Dictionary of Ichthyology

Brian W. Coad and Don E. McAllister^†

Revised: 04 May 2008

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.

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).

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.

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.

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 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 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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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 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.

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.

scaine = a variant spelling of seine.

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.

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.

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.

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 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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

scran = left over fish eaten by the crew of a boat (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 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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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 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 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.

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.

seahorse = 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 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 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.

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

swdentary = 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 = 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 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.

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.

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, meaning following.

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, meaning 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.

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).

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 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.

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

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 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.

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.

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.

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).

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 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 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 in Hawaiian 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 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 that discourages sharks from attacking humans.

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

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

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.

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).

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).

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

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

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 = shallow entrance to an enclosed body of deeper water.

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 = an 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.

sinuosity = degree of meandering of a river channel.

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 = 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.

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.

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 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).

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 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 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.

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 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 d