Dictionary of Ichthyology

Brian W. Coad and Don E. McAllister^†

Revised: 16 November 2008

F

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

F= 2) Fahrenheit.

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

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

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

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

(f) = female.

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

F/O = fish only.

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

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

F2 = second filial; and so on as above.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

faarlin = farlin.

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

face = 1) a bone surface.

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

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

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

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

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

facial = pertaining to the face.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FAD = 1) fish aggregating device.

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

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

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

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

fagot = faggot.

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

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

fail = 1) fell.

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

fair maid = dried pilchard (southwest England).

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

fairway = the navigable part of a river.

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

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

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

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

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

falciform = curved like a scythe, long and narrow.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fall turnover = fall overturn.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fancy = aquarium developed strains or varieties of fishes.

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

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

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

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

farlan = farlin.

farlane = farlin.

farland = farlin.

farlen = farlin.

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

farm = fish farm (an aquaculture facility).

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

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

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

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

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

farsang = farsakh.

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

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

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

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

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

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

fath = fathom.

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

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

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

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

fatty eyelid = adipose eyelid.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FCZ = abbreviation for Fishery Conservation Zone.

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

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

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

fecal cast = faecal cast.

feces = faeces.

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

fecundation = impregnation or fertilisation of the egg.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

feed the fishes = 1) to be seasick.

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

feed the fishes = 3) death by drowning.

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

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

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

feeder channel = a channel supplying water to any basin.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

feeding mixture = food mixture.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

feeth net = the net of a feeth.

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

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

feith net = the net of a feeth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fessikh = fazeeq.

Fextinction or F_extinction or F_EXTINCTION = Fcrash.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

field research = study of fishes in their natural habitat.

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

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

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

figura = figure or illustration. Abbreviated as f.

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

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

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

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

figura = figure or illustration. Abbreviated as f.

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

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

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

figured specimen = figure-type.

Fiji Mermaid = Feejee Mermaid.

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

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

filament = 2) fila.

filamentous = with a thread-like projection.

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

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

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

filet = fillet in French.

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

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

filial cannibalism = cannibalism of kin.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fimbria = 2) plural of fimbrium.

fimbriae = plural of fimbria (1).

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

fimbrillate = having a small or fine fringe.

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

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

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

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

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

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

fin clipping = fin clip.

fin element = a fin ray, spine or pterygiophore.

fin erosion = fin rot.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fin web = 1) the fin membrane.

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

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

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

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

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

finder = fish finder (a sonar device or echo sounder used to locate fishes).

Findon haddock = finnan haddie.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

finishing pond = fattening pond.

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

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

finnack = finnock.

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

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

finnan haddock = finnan haddie.

finneck = finock.

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

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

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

finnoch = finnock.

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

finny tribe = fish.

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

fion = a unit of disapproval.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

first uroneural = caudal bony plate (any ossified plate helping to support the tail fin. A name given to the first larger pair of uroneurals, situated on the curve of the upturned posterior end of the vertebral column. Preferably called first uroneural).

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

firth = a long, narrow indentation of the coastline.

Fischfrikadellen = cod, coalfish or other white fish made into rissoles by mixing with binding materials and spices, then roasted, fried or hot-smoked, after cooling. Also packed in cans or glass jars usually with vinegar and spices (Germnay). Marketed as semi-preserves or canned. Also called Brisoletten.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish = 5) a gullible person.

fish = 6) a card game.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish = 15) to search for loot.

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

fish = 17) slang for a new prisoner.

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

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

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

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

Fish = 22) a surname.

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

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

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

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

fish = 27) a bad poker player.

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

fish = 29) slang for a dollar.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish = 38) freshman.

fish = 39) novice, beginner.

fish = 40) newcomer.

fish = 41) foreigner.

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

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

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

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

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

fish = 47) a submarine.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish = 55) to curry favour or ingratiate oneself.

fish = 56) to use as bait in fishing.

fish = 57) to search for something.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish = 70) female pudenda (slang).

fish = 71) the penis (slang).

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

FISh = 73) an array programming language.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish and brewis = salt cod and hard bread (or hardtack) soaked in water overnight and then fried and garnished with salt pork and molasses in Newfoundland. Brewis is Middle English for bread soaked in drippings.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish attracting device = fish aggregating device.

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

fish au naturel = a canned product prepared by cooking fish in its own juice (United Kingdom) or light brine, sometimes with vinegar and flavouring agents added (France).

fish avoidance = various cultures do not eat fish, e.g. ancient Syrians believed fish to be holy and did not eat them (see Atargatis); the Bechuana and certain Bantu tribes in Africa. Often associated with social status among pastoralists, only lower class groups consuming fish, or with religion such as the Hindu belief in non-violence to sentient beings and the resulting vegetarianism. Also, certain bodies of water are sacred and fish from there are not eaten.

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

fish ball = fish don't have balls but are sometimes made into them. A ball of shredded white fish or cod and mashed potatoes, flour or other binding material, usually fried. Also called fish dumpling. See also canned fish ball, catfish ball and ball.

fish bar = 1) fish plate (1).

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

fish barrel = a rounded wooden container used to pack fish. A barrel of fish can be 200 pounds or 90.72 kg in the U.S.A. while a barrel of herrings used to be 32 pounds or 14.51 kg in England.

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

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

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

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

fish basket = 2) keepnet (a net lacking knots and supported with plastic or metal hoops, designed to hold fish caught by angling, usually in contests so the fish can later be weighed and released, or to keep fish fresh before transport and eating).

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

fish bat = fishing bat.

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

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

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

fish bed = a stratum rich in fish fossils.

fish bee = a bluebottle fly (Scottish dialect).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish bladder = 1) the storage sac for urine.

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

fish bladder = 3) gas bladder (a thin membranous, sometimes alveolated sac in the dorsal portion of the abdominal cavity. Contains a varying mixture of gases, not identical to the composition of air. May be one, two or three chambered. May be connected to the gut by a tube, the ductus pneumaticus (then called physostomous) or unconnected (then called physoclistous). May function as one or more of:- hydrostatic organ, sound producing organ, sound receptor, respiratory organ. Often lacking in bottom fishes. Sometimes called swim bladder or air bladder, less appropriate terms).

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

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

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

fish block = 3) a mechanism used with fish-tackle for raising heavy objects. Consists of a wheel with a groove in which a rope can run to change the direction or point of application of a force applied to the rope.

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

fish boat = a boat from which fish are caught.

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

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

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

fish boiler = 1) a fish kettle.

fish boiler = 2) a Norwegian (slang).

fish bolt = a bolt for securing a fish plate.

fish bombing = a home-made bomb made from an empty glass bottle filled with fertiliser and kerosene used to stun fish on coral reefs for capture and sale in the aquarium trade.

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

fish bone meal = ground bones of animals and fish, high in calcium and phosphorus, and used in fish feeds and as a plant fertiliser. May pollute waters because of the high phosphorus content and so not used as extensively as in the past.

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

fish bone thistle = fish thistle.

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

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

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

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

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

fish bowl = 3) jail.

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

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

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

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

fish breast = a plump fillet.

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

fish breeches = cod fish roe (Newfoundland).

fish brine = fish sauce.

fish broth = water (slang).

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

fish cadger = a fish hawker (Scottish dialect).

fish cake = 1) fish flesh mixed with potatoes, seasoning and sometimes eggs, butter and onions and formed into cakes or patties and fried in fat. Fish content may be 35-50% by weight and include such species as cod and haddock. Marketed cooked, cooked and frozen, frozen ready for frying, and canned.

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

fish camp = a camp used as a base for angling by a group of people; may be very simple or have accommodation and other facilities.

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

fish carle = a fisherman.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish chowder = a thick soup mix of cooked fish and/or shellfish and potatoes in a broth made from pork, flour, seasonings and fish stock.

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

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

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

fish clip = fish clamp.

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

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

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

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

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

fish colony = Newfoundland.

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

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

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

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

fish coop = 4) abbreviated form of fish cooperative.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish culture = the artificial breeding and raising of fishes.

fish culturist = a person engaged in aquaculture.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish dog = an experienced fisherman (Newfoundland).

fish drawn = eviscerated fish.

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

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

fish duck = any species of merganser.

fish dumpling = fish ball.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish eye = 5) a variety of moonstone.

fish eye = 6) an imitation diamond.

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

fish eye = 8) a cold or suspicious stare.

fish eye = 9) blank, expressionless.

fish eye = 10) ocular lymphomatosis in fowl.

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

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

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

fish eyes = 2) slang for tapioca pudding.

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

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

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

fish fag = female fish monger.

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

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

fish farm = 1) an aquaculture facility.

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

fish fast = the observance of a fish day.

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

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

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

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

fish finger = fish stick.

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

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

fish flee = a bluebottle fly (Scottish dialect).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish fry = 2) fried fish.

fish fry = 3) fry or young fish.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish gelatin = isinglass (the glutinous or gelatin-like fluid prepared from the collagen of the outer layer of gas bladders of sturgeons or other fishes. Used in clarifying wines and beers, for jams and jellies, in printing inks and as an adhesive cement).

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

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

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

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

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

fish glue = 1) isinglass (the glutinous or gelatin-like fluid prepared from the collagen of the outer layer of gas bladders of sturgeons or other fishes. Used in clarifying wines and beers, for jams and jellies, in printing inks and as an adhesive cement).

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

fish god = 1) Atargis (Dagon, the fish god of the Philistines, the upper half being a man and the lower half a fish. The fish half represented fertility).

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

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

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

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

fish god = 6) Oe (Oannes).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish hawk = 1) osprey (Pandion haliaetus).

fish hawk = 2) fish dog.

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

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

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

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

fish hedge = a trap made of bamboo screens.

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

fish home = the sea (Old English).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish hooked wire = fish hook wire.

fish hooks = fingers (slang).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish in aspic = fish in jelly.

fish in jelly = fish cooked in acidified brine or vinegar, fried or smoked and then packed in gelatin, gelatin and pectin or aspic. Sometimes includes cucumbers, onions and spices.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish lift = 1) fish way.

fish lift = 2) fish elevator.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish lore = study of fishes; ichthyology.

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

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

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

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

fish malodour syndrome = fish odour.

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

fish man = 2) a seller of fish.

fish man = 3) a fisherman.

fish man = 4) a student of ichthyology.

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

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

fish market = 2) the lowest hole at bagatelle.

fish market = 3) a brothel.

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

fish maturity = attainment of first spawning.

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

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

fish meter = an officer of the Fishmongers Company.

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

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

fish mite = a parasite infesting salt fish.

FISH mode = FISH queue.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish mousse - a mousse made with fish.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish odour syndrome = fish odour.

fish offal = fish waste.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish pass = 1) fish passage facility.

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

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

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

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

fish passway = fish passage facility.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish pest = any deadly epidemic disease of fishes.

fish picker = a commercial fisherman (Alaska).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish poison bark = Florida fish-poison tree.

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

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

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

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

fish pole = fishing rod.

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

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

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

fish pond = 3) the sea (jocular).

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

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

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

fish pool = fishpond, a pool containing fish.

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

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

fish pot = 2) a junk fishing boat.

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

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

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

fish pox = carp pox (one of the oldest known fish diseases found in cultured carp, other cyprinids, pike-perch and aquarium fishes. It is caused by Herpesvirus cyprini. Also known as carp papillomatosis, epithelioma papulosum, fish pox, cyprinid herpesvirus I (CHV). Skin lesions appear as the water temperature drops in winter as small milky-white spots that merge and cover large skin areas).

fish prong = fish fork (1).

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

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

fish pudding = fish ball.

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish range = a place for catching and drying fish.

fish rearing = cultivation and propagation of fishes.

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

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

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

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

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

fish rope = fish fall.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish scale = 2) a fish's scale.

fish scale = 3) slang for uncut cocaine.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish shed = fish house (Maritime Canada).

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

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

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

fish skin = 1) the skin of a fish.

fish skin = 2) a condom.

fish skin = 3) a dollar bill.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish spinner = a hurricane, cyclone or typhoon.

fish staff = a gaff or fish hook.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish store = 1) a store selling fish.

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

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

fish stove = fish stew.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish tail = 5) an arrow wobbling in flight.

fish tail = 6) a turning ballroom step.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish tank = 3) a cabinet of microfiches.

fish tank granuloma = fishkeeper's granuloma.

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish thistle = a Syrian thistle plant, Chamaepeuce diacantha.

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

fish tiger = a bird that preys on fish.

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

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

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

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

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

fish torpedo = a torpedo resembling a fish in shape.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

fish w