectoral fin to the cardinal system.

subcutaneous = occurring below the skin.

subcutis = a very thick layer in the skin of Petromyzontidae separating the dermis from the underlying muscles.

subcylindrical = almost round in cross-section.

subequal = slightly less than equal.

Suberkrub otter board = an all-steel and cambered otter board on a midwater trawl, vertically aspect greater than the horizontal. Named for its inventor.

subfamily = 1) a category of the family-group subordinate to family.

subfamily = 2) an individual taxon of the category "subfamily", e.g. Salmoninae. The recommended ending is -inae.

subgen. = subgenus.

subgenera = plural of subgenus.

subgenus (plural subgenera) = 1) a category of the genus-group subordinate to genus.

subgenus (plural subgenera) = 2) an individual taxon of the category "subgenus", e.g. Clupea.

subgular = below the throat.

subinfraorbital = a long postorbital bone in Amiiformes.

subjective synonym = see synonym.

sublingual = under the tongue.

sublittoral = in lakes the sublittoral zone extends from the lakeward limit of rooted vegetation down to about the upper limit of the hypolimnion; in the ocean from the lower edge of the intertidal (littoral) zone to the outer edge of the continental shelf at 200 metres.

submandibular = a branchiostegal ray on the ventral surface of the jaw in Sarcopterygii.

submarginal = below or next to the edge.

submarine canyon = a v-shaped valley running across the continental shelf (q.v.) and down the continental slope (q.v.).

submaxillary = a cartilaginous or bony rod that connects the preethmoid (prevomer in Neostethidae) with the maxillary.

submental crest = an outgrowth of the dentary bone of the lower jaw. The crests from each side of the lower jaws converge anteriorly. Also called mental or chin crests.

submental organ = the accessory organ which runs along the lower jaw and lower edge of the gill cover and consists of drum-shaped electrocytes.

submerged bank = a large and flat area of bottom, markedly shallower than the surrounding ocean floor.

submerged land = lands covered by water at any stage of the tide.

submerged vegetation = aquatic vegetation that requires full immersion in water and provides an important fish habitat.

submergence = tendency for fishes of higher latitudes to seek deeper (colder, darker) water towards the tropics. Also called equatorial submergence, e.g. Cottidae, Zoarcidae.

submersible traveling screen = a wire mesh screen that acts like a conveyor belt when installed in the intakes of turbines at dams guiding and transporting juvenile fish into bypass channels.

submucosa = the middle layer of the gas bladder, q.v., made of loose and fibrous connective tissue. See also the tunica externa and the tunica interna.

subocular = below the eye.

subocular bar = a vertical or slightly oblique dark bar under the eye. Also called suborbital bar.

subocular shelf = a bony plate which extends inwards from the bones of the infraorbital series in, e.g. Myctophidae.

subopercle = the paired dermal bone lying below the opercle in the gill cover. Also called subopercular and suboperculum.

subopercular = strictly the adjective for subopercle but also used for the bone.

suboperculum = subopercle.

suborbicular = nearly circular.

suborbital = below the eye. Name applied to the first six circumorbital bones: suborbital 1 (lachrymal or preorbital), suborbital 2 (jugal), suborbital 3 (true postorbital), suborbitals 4 and 5, and suborbital 6 (dermosphenotic). Also called infraorbital bones. Associated with the infraorbital lateral line. Sometimes reserved for a chain of small bones below the infraorbitals and unrelated to the infraorbital sensory canal, e.g. in palaeoniscoids, usually absent in advanced fishes.

suborbital bar = subocular bar.

suborbital canal = infraorbital canal (the cephalic lateral line canal (q.v.) extending from behind and below the eye to behind the upper lip. Abbreviated as IO).

suborbital photophore = the light organ below the middle of the eye in Myctophidae. Abbreviated SO.

suborbital shelf = a shelf extending mesially to support the eye in Myctophidae. Also called infraorbital shelf or subocular shelf.

suborbital stay = the bone beneath the eye (suborbital bone) extending across the cheek to the preopercle, or almost to the preopercle. Found in Scorpaeniformes.

suborbital width = least distance between the orbit and the lower suborbital or preorbital margin.

subordinate taxon = a taxon of lower rank than that with which it is compared.

suboshi = shiraboshi (sun-dried or artificially-dried unsalted fish (Japan)).

subpectoral photophore = the light organ near the lower base of the pectoral fin in Myctophidae. Abbreviated PVO.

subpopulation = a well-defined set of interacting individuals that compose a proportion of a larger, interbreeding population.

subquadrate = approaching a square in shape.

subrostral fin = a shelf-like projection extending forward under the rostrum of Myliobatidae formed from the anterior extension of the pectoral fin and rostral cartilage. Also called subrostral lobe.

subrostral lobe = subrostral fin.

subsequent designation = the designation of the type of a taxon in a work published subsequent to the establishment of the taxon.

subsequent fixation = the fixation of a type of a taxon in a work published after the establishment of the taxon; fixation by subsequent designation, q.v., or subsequent monotypy, q.v.

subsequent monotypy = if no nominal species were included at the time a genus was established before 1931 and subsequently a single nominal species is first referred to the genus, then that species is ipso facto the type-species.

subsequent spelling = any changed spelling of a name. A correct subsequent spelling is brought about by justified emendations (q.v.) of the original spelling. An incorrect subsequent spelling is a change in spelling other than a justified emendation (q.v.).

subsidence fishery = a fishery for survival (see subsistence fishery).

subsistence culture = pond culture of fishes with the harvest for local consumption by the fishers. Often producing at a continual low level rather than peaking at intervals.

subsistence fishery = a fishery where the fish are consumed directly by the families of the fishers rather than being bought by middlemen and sold at the next larger market.

subsistence harvest = harvests of fish by natives for ceremonies and to support traditional lifestyles. Also called ceremonial harvest.

subsp. = abbreviation for subspecies.

subspecies (singular and plural) = 1) a category of the species-group subordinate to species; the lowest category recognized by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

subspecies (singular and plural) = 2) an individual taxon of the category "subspecies". Allopatric populations of organisms differing genetically from other such populations and tending because of barriers not to interbreed with other such populations, although capable of doing so. Defined variously as differing at a level of 75-90% or 93% from (all or any) other such adjacent populations.

subspecific name = the third term of the trinomen, a subspecies.

substitute name = replacement name or nomen novum (a new name (nomen novum) published or an available synonym adopted to replace an earlier name, and valid only if the latter is preoccupied; commonly applied to substitute names proposed to replace junior homonyms).

substitutions = in fishery science, missing data can be filled in by information from a similar source, e.g. missing catch data from one vessel can be substituted by data from another vessel fishing in the same area with the same gear.

substrata = plural of substratum.

substrate = bottom or bottom materials:- large boulders (>1024 mm), small boulders (256-1024 mm), stone (256-600 mm), rubble or large cobble (128-256 mm), cobble or small cobble (64-128 mm), pebble (2-64 mm), coarse gravel (32-64 mm), fine gravel (2-32 mm), sand (0.062-2.0 mm), silt (0.004-0.062) and clay (<0.004).

substratum (plural substrata) = the bottom; the surface available for colonisation by organisms.

substratum chooser = a fish species spawning on the substrate; usually cleaned by the male, before attracting the female.

subsurface lure = a lure designed to run at shallow depths.

subtaxon = a subdivision of a taxon.

subtemporal = supraopercular.

subterminal = nearly terminal, almost at the end, e.g. said of the mouth or of a barbel position.

subtractability = how the use of f fishery resource by individuals or groups subtracts from the welfare of others.

subtriangular = almost triangular.

subulate = awl-shaped, elongate and tapering to a point.

subyearling = a developmental life stage of fish that are less than one year old.

subwatershed = one of the smaller watersheds that combine to form a larger watershed.

success = in respect of fishing, 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).

succession of teeth = the continual replacement of older, lost and broken teeth in the jaws of sharks by new ones further back on the jaw migrating forward, as on a conveyor belt. Occurs as frequently as every week in young sharks. Two to three rows are functional at one time and up to a third of the teeth are in replacement mode at any one time.

sucker = 1) any organ which has an adhesive action.

sucker = 2) a member of the mostly North American freshwater fish family Catostomidae.

sucker = 3) an easily tricked person. From the easily caught sucker or the innocence of a child feeding at the breast.

sucking disk = a disk-like structure used by a fish to attach itself to rocks or vegetation.

sucker fishing = remora fishing (a captured remora is released from a boat with a line attached through its tail or to a ring through the tail. The remora then attaches to a turtle or shark which can be pulled to the boat and speared. The technique is known from the Caribbean to east Africa and China and Australia. This temporary attachment of one animal to a faster one is called phoneses).

suction pump = a mechanical device that sucks up fish and water for rapid removal from a net or the hold of a vessel.

suctorial = functioning as a sucker.

sud = snood (Newfoundland). Also spelled sed and sid.

sudd = a floating mass of plants or plant material.

suehiroboshi = sakuraboshi.

suffix = various words are suffixes or general terms applied to fish names but are not always listed under every fish name here. Their definitions generally appear under the suffix. They may be separate words, hyphenated or part of a single word. Examples are trout angler, trout fishery, trout rod, trout stream, etc. The suffixes and terms are as follows:-

-angler

-angling

-bait

-bank

-barrel

-basket

-bed

-boat

-breeder

-brook

-broth

-catcher

-coloured

-culture

-curing

-farm

-fish

-fisher

-fisherman

-fishery

-fishing

-fleet

-fly

-food

-fry

-gaff

-harvest

-hatchery

-hatching

-hole

-hook

-kettle

-killer

-larva

-let (meaning young)

-like

-line

-maw

-maid (young fish)

-meal

-meat

-monger

-net

-oil

-pass

-paste

-pie

-pond

-preserve

-rearing

-river

-rod

-run

-sauce

-school

-season

-smoker

-smoking

-sound

-spawn

-spear

-stream

-tackle

-tank

-trap

-trip

-trolling

-vessel

-weir

-worm

suffusion = an overspreading of colour.

sugar cured fish = fish such as herring preserved in salt and sugar.

suitability index curve = a graph showing the suitability of a habitat for a fish species or one of its life stages based on relative preference for habitat variables.

suk = souk.

suke = souk.

sukimi = bits of fish scraped from the bones and used in rolls in sushi restaurants. Often refers to tuna (maguro).

sulcate = having long narrow channels or flutes; furrowed or grooved.

sulci = plural of sulcus.

suliciform = groove-shaped.

sulcus (plural sulci) = 1) ditch, notch, gap, furrow.

sulcus (plural sulci) = 2) a radiating groove in the bony layer of the scale running from the centre to the edge. Also called radii.

sulcus (plural sulci) = 3) a groove developed by the primary vascularisation canals leading from the root base to the main foramina in the chondrichthyan anaulacorhizid tooth root type (Herman et al., 1994).

sulcus (plural sulci) = 4) sulcus acusticus.

sulcus acusticus = a groove along the medial surface of the sagitta near where growth increments are particularly clear.

sum = soom.

summer fishery = the principal cod fishery in Newfoundland.

summer herring = herring schools which migrate to inshore waters in summer in Newfoundland.

summer house = a house built for use during the May-October cod fishing season in Newfoundland; fishermen and their families moved into them for the season.

summer-run fish = anadromous fish that migrate to fresh water in summer, overwinter there and spawn in spring.

summerkill = the death of fishes in enclosed water bodies during summer owing to oxygen depletion and/or toxic algal blooms.

summerling = any fish from advanced fry to the age of one year, usually caught in the autumn.

summery fry = fry caught during the growing period.

sump = a small pond in a rice paddy and fish culture system where fish can shelter from heat and predators and where they are easily collected.

sun burn = dried fish overly exposed to the sun resulting in a burn.

sun-dried fish = fish dried and preserved by exposure to sun and wind.

sun-leistering = using a leister, q.v., to spear fish when they are dazzled by sunlight.

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

sunk net = a gill net with the head line below the water surface.

sunken gill net = sunk net.

Suo = the photophore on the posterodorsal border of the orbit in Myctophidae.

super grouper = bubba (a Queensland grouper fish that died on 22 August 2006 at the Shedd Aquarium, Chicago. He was given to the aquarium in 1987 by an anonymous donor and at that that time was a female about 10 inches long but, being a protogynous hermaphrodite, became male in the mid-1990s and eventually grew to be 69.3 kg. Bubba was famous for probably being the first fish to receive chemotherapy to treat a growth on his forehead. He was a favourite with visitors, especially children with cancer).

super seiner = a large purse seiner, over 70 m long, with its own freezing and storage facilities.

super- (prefix) = see supra.

super-pharyngeal = pharyngobranchial (the deep, endochondral bone at the top of the gill arch. May bear the upper pharyngeal and a dentigerous plate. May occur on arches 1, 2, 3, 4. Also called superior pharyngeals. Suprapharyngobranchials are never associated with teeth while infrapharyngobranchials may be associated with dermal plates bearing teeth).

superchilling = rapid and uniform cooling of fish at sea to a few degrees below zero and maintaining the fish under carefully controlled conditions.

superciliary = 1) above the eye, "eyebrow".

superciliary = 2) adnasal bone (a small dermal bone in front of the nasal bone in some fishes, e.g. the middle bone of three in the nasal region of Lepisosteus).

superfamily = 1) a category of the family-group above family; the highest category dealt with in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

superfamily = 2) an individual taxon of the category "superfamily. The recommended ending is -oidea.

superfetation = the simultaneous development of several broods within the ovary where they are nourished; enabled by the entrance and storage of sperm in the ovary, e.g. in Poeciliidae. Also spelled superfoetation.

superficial neuromast = sense organs found in the epidermis. See also canal neuromasts and small pit organs. Also called free neuromasts or large pit organs.

superflock = a particularly diverse species flock, e.g. the more than 500 endemic haplochromine Cichlidae in Lake Victoria, east Africa.

superfluous name = a name incorrectly applied to a taxon. When first applied the taxon included the type of another name which should have been used under the provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (nomen superfluum).

superimposition = redd construction in gravel already used by the same or a different species before the eggs of that species have hatched.

superior = above, dorsal, upward.

superior pharyngeal = pharyngobranchial (the deep, endochondral bone at the top of the gill arch. May bear the upper pharyngeal and a dentigerous plate. May occur on arches 1, 2, 3, 4. Also called super-pharyngeals. Suprapharyngobranchials are never associated with teeth while infrapharyngobranchials may be associated with dermal plates bearing teeth).

superior taxon = a taxon of higher rank than the one with which it is compared.

superline = a strong, braided line made of modern plastics.

supermale = a male which does not change sex and is the principal spawner, e.g. in Gonostoma bathyphilum.

supernumerary = superfluous or extra. Used in referring to a sneaky or accessory male in reproduction or in reference to extra elements in larvae that are lost in adults, e.g. myctophid larvae have more pectoral fin rays than adults.

supernumerary annulus = in scale reading, an annulus in excess of a normal number.

supernumerary mark = a mark on an otolith, scale or bone not used in age estimation; an aperiodic mark.

supernumerary ring = supernumerary mark.

supernumerary zone = supernumerary mark.

superolateral = between the upper surface and the side, dorsolateral.

superspecies = a monophyletic group of allopatric species that are too distinct to be regarded as a single species; a cluster of incipient species (semispecies).

supplemental bone or maxillary = supramaxilla.

supplemental feeding = fish fed with artificial food and nutrients to obtain better fish production.

supplementary caudal keel = keels above and below the main, mid-lateral keel on the caudal peduncle, e.g. in Gempylidae.

supplementary type = a described or illustrated specimen used to give additional information about a previously described species.

supplementation = the release and management of artificially propagated fish in streams with the intent to increase or establish wild fish populations while minimizing associated genetic and ecological risks.

supply channel = a channel running along the side of an aquaculture pond, feeding it with water. See also bypass channel.

supply glut = an abundance of fish on the market that strains the commercial system and causes prices to drop very low.

support = any operation by a vessel assisting fishing by foreign or national vessels, including supplying water, fuel, provisions, fish processing equipment, or other supplies to a fishing vessel.

supported cast net = a cast net too heavy to be used by hand and so is operated from a boat with supports.

suppression = a form of invalidation. A name which would be valid according to strict application of the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, may be expressly suppressed by the Commission under its Plenary Powers, to allow validation of another name, which would not otherwise have been valid (i.e. according to the rules of the Code); converts a previously valid name into an invalid one. Names or works may be totally (never used) or conditionally suppressed.

supra cit. = abbreviation for supra citato, meaning cited above.

supra citato = cited above.

supra- (prefix) = above, on top of, over, greater.

supra-basidorsal = supradorsal.

supra-interdorsal = supradorsal.

supraanal photophore = one of a series of ventrolateral light organs above the space between the ventral and anal fins in Myctophidae. Abbreviated as SAO.

supraangular = coronomeckelian (a small bone on the postero-lateral part of Meckel's cartilage of the lower jaw. Often a point of insertion of the adductor mandibulae muscle. Also called sesamoid angular, sesamoid articular, articular sesamoid, splenial, os meckeli or d bone).

suprabranchial chamber = a cavity into which the air-breathing organ, the labyrinthine organ, extends, in Anabas testudineus (Anabantidae)

supracaudal luminous gland = a long median photophore on top of the caudal peduncle behind the adipose fin in Myctophidae (SCG in illustration).

supraclavicle I = posttemporal (the superficial, Y-shaped dermal bone connecting the pectoral girdle with the skull, namely the epiotic or supraoccipital (upper part of the bone) and the opisthotic (in primitive fishes) or the intercalar (in modern fishes)(lower part of the bone). Traversed by the posttemporal lateral line canal. Also called suprascapula, suprascapular and supracleithrum I).

supracleithra = plural of supracleithrum.

supracleithral head spine = a spine on the head of Scorpaenidae members. They are, from anterior to posterior over the top of the head on each side, the nasal, preocular, supraocular, postocular, tympanic, coronal (medial to the tympanic and postocular spines), parietal, and nuchal. Opercular spines are at the postero-dorsal corner of the operculum, preopercular spines line the posterior margin of the preoperculum, and the cleithral and postcleithral spines are just above the opercular spines on the side of the head.

supracleithrum (plural supracleithra) = the paired dermal bone of the secondary pectoral girdle above the cleithrum and below the posttemporal. Also called hypercleithrum.

supracleithrum I = posttemporal (the superficial, Y-shaped dermal bone connecting the pectoral girdle with the skull, namely the epiotic or supraoccipital (upper part of the bone) and the opisthotic (in primitive fishes) or the intercalar (in modern fishes)(lower part of the bone). Traversed by the posttemporal lateral line canal. Also called suprascapula, suprascapular and supraclavicle I).

supradorsal = a cartilaginous element on top of the neural canal of Elasmobranchii and Holocephali. Consists of supradorsals or neural spines over the basidorsals and supra-interdorsals lying over the interdorsals.

supraethmoid = one of the paired dermal bones above the ethmoid, anterior to the frontals. Also called dermethmoid, dermal ethmoid, mesethmoid, dermal mesethmoid rostral.

suprageneric = above the rank of genus.

supralingual = lingual plate (a dermal toothed bone covering and sometimes fusing with the basihyal, e.g. in Osteoglossidae. Also called glossohyal, dermentoglossum, entoglossum, os entoglossum, supralingual or basihyal dental plate).

supramaxilla (plural supramaxillae) = the dermal bone(s) on the upper side of the posterior end of the maxilla. Salmonidae have one supramaxilla while Sternoptychidae have two. Lost in more advanced Teleostei. Also called supramaxillary, surmaxilla, surmaxillary, malar and jugal.

supramaxillae = plural of supramaxilla.

supramaxillary = supramaxilla.

supraneural = one of a median series of detached rods lying in the flesh between the head and the dorsal fin, and presumably representing detached neural spines (also used for vestigial pterygiophores or predorsals).

supraneural element = a columnar bone under the second pterygiophore in Balistidae. It supports the third dorsal spine (and is not a supraneural).

supraocciptal = a median, mixed-origin bone at the upper rear end of the cranium, often bearing a crest, and forming the upper edge of the foramen magnum. In most bony fishes its origins are from the ossification of the otic roof (tectum synoticum) and the connective median septum separating the anterior trunk muscles. Absent in Chondrostei and Holostei.

supraoccipital hook = a structure in male Kurtus gulliveri (Kurtidae) used for carrying of an egg mass. The hook projects from the dorsal surface of the head and is directed anteriorly and downward nearly forming a closed ring. This hook is formed from the supraoccipital and modified dorsal spines. Females lack a hook. Eggs are carried like a cluster of grapes on the forehead. The epidermis in the cleft of the hook is folded into crypts and lacks secretory and neurosensory cells. The dermis is highly vascularized and engorgement of this area with blood may help hold the egg mass in place.

supraocular = above the eye.

supraocular head spine = a spine on the head of Scorpaenidae members. They are, from anterior to posterior over the top of the head on each side, the nasal, preocular, supraocular, postocular, tympanic, coronal (medial to the tympanic and postocular spines), parietal, and nuchal. Opercular spines are at the postero-dorsal corner of the operculum, preopercular spines line the posterior margin of the preoperculum, and the cleithral and postcleithral spines are just above the opercular spines on the side of the head.

supraopercular = any of the small tube bones conducting the dorsal extension of the preopercular laterosensory canal across the gap between the preopercular bone and the supratemporal canal above.

supraoral = above the mouth; said of teeth above the oral opening in Petromyzontidae.

supraoral lamina = a plate bearing teeth above the mouth in Petromyzontidae.

supraorbital = above the eye.

supraorbital bone = one of the 1-3 dermal bones of the circumorbital series forming, when present, the dorsal margin of the orbit and lacking sensory canals. The fossil Pholidophoridae had 3 supraorbitals, many modern fishes have 1 or 2, Amia and more advanced Teleostei have none.

supraorbital canal = the cephalic sensory canal (q.v.) extending from above the eye to the nostrils. Abbreviated as SO.

supraorbital photophore = a light organ on the posterodorsal margin of the orbit in Myctophidae. Abbreviated SuO.

supraorbital pore = a head canal pore above the eye.

suprapelos = organisms swimming above mud that are dependent on it for food.

suprapericardial gland = a thyroid gland.

suprapharyngobranchial = pharyngobranchial (the deep, endochondral bone at the top of the gill arch. May bear the upper pharyngeal and a dentigerous plate. May occur on arches 1, 2, 3, 4. Also called super-pharyngeals or superior pharyngeals. Suprapharyngobranchials are never associated with teeth while infrapharyngobranchials may be associated with dermal plates bearing teeth).

suprapreopercle = a small, paired dermal tube bone carrying the lateral line canal across the gap between the preopercle and supratemporal, often absent. Also called supratemporal, subtemporal and suprapreoperculum.

suprapreoperculum = suprapreopercle.

suprapsammon = organisms swimming above sand that are dependent on it for food.

supratemporal = suprapreopercle.

suprapterygoid = the upper deep bone of the palatoquadrate in Palaeoniscids.

suprascapula = posttemporal (the superficial, Y-shaped dermal bone connecting the pectoral girdle with the skull, namely the epiotic or supraoccipital (upper part of the bone) and the opisthotic (in primitive fishes) or the intercalar (in modern fishes)(lower part of the bone). Traversed by the posttemporal lateral line canal. Also called suprascapular, supracleithrum I and supraclavicle I).

suprascapular = suprascapula.

supraspecific = above the rank of species.

supraspinous artery = an artery running antero-posteriorly at the dorsal tips of the neural arches.

supratemporal bone = extrascapula (small bones bordering the posterior margin of the skull roof in primitive Teleostomi. They apparently originate from enlarged scales. One of a series of from 2-8 bones known variously as cervicals, nuchals, postparietals, scale bones or tabulars).

supratemporal canal = the cephalic lateral line canal (q.v.) running across the top of the head joining the lateral canals. Abbreviated ST.

supratemporal-intertemporal = a dermal bone overlaying the pterotic (or autopterotic). Also called intertemporal, membranopterotic or dermopterotic.

supratidal = above the high tide level, essentially a terrestrial habitat.

supraventral photophore = a photophore on the side below the lateral line and above the base of the pelvic fin in Myctophidae. Abbreviated VLO.

supreme cut = a slice cut off a fillet, often at a slant. Now sometimes called a pavé (slab or block), a term usually used for cakes and desserts.

sur = supra-.

surangular = the paired dermal bone of the lower jaw covering the articular dorsally.

surf = breakers or the wave activity between the shore line and the outermost limit of breakers; a habitat for certain fishes.

surf fishing = fishing from a beach through the surf but may also include from a pier or jetty.

surf rod = a long rod (12 feet) used with a large reel and a long line to cast a heavy rig several hundred feet out to sea from the shore.

surf zone = surf.

surface drift = allowing a gill net to drift in surface waters, usually with the float line at the surface.

surface feeder = a fish that takes it food from the air/water interface, or feeds just below the water surface.

surface fishing = 1) a form of angling where floating baits are used such as dog biscuits or bread flakes.

surface fishing = 2) a commercial fishery targeting tuna and billfishes using surface gear such as longlines, baitboats, purse-seine and harpoons.

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

surface layer = the upper layer of a water body, mixed by wind, waves and currents.

surface net = a fishing net with the upper line set at the sea surface.

surface set = the operation of a gill net when designed and layed out for use in surface waters.

surface trawl = a floating trawl pulled by two boats and used in shallow water.

surface water = 1) water collecting on the surface of the ground.

surface water = 2) the surface layer of a body of water.

surfcasting = fishing from or near the surf or on a beach using a fishing rod with an elongate butt enabling long and precise casts.

surfeit of lampreys = the meal that reputedly killed Henry I of England in 1135. The flesh is said to be fatty and not easily digested.

surge channel = a deep channel through which water moves in and out.

surge pool = a rock pool situated at low tide level and partially open to the sea such that water flows in and out except during the calmest weather.

surgeon knot = a strong knot for tying tippets to leaders or segments of tippets. Not as smooth as a blood knot but stronger.

surimi = a processed Japanese fish mince used to produce kamaboko, fish sausage and crab sticks. Mixed with cryoprotectants such as sugar and sorbitol for an extended shelf life.

surmaxilla = supramaxilla.

surmaxillary = supramaxilla.

surplus = 1) in a fisheries sense, the number of fish in excess of those needed to maintain a population at some level.

surplus = 2) returning hatchery fish in excess in broodstock that may be given to tribal groups as part of their treaty rights, transported elsewhere for anglers to catch, donated to food programmes, sold to support hatchery programmes or, if in poor condition, converted to fish meal for hatchery feed, placed in streams for nutrient enrichment, given to wildlife rehabilitation centres or discarded. Such hatchery fish, not caught by anglers, are used as outlined above so that they do not compete with native fish for spawning sites, food or shelter nor do they breed with native fish and produce less fit populations.

surplus production = production of new weight by a fishable stock, plus recruits added to it, less what is removed by natural mortality. Usually estimated as the catch in a given year plus the increase in stock size or less the decrease (Ricker, 1975). As a stock is fished, the biomass is lowered, the fish have less competition for food and other resources, growth and reproduction improves, fish are healthier, and the age composition is biased towards younger fish. Younger fish grow faster and increase the stock's productivity. Abbreviated as Y'. Also called natural increase, sustainable yield, equilibrium catch.

surplus production model = an estimate of the catch in a given year and the change in stock size. The stock size could increase or decrease depending on new recruits and natural mortality. A surplus production model estimates the natural increase in fish weight or the sustainable yield.

surplus production model - survival rate(s) = the number of fish alive after a specified time, divided by the number alive at the beginning of the period.

surrounding net = a surface net supported by floats which traps fish both underneath and from the sides. There is a purse line at the net bottom which closes the net and prevents fish escaping downward. See also purse seine, lampara net.

surrounding gill net = a coastal Japanese net comprised of gill nets inside a surrounding net. The surrounding net is set from boats around a fish school, the gill nets are lowered into the enclosed space that is formed, and fish driven into them from the surrounding net mouth by boats.

sursild = brine-salted herring pickled in a spiced solution of vinegar and sugar with sliced onions added (Norway).

surströmming = a Scandinavian preparation of canned, sour or fermented herrings. Only a little salt was used to prevent rotting as, in the past, it was expensive when the fish were packed in barrels. The barrels are left to ferment with a space at the top to accommodate gas production, and later the herrings are packed in cans. Some fermentation continues in the can. There is a very strong smell when the bulging can is carefully opened, cf. lutefisk.

survey = collection of data controlled by scientists, e.g. collecting fish from research vessels using a scientifically designed programme.

survival flow = the discharge required to keep fish alive in a stream during short periods of time of extremely low flow.

survival rate = number of fish alive after a specified time interval, divided by the initial number, usually on a yearly basis. Abbreviated as S (Ricker, 1975).

survival ratio = ratio of recruits to spawners or parental biomass in a stock-recruitment analysis. Changes in survival ratios indicate that the productivity of a stock is changing.

survivorship curve = a curve used in life expectancy statistics.

sushi = thin slices of raw fish, usually with green mustard and vinegar-boiled rice; a Japanese delicacy. Also fermented pickled fish, boiled rice and salt. Strictly sushi is the sweetened, pickled rice while the fish is sashimi. When combined sold as sushi.

suspended fish = in angling, those fish at mid-level depths.

suspension feeder = an organism feeding on particulate matter suspended in water.

suspensiphagy = feeding on the smallest suspended particles at 5-10 μm.

suspensoria = plural of suspensorium.

suspensorium (plural suspensoria) = the chain of cartilages and bones from the hyomandibular to the palatine, suspending the jaws from the neurocranium.

suspensory bone = a bone by which the jaw is attached to the skull.

suspensory ligament = ligaments in the eyeball suspending the lens.

sustainability = the ability to persist in the long-term; see sustainable catch, sustainable use.

sustainability certificate = a certificate or other indication that the fish on sale come from a sustainable catch, e.g. the Marine Stewardship Council has a blue tic and fish logo that is placed on packages of mackerel and herring caught in the sustainable Scottish fisheries.

sustainable catch = the number or weight of fish in a stock that can be taken by fishing without reducing the stock biomass from year to year, assuming that environmental conditions remain the same.

sustainable fishing = sustainable use.

sustainable use = the use of parts or the whole of a fishery over the long term at a rate that does not lead to a decline, preserving it for future generations.

sustainable yield = the yield (in weight or number) taken from a fish stock when it is in equilibrium with fishing of a given intensity, and (apart from effects of environmental variation) its biomass is not changing from one year to the next. Also called equilibrium yield, equivalent sustainable yield.

sustained harvest = a harvest volume that can be maintained through time without decline.

sustained speed = the swimming speed that a fish can maintain for prolonged periods but ultimately tires and shows some degree of stress. Also called prolonged speed.

sustained use = continuing use without severe or permanent deterioration in the fishery resource.

sustaining specimen = auxiliary type (a specimen or element to serve as type of a subordinate taxon when the type of a major taxon is inadequate to assign subordinate rank names to the type).

sustenance ratio = the ratio of protein, and fat and carbohydrate, as a food requirement, e.g. low or 1:2 for trout, medium or 1:5 for common carp and high 1:8 for grass carp.

sutki = salted or unsalted sun-dried fish, sometimes hard-smoked fish (India and Pakistan).

suture = ragged line of union between two bones cemented with connective tissue, allowing no movement.

swad = a bushel basket used in selling fish (Sussex dialect).

swallow a gudgeon = to be fooled by an obvious lie as gudgeons (Gobio gobio, Cyprindae) are used as bait to trap other fish. See also gaping for gudgeons.

swallow piece = extension piece (tapered sections of netting between the belly and the batings and the cod end of a trawl. Also called pipe, tail, tail piece, taper, Y-piece).

swallow-tail = a cod with an angular cut made in the tail to mark ownership (Newfoundland).

swalten = sweltin.

swamp = 1) a type of wetland that is dominated by woody vegetation and does not accumulate appreciable peat deposits. Swamps may be fresh water or saltwater and tidal or nontidal.

swamp = 2) a small, flat-bottomed row-boat (Newfoundland). Also called swamp bottom.

swamp bottom = swamp (2)

swamper = a large boat-load of fish (Newfoundland). Also called sagger.

Swampscott dory = a 14-18 foot dory made in New England and Nova Scotia. The longer version was rowed by two men. The bottom of this dory is flat but narrow with an almost round bottom, allowing it to sit on a sandy beach. Now often modified into a recreational sailboat and rowboat.

swarm = 1) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for eels.

swarm = 2) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for minnows.

swash = run-up (the rush of water up a structure such as a beach on the breaking of a wave. Also called uprush).

swathe = the milt, or sperm vessels in a male cod (Orkney dialect).

sweat = 1) moisture exuded from the fish while cooling after smoking and liable to encourage moulds if the product is packed while still hot.

sweat = 2) exudation of salt in the curing process; to spread thoroughly through the fish by pressure of the pile.

Swedish pimple = a fresh and marine water jigging lure, some forms of which are used in ice fishing.

sweel = a swirl, spin or twist often used to describe the rapid movement of a fish with its tail (Scottish dialect). See also swill (2).

sweep = ground cable (the length of wire or rope connecting the otter boards to the wings or towing bridle of a trawl net).

sweep net =beach seine (a net used to encircle fish in shallow water; usually operated by two people wading out from shore, the net has lead weights to keep the bottom on the sea floor and floats to keep the top of the net at or near the surface; there may be a bag extending back from the centre of the nets length to increase capture efficiency. The seine may be set from a boat but hauled in from the land. Also called shore seine, drag seine, draw net, haul seine and yard seine).

sweet jigging = ripping side (setting hooks every ten feet on a drifting line intended to snag a fish).

sweet water = potable water.

sweltin = a hungry, lean or emaciated cod (Scottish dialect). Also spelled swalten.

swill = 1) the milt of fish, especially a cod (Orkney dialect).

swill = 2) a swirl, spin or twist often used to describe the rapid movement of a fish with its tail. See also sweel.

swim = 1) the movement of fish in water.

swim = 2) the area an angler fishes. Used in Europe where anglers fish a limited area using float rigs.

swim = 3) in the swim, meaning in the upper crust of society.

swim = 4) of fish, to be present in a particular stretch of water.

swim bait = a soft, plastic lure resembling a baitfish.

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

swim bladder disease = changes in pressure or temperature in tropical fishes that affects that internal organ responsible for maintaining equilibrium; the fish may rest on the bottom or float on the surface.

swim bladder infection = an acute haemorrhagic viral infection with a rhabdovirus. Symptoms include loss of coordination and equilibrium, popeyes, swollen belly, inflamed and swollen vent, and oedema and haemorrhages of various organs, particularly the swim bladder.

swimbladder = swim bladder.

swimbladder fenestra = a thinner portion of the swimbladder wall anteriorly, lacking the submucosa layer, e.g. in Carapus (Carapidae). Presumably the sonic muscles move this part of the swimbladder and cause sound production.

swim-up fry = fry that have absorbed their yolk sac, are ready to start feeding and rise to the surface to gulp air into the swim bladder (stages at 45°F in chinook salmon are green = 0 days, eyed = 38 days, sack fry = 69 days, swim up = 92 days and button up = 115 days).

swimfeeder = a weighted plastic container added to a fishing line and filled with groundbait or maggots to attract fish to the neighbourhood of the hook and its bait by slow release of the attractive contents. See also feeder.

swimmers and bricks = fish and chips (Irish slang).

swimming bait = an artificial bait made to resemble a swimming fish by its vibrating or wobbling action or even rattling. Also called lipless crankbait.

swimming lure = swimming bait.

swimming speed = the speed at which fish swim; in the range of 0 to >6 m/s and often expressed as body length per second. Burst or dart speed can be maintained for 5-10 seconds, to capture prey, escape predators, leap falls. Prolonged speed is anaerobic and can be maintained for some minutes but usually less than an hour as fatigue sets in. Sustained or cruising speed is aerobic can be maintained almost indefinitely.

swimming with the fishes = 1) a pleasant past-time.

swimming with the fishes = 2) when involving concrete shoes and the criminal element, not so pleasant.

swims with sharks = 1) humans swimming with real sharks as research or tourism.

swims with sharks = 2) humans engaging in dangerous behaviour of any kind and including political and cultural activities, not involving actual sharks usually.

swing indicator = a means of detecting bites when angling. The indicator has an upwards-facing, open-end clip attached to a stiff bar anchored on a bankstick. The clip is placed on the fishing line and pulled half way down. A fish taking the bait and swimming away will pull the indicator up, one swimming towards the angler will cause the indicator to drop down. The indicator can be attached to the base of electronic bite alarms.

swing net = 1) stow net.

swing net = 2) a gill net set close to the shore, anchored by a grapnel around which it swings with the tide, but remaining stretched out.

swing tip = a device attached flexibly by a rubber hinge to the tip of a fishing rod, has ring guides for the line but hangs down. The swing tip is pulled up by a bite.

swinging sickness = peculiar shaking or swinging movements made by fish while maintaining station; not due to any known disease. Also called shimmy or shimmies.

swivel device = a swivel (a pair of freely rotating metal rings separated by a central body) attached to fishing line to prevent line twist caused by a rotating lure.

swivel double = a knot used by anglers to attach a swivel to a double loop. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

syle = young herring (Clupea harengus).

symbiosis = the living together of two species to their mutual benefit, e.g. luminescent bacteria in photophores of certain fishes; hydroid polyps which grow on and camouflage Minous; and anemone fish (Amphiprion) with sea anemones, where the territorial fish protects the sea anemone from other fish that try to eat it and the sea anemone's nematocysts or stinging cells protects the fish against its predators (mucus on the anemone fish protects it from the nematocysts). See also commensalism.

symmetrical = divisible by a plane through the centre into similar parts, each side a mirror image of the other, e.g. bilateral symmetry.

symmorid = a form of early shark tooth, similar to cladodont teeth with a main central cusp and smaller lateral cusps, but appearing later in the fossil record (late Devonian). See also diplodont, cladodont and hybodont.

sympagic = organisms living with sea ice.

sympathetic nerve chain = a chain of ganglia medial to the ribs within the body cavity. They are connected to the spinal nerves by rami communicantes.

sympatric = sharing, at least in part, the same geographical range.

symphyses = plural of symphysis.

symphysial groove = a longitudinal furrow originating behind the lower jaw symphysis in some sharks.

symphysial knob = a swelling on the tip of the lower jaw.

symphysis (plural symphyses) = the joining point between two bones effected by cartilage allowing a slight movement, e.g. joint between the tips of the lower jaw bones, the mandibular symphysis.

symphysis mandibulares = plural of symphysis mandibularis.

symphysis mandibularis (plural symphysis mandibulares) = mandibular symphysis (the joint between the left and right mandibles at the jaw tip).

symplectic = the small, paired, deep, endochondral bone joining the quadrate and the hyomandibular and supporting the interhyal in the hyostylic jaw (q.v.). It is cartilaginous in Acipenser and absent in Siluroidei and Anguilloidei.

symplesiomorphy = a character shared by two or more organisms or groups and inherited from a remote or much earlier common ancestor (shared primitive character). Diagnoses a paraphyletic group.

syn. = abbreviation for synonym or synonymy.

syn. = abbreviation for synonym or synonymy.

syn. nov. = synonymum novum.

syn.- (prefix) = joined, associated, together, fused, united.

synapomorphy = a character shared by two or more organisms or groups and inherited from an immediately preceding or recent common ancestor (shared derived character). Diagnoses a clade or monophyletic group.

synapotypy = common possession of a derived character state.

synarthrosis = an articulation allowing very little movement as between the two mandibles at the jaw tip; cf. amphiarthrosis and diarthrosis.

synchronomorial denticle = found in Elasmobranchii and Holocephali.

synchronous hermaphrodite = an organism with simultaneously developed ovarian and testicular tissue, e.g. Hypoplectrus unicolor (Serranidae).

synchronous spawning = mass release of eggs all at once, cf. serial spawning.

syncrania = plural of syncranium.

syncranium (plural syncrania) = the whole skull of a fish, comprising the neurocranium, dermocranium and branchiocranium.

syndicate = a group of anglers paying an annual sum for exclusive rights to fish a stretch of water. Numbers of anglers are usually limited.

synecology = the ecology of communities rather than individual species.

synisonym = one of two or more names having the same name-bearing epithet (basionym).

synonym = each of two or more names with different spelling applied to one and the same taxon. The junior synonym is that with the later, the senior synonym is that with the earlier, publication date. Objective synonyms are the two or more synonyms used on the same type. Subjective synonyms are the two or more synonyms based on different types, but which are regarded as referring to the same taxon by those zoologists who hold them to be synonyms.

synonymotype = the constituent or element of a taxon quoted by the author as being identical with his/her newly established taxon.

synonymum = synonym. Abbreviated syn.

synonymum novum = new synonym, used when a name is treated as a synonym for the first time. Abbreviated syn. nov.

synonymy = 1) the relationship between different names designating the same taxon.

synonymy = 2) an organized list of the synonyms applied to a given taxon including authors and dates.

synopsis = 1) a brief description of the main characters of a taxon.

synopsis = 2) a summary of current knowledge.

synoptic collection = a collection comprising one of everything related to a topic, e.g. a local fish fauna.

syntopic = two or more species commonly occurring together.

syntype = every specimen in a type-series numbering two or more in which no holotype nor a lectotype has been designated. The syntypes collectively constitute the name-bearing type.

syphon = siphon.

systematic collection = museum specimens selected as examples of significant types or variants within a collection category.

systematics = the study and classification of organisms into hierarchies and their phylogenetic interrelationships; that field of biology covering the diversity of life.

systematics collection = a collection used in systematics research; usually one comprised of specimens from an area or from a taxon.

syver = a side-channel for salmon ascending a river, or the grille or trap on this channel (Scottish dialect). Also spelled siver.

© Brian W. Coad (www.briancoad.com)

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