Dictionary of Ichthyology
Brian W. Coad and Don E. McAllister†
P
P = 1) abbreviation for pectoral fin.
P = 2) Permian, a geological period of the Palaeozoic ca. 290-245 million year ago.
P = 3) symbol for the (parental) generation in which fertilization produces hybrids.
P1 = abbreviation for pectoral fin.
P2 = abbreviation for pelvic fin; V is an alternate abbreviation.
p = probability.
p.m. = post meridiem, for after noon indicating time after 12.00 noon.
p. p. = pro parte.
p.p.m. = parts per million.
p.p.t. = parts per thousand.
Pacini's Law = the nervous face of the electroplax of an electric organ becomes electrically negative to the non-nervous face during the discharge, whatever the orientation of the organ as a whole (except in Malapterurus).
pachy- (prefix) = thick.
pack = 1) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for perch.
pack = 2) a large school of dogfish (Squalus acanthias), a term used by fishermen.
pack = 3) a quantity of fishing line belonging to a member of a boat's crew, the amount varying with the district (Scottish dialect).
pack ice = floating ice that has been driven together into a single mass.
pack rod = a fishing rod that can be disassembled into short sections for easy transport.
package = 1) any type of barrel for shipping dried fish (Newfoundland).
package = 2) cured herring (Newfoundland).
packed like sardines = anything tightly packed or confined, after the appearance of sardines in a can. Usually refers to people in overcrowded conditions.
packie = a bundle of fishing lines. Each bught is fitted with from nine to fourteen hooks. It is usual to call twenty bughts a packie, and the whole of the packies that a boat carries is a fleet of tows (Shetland Isles dialect).
packing fish = a method for keeping partially dried and dried cod-fish from spoiling or developing dun, q.v., when damp weather conditions prevailed that did not allow for spreading. Salted and drying fish would be moved from one pile and repacked into another to keep dun and other conditions from harming the fish.
packload = a dry measure, used sometimes for fish, although mainly for salt and corn.
pad = a wicker basket used as a fish measure.
padda = fish slices dipped in a paste of clarified butter or oil with chilies, mustard and other spices (Malabar, India). Packed in jars.
paddy = a field for growing rice, flooded with water and often stocked with fish.
paddy-cum-fish culture = the combined culture of rice in flooded fields or paddies with fish during the flooded stage. Canals, pools and trenches can be constructed around the fields to maintain fish during dry seasons.
padec= fermented fish paste made with rice husks (Laos).
padell = paidle.
paedomorphosis = phylogenetic retention of juvenile or larval characters in the adult.
paedophage = a feeder on larval or embryonic forms; larvivore.
paedophagous = larvae or embryo eating; larvivorous, e.g. some Haplochromis which feed on cichlid embryos and larvae, sucking them out of the maternal mouth using thick, rubbery lips, as opposed to post-larval to adult stages.
paedophore = paedophage.
paellick = pelek.
paellik = pelek.
page precedence = when two names for the same taxon are first published in the same publication, then the one which appears on the earlier page has precedence. Page precedence does not necessarily mean priority as well; this is determined by the action of the first reviser.
pagophilic = ice-loving, applied to organisms for which ice is important in some part of their life cycle.
PAH = abbreviation for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
pahutoxin = ostracitoxin.
paidle = 1) a pocket in a fish net, especially that in a small stake-net used for catching flounders and trout (Scottish dialect). Also spelled padell, peddle, pydle and pyddle.
paidle = 2) a net with a paidle (1) (Scottish dialect).
pain = fish have nocioceptors, a peripheral nervous receptor, sensitive to noxious stimuli and reporting to the central nervous system where the stimulus is perceived and motor responses initiated. Fishes can sense stimuli but these receptors provide no evidence of a psychological experience of pain as felt by humans. The concept of pain in fishes in the psychological sense is a hotly debated topic. The cortical regions where humans experience pain are lacking in fishes. The word "pain" should perhaps be used only where there is a conscious mind having an unpleasant psychological experience.
painted fish = aquarium fishes that have been artificially coloured by injection with a dye, dipping in dye or by feeding with dyed food. This marketing ploy fades after several months. Fatality levels are high and campaigns to ban this process have been mounted. Also called juicing. See also GloFish.
pair bond = the temporary or permanent association formed between a female and male fish during courtship and mating.
pair trawling = bottom or mid-water trawling by two vessels towing the same net. Very large nets can be towed in this manner by relatively small boats and the net is generally hauled alternately aboard the two vessels for processing of the catch. The net mouth is kept open by the outward pull of the two vessels.
paired appendage = paired fin.
paired fin = the pectoral and the pelvic fins (as opposed to the vertical fins).
paitie = patie.
paksiw = gutted or un-gutted fish, boiled with coconut or vinegar, and other spices and simmered over a slow fire (Philippines). See also sinaeng.
palace = a cellar or first floor of a house for curing and storing pilchards (Devon and Cornwall dialect).
palaeo- (prefix) = old, ancient.
Palaearctic = the biogeographic realm comprising Europe, northern Asia and North Africa.
Palaeocene = a geological epoch within the Tertiary Period ca. 65-54 million years ago.
palaeochannel = a former river channel.
palaeogenic = a disjunct distribution, where remnant populations are indicative of a once wider distribution.
palaeoichthyologist = one who studies fossil fishes.
palaeolake = an ancient lake.
Palaeozoic = a geological era ca. 570-245 million years ago comprising the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian periods. Also spelled Paleozoic.
palatal = of or pertaining to the roof of the mouth.
palatal organ = a structure on the roof or palate of the mouth used to taste and touch food items in Carassius auratus.
palate = the roof of mouth; may be used to include the bones of the roof of the mouth, especially the vomer, palatine, pterygoid, ectopterygoid and parasphenoid; may include also the maxilla and premaxilla, as well as any braincase elements which are exposed on the roof of the mouth.
palatine = a paired, endochondral bone on the roof of the mouth lateral to the (pre) vomer. Properly called the autopalatine since it has a double nature, being covered ventrally by the dermal dermopalatine, which is often dentigerous. The palatine is cartilaginous in Lepisosteus and in Amia the dermopalatine is independent, not fused to the autopalatine.
palataobasal ridge = a ridge formed by the ventral part of the ethmoid articulation of the palatoquadrate in sharks.
palatoquadratal bar = palatoquadrate.
palatoquadrate = the cartilaginous, functional upper jaw of Elasmobranchii and Holocephali and the embryonic upper jaw of other gnathastome vertebrates. In adult Dipnoi, Crossopterygii and Actinopterygii, produces the autopalatine, metapterygoid and quadrate bones. Also called palatoquadrate or palatoquadratal bar, palatoquadrate cartilage, pterygoquadrate bar, epimandibular cartilage and maxillar cartilage.
palatoquadrate bar = palatoquadrate.
palatoquadrate cartilage = palatoquadrate.
pale cure = lightly salted and cold smoked haddock split so the bone is on the right hand side.
pale smoked red = lightly smoked red herring.
paleo =palaeo.
Paleozoic = Palaeozoic.
palingman = 1) a seller of eels (archaic).
palingman = 2) a fishmonger (archaic).
Palissy ware = dishes covered with coloured models from nature, such as fish, in high relief. After Bernard Palissy (1510–1590).
palistrophy = the coalescence or fusion of vertebrae.
pallace = palace.
pallet = the glass or metal float on a fishing net (Scottish dialect).
palm = a heavy mitten (glove without fingers) used to protect the hand in splitting fish or hauling lines Newfoundland).
palmata zone = the region of a reef crest of a bank or barrier reef that is closest to the water surface.
palmate = shaped like a hand or palm.
palmered = feathers wound perpendicular to the shank of a hook on an artificial fly.
palming = use of the hand against the spool edge of a reel to control drag in fighting a fish.
palomar knot = an easily tied knot used by anglers to attach a hook, swivel, snap or lure to a line. Has a strength of 85% and the double loop through the eye provides a cushion for added strength. Ideal for braided lines. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.
palu hook = a wooden hook used in the south-central Pacific Ocean to capture oilfish, Ruvettus pretiosus. Protective sticks (usually 6-8) are lashed to the line near the hook to prevent the sharp teeth of the fish from severing the line.
paludal = of a marsh or marshes.
paludarium = an aquarium with a dry land area as well as water.
palustrine = pertaining to swamps or marshy habitats, usually shallow and of limited extent.
pan = 1) a large depression without an outlet, periodically flooded with water, often salt-encrusted.
pan = 2) a shallow, circular container used in rendering fish oil (Newfoundland).
pan = 3) a dense shoal of small fish (Shetland Isles dialect). See also panner.
pan- (prefix) = all, all pervading.
pan fish = any kind of small fish suitable for cooking, often fried in an open pan, and generally affording but minor sport. Used in contrast to the larger species of game fish.
pan-dressing = a means of cleaning small fish that are to be cooked whole rather than filleted.
pan-global = all the globe or world; although global would seem to suffice.
pan-ready fish = 1) fish ready prepared for cooking. Also called kitchen-ready.
pan-ready fish = 2) fish specially prepared to make a good presentation. Also called kitchen-ready.
pan-size fish = any small fish that can be fried whole.
pan-temperate = throughout the temperate zone.
pan-tropical = throughout the tropics.
pancake ice = mostly circular pieces of ice from 3 cm to 3 m across, less than 10 cm thick, and with rasied edges.
pancaking = skimming along the surface on one side. Usually seen in compressed fish having a panic reaction.
pancreas = endocrine gland containing islets of Langerhan(s) which produces secretions controlling carbohydrate metabolism. Often located diffusely in the region of the gall bladder, spleen, pyloric caeca and small intestine in fishes. Size and number of islets of Langerhans increase during the spawning season.
pancreas disease = a probable viral infection of salmonids causing a degeneration of the pancreas causing high mortality in the salmonid marine phase.
pancreatic islets = the endocrine part of the pancreas producing hormones and, in particular, insulin. Also called islets of Langerhan(s).
pancreaticoduodenal vein = delivers blood from the pancreas, pyloric caecae and adjacent duodenum to the hepatic portal vein.
panel = a sheet of netting made of two or more sections joined together.
panes = rows on a flake, q.v., formed by loose longers, q.v., that held flake boughs in place and between which fish were laid in the Newfoundland fisheries. Also called lists.
panmictic population = one in which all members are equally likely to mate.
panner = a heavy catch of herring (from pan (3) above (Shetland Isles dialect).
pannibrad = a pot for melting or rendering fish livers (Shetland Isles dialect).
pannibrod = pannibrad.
pannier man = a fishmonger, a hawker of fish (archaic).
pannyman = pannier man.
pantothenic acid = a B vitamin essential in the diet of many cultured species.
paper fish = a TAC, q.v., much greater than real fishing possibilities.
paperfish stage = a prolonged pelagic phase in development characterised by a deep, strongly compressed, silvery body with a naked ventral keel in Cheilodactylidae.
papilla (plural papillae) = a small, nipple-like, fleshy protuberance.
papilla neglecta = macula neglecta (macula neglecta = a sensory structure located in Teleostomi in the utriculus of the inner ear near the opening of the ampulla of the posterior vertical semicircular canal, in selachians within a duct (posterior canal duct) through which the posterior vertical semicircular canal connects with the sacculus, while in the batoids it lies in the wall of the sacculus adjacent to the opening of the duct. It may have a neuromast associated with its sensory tissue. This structure has been demonstrated to be a sensitive vibration receptor in Raja. Also called crista neglecta and crista quarta).
papillae = plural of papilla.
papillary = a trio of small bones lying at the hind end of the priapium (q.v.) surrounding wholly or partly the genital pore and sometimes bearing a number of thin bony projections with hooklets, in the Neostethidae.
papillate = papillose.
papilliferous = papillose.
papilliform = slender, elongate and pointed, e.g. teeth.
papilliform hyoid barbel = a short fleshy protuberance in the hyoid region.
papillon = trade name for salted cod weighing less than 400 g at landing.
papillose = covered with papillae.
para- (prefix) = beside, by, along, beyond.
parabranchial chamber = the portion of the gill cavity lying between the gills and the gill cover; also called branchial chamber. See orobranchial chamber.
paracaudal organ = a fatty organ opening through pores on the caudal fin of Engraulidae. The organ is hypothesised to release stock specific fatty substances.
parachondral bone = bone formed from the ossification of connective tissue surrounding cartilage. Later the ossification penetrates the cartilage so the final bone has a mixed origin. Also called chondral or endochondral bone.
parachordal plate = an embryonic cartilaginous rod on either side of the notochord between the hind brain and the otic capsules, and which help form the skull.
parachute fly = a type of dry fly with the hackle wrapped horizontally under the hook or at the base of the wings providing an outrigger flotation.
paradentary = a bone lying in the maxillomandibulary ligament with the proximal end of the bone forming a ball and socket joint with the dentary near the symphysis in Ceratostethus (Neostethidae).
parafluvial = pertaining to groundwater or areas adjacent to the main river channel.
paraformaldehyde = a white crystalline solid, the polymerized form of formaldehyde gas (usually 90-97% pure). It has an irritating odor and can emit potentially flammable and explosive formaldehyde vapors at room temperatures. Dissolved in water, it can be used to fix and preserve fish specimens in the field, having less weight in transport than liquid formalin solution. As a white powdery substance, it is best transported across borders in its fully-labeled container.
parahyoid = urohyal (a flat, median, deep, endochondral bone below the ceratohyal; a tendon bone arising in the septum between the longitudinal muscles of the isthmus. Absent in such primitive fishes as Lepisosteus. Also called clidost, episternal and interclavicle).
paralectotype = any one of the original syntypes remaining after the selection of a lectotype.
parallel drainage system = a pattern of rivers caused by steep slopes with some relief, often found in mountainous areas. The rivers are fast and straight with few tributaries. See also annular, dendritic, deranged, rectangular and trellis drainage systems.
parallel evolution = the development of similar forms by related but distinct phylogenetic lieages.
parallel key = bracketed key (a dichotomous key in which contrasting parts of a couplet are numbered and presented together, without intervening couplets (the brackets are omitted). Used in some fish keys).
parallel ponds = in aquaculture, a series of diversion ponds, arranged in parallel and each having an individual inlet and outlet for water.
parallelism = possessing similar characters by two or more related taxa in separate lineages.
paralliconic species = one described in terms of its difference from another species, instead of in absolute terms, e.g. certain species pairs of Coregonus and Ammodytes. Opposite to staticonic.
paramorph = a taxonomic variant within a species, so named because lack of data prevents a more accurate determination.
paraneotype = a figured specimen used in addition to the neotype. Neoparatype is also used.
parapatric = adjacent but non-overlapping distributions.
parapatric speciation = the differentiation into distinct species of populations experiencing some gene flow.
paraphyletic = adjective for paraphyly. "Fishes" as a group are paraphyletic.
paraphyly = a taxon that does not include all descendants from the common ancestor of its members.
parapineal organ = the left side counterpart of the pineal organ, q.v., in the dorsal midline between the telencephalon and the optic lobes. It is reduced or absent in some fishes.
parapophyses = plural of parapophysis.
parapophysial stay = a transverse bony bridge which connects the parapophyses of the abdominal vertebrae and separates the dorsal aorta from the kidneys, e.g. in Stichaeidae.
parapophysis (plural parapophyses) = a long, transverse process arising from the abdominal vertebral centrum. Parapophyses serve to support epipleural ribs (q.v.) when present and, in Gadidae, the gas bladder. In Clupeiformes they are not fused to the vertebrae. Also called transverse process, basal process and basopophysis.
pararostrum = a projection of the posterior part of an otolith, somewhat anterior to the postrostrum, the most posterior point.
parasagittal = a plane parallel to the sagittal plane which divides the left and right sides.
parasitic male = complemental male (the small, usually degenerate (except for gonads) male which lives attached to the female, e.g. some Ceratioidei. Parasitic male is the less preferable name).
parasitic spawning = fertilisation of eggs by a subordinate male while the female and dominant male are spawning.
parasitism = the manner of life in which an organism lives for some period of time, to its own benefit, in or on another organism (the host) to the host's detriment, e.g. Ichthyomyzon on Esox masquiniongy; Vandellia in the gill cavity of Platystoma.
parasitofauna = the diversity of parasitic animals on a host such as a fish.
parasphenoid = the median dermal bone extending along the base of the cranium, posterior to the prevomer (or vomer). May bear teeth, e.g. in Amia, or molariform teeth, e.g. in Albulidae.
parasymphysial = the first anterior tooth row in Chondrichthyes, if a symphysial tooth row is absent (Herman et al., 1994).
paratenic host = a fish which serves as an additional or optional intermediate host for a parasite. No development of the parasite occurs but the host fish may serve as an essential link in the parasite life cycle. Also called transport host.
parathyroid gland = absent in fishes, function being replaced by corpuscles of Stannius, q.v.
paratype = every specimen, other than the holotype, in the type-series; all the specimens on which the author bases the series, except any that (s)he refers to as variants, or doubtfully associates with the nominal species, or expressly excludes from it.
paravane = a flat board used in angling and commercial fishing to make the line shear laterally or downward. Lateral shearing enables two lines to be towed behind a boat and downward shearing helps send the baited hook into deep water. Also called shearing boards and otter boards.
paravertebral = along the same plane as the spinal column.
paraxial hypoblast = found lateral to the axial hypoblast and formed mostly or entirely of mesoderm. It forms somites and their derivatives in the trunk and muscles and endothelium in the head.
parent population = any population considered as the source or origin for the population under study or analysis.
parental biomass = the weight of the adult spawning population of a species. Also called spawning stock biomass.
parental family = where both parents equally share the duties of caring for the young; usually formed by monogamous, open-water brooders, although exceptions are common, e.g. in the Cichlidae. Sexes are difficult to separate on external experience. Also called nuclear family.
parenteral = entry not through the intestine but through skin, cuts, etc.
paresthesis = numbness, tingling, burning, prickling and increased sensitivity, all human neurological symptoms of ciguatera poisoning (q.v.).
parethmoid bone = a paired deep bone of perichondral origin lying in the front of the orbit under the prefrontal. Also called pleurethmoid, lateral ethmoid, prefrontal, exethmoid, and also ectethmoid (latter only present in birds so not be be used in fishes).
parhypural = the last haemal spine that forms part of the the hypural plate. It is considered as a typical haemal spine or a hypural by authors but is recognised as distinct because it bears a hypurapophysis (q.v.), is notched to allow the caudal artery to exit the haemal canal and supports the lowermost principal caudal fin ray, e.g. in Siluriformes.
parietal = a dermal paired bone on each side of the top rear of the head over the auditory region, behind the frontals and partly or wholly separated by the supraocciptal. In Amia and Elopidae both parietals meet in the midline and separate the frontals and the supraocciptal, forming a type of skull called medioparietal. In contrast, a lateroparietal skull has the frontals and supraoccipital meeting in the midline, separating the parietals, e.g. in Gadidae. In an aparietal skull, the parietals are absent, e.g. in Syngnathiformes, Siluruidae.
parietal body = a dorsal evagination of the diencephalon. See epiphysial apparatus.
parietal head spine = a spine on the head of Scorpaenidae members. They are, from anterior to posterior over the top of the head on each side, the nasal, preocular, supraocular, postocular, tympanic, coronal (medial to the tympanic and postocular spines), parietal, and nuchal. Opercular spines are at the postero-dorsal corner of the operculum, preopercular spines line the posterior margin of the preoperculum, and the cleithral and postcleithral spines are just above the opercular spines on the side of the head.
parietal pericardium = the single membrane lining the pericardium or heart cavity.
parietal peritoneum = the single layered membrane lining the pleuroperitoneal cavity.
parietal shield = a set of bones covering the skull roof posterior to the intracranial joint in Crossopterygians.
parietolateral skull = one in which the parietal bones are separate allowing the frontals to suture with the supraoccipital.
parietooccipital = dermosupraoccipital (the superficial, paired dermal bone covering the supraoccipital with which it may fuse. In many Teleostei it is a hinge for the skull articulation with the circumorbital ring. Siluridae have a posterior toothed process that secures the nuchal disc. Also called postparietal or dermal supraoccipital.
parity = the number of times a female has produced young (0 = none, 3 = three times but does not indicate number of young).
parlour trap = a trap with one or more funnels which lead into a central area, the parlour, where the fish are retained as they cannot find the narrow end of the funnel to exit. The trap may be baited.
parotic process = a posterior lateral process of the skull formed by the pterotic and opisthotic.
-parous (suffix) = producing.
parr = a young salmonid (salmon or trout) with parr-marks before migration to the sea and after dispersal from the redd.
parr mark = one of the large dark bars or blotches found along the sides of certain young salmonids.
pars sustentaculum = fused anterior second, third and fourth vertebrae in e.g., Ictalurus punctatus, which supports the pars auditum, q.v.
parsauditum = a chain of ossicles on each side of the pars sustentaculum connecting the swimbladder to the inner ear in the Weberian apparatus, q.v.
pars inferior = part of the internal ear of fishes comprising two sac-like structures, the sacculus and lagena, both q.v. These function principally in sound reception. The endolymphatic duct rises upwards from from the sacculus and, in Myxini ends blindly in a cartilaginous capsule, in cartilaginous fishes opens to the outside via a narrow aperture, in chondrosteans and Clupeidae is open in young but ends near the endolymphatic sac in adults, and in most teleosts is absent or short without an external opening, terminating in the endolymphatic sinus.
pars superior = part of the internal ear of fishes comprising three semicircular canals, q.v., and the sac-like utriculus, q.v. Function is mainly in motion detection but may have some sound reception. Connected to the pars inferior by a short utriculus-sacculus canal in gobies and many cyprinids.
parsimony = in phylogenetic systematics, the principle that the phylogeny requiring the least number of character changes is most likely correct (simpler is better). Use of many characters may swamp reversals and convergences as these are relatively rare and this is another form of parsimony.
part. = abbreviation for partim.
parthenogenesis = production of eggs without genetic recombination or a reduction in ploidy. The eggs develop without sperm and are clones of the female parent.
partial recruitment = the degree to which a year class has joined the fishable stock. When a year class is young, only some of its fish are big enough to be caught, so it is partly but not fully recruited. Very young fish are not caught at all and have a partial recruitment of zero; when a year class is half as vulnerable to fishing as it will be when fully recruited, its partial recruitment is 0.5 or 50%.
partial spawner = fish that spawn over a long time span, having eggs at various stages of development in the ovaries.
particle = a small bait used in angling, e.g. hemp seed, pellets, maggots, casters, beans, peas or nuts.
particle glue = in European angling, a tasteless, odourless and colourless glue used to attach large numbers of small baits like hemp to a hook.
particle size = size ranges for sediments. The Wentworth-Udden scale is an international standard as follows:-
| Size Range | Particle Name |
| >256 mm | boulder |
| 64-256 mm | cobble |
| 4-64 mm | pebble |
| 2-4 mm | gravel, granule |
| 1/16-2 mm | sand |
| 1/256-1/16 mm | silt |
| <1/256 mm | clay |
particulate feeding = catching each prey item individually, whether a zooplankter or a whole fish.
partim = part.
parts per million = "parts" by weight of a substance per million parts of water; used for pollution concentrations. 1.0 μg/mL water, 1.0 mg/L water, 1.0 mg/kg. Abbreviated as p.p.m.
parts per thousand = a chemical concentration used to express salinity. 1.0 mg/mL water, 1.0 g/L. Symbol ‰ or abbreviated as p.p.t.
parturition = the process of giving birth, e.g. said of male seahorses.
party = a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for rainbowfish.
partyboat = a charter boat carrying more than six anglers and as many as 100. There is a per capita fee on a first-come, first-served basis.
parurohyal = a bone lying medially behind the ventral hypohyals and connected to them by two ligaments, e.g. in Heteropneustidae.
pass = fish passage facility.
passage = 1) the movement of migratory fish through, around, or over dams, reservoirs and other obstructions in a stream or river.
passage = 2) a leg of a voyage, which is an extended offshore trip that involves a return to the point of origin.
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.
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.
passage facilities = features of a dam that enable fish to move around, through, or over without harm. Generally an upstream fish ladder or a downstream bypass system.
passenger = a person carried seasonally by water to participate in the fishing enterprise in Newfoundland.
passing by prey = food for those fishes that lie in wait for prey that swims by.
passive gear = fishing equipment that is left to catch fish and is not actively moved through the water or attended.
Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags = an integrated microchip about 11 mm long that is programmed to include specific fish information and inserted into the body cavity of the fish and decoded at selected monitoring sites. Used for identifying individual fish for monitoring and research purposes. The tag is activated by passing a hand-held scanner over the fish.
passway = fish passage facilities.
paste = 1) 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.
paste = 2) a bait used in Europe in angling, such as cheese mixed with a bread base.
pasteurellosis = an acute systemic bacterial disease caused by Pasteurella piscicida in marine fishes.
pasteurised = fish packed in airtight containers and preserved by heating at below 100°C for a limited time and stored chilled.
pasteurized caviar = caviar sealed in jars and then immersed in a water bath at about 60°C. The jars are labeled in traditional colors: sevruga (red), oscietre (yellow), beluga (blue). Pasteurised eggs may be firmer and will keep unrefrigerated for up to one year but, once opened, need to be consumed within a few days.
patch = a term describing small teeth grouped together rather than isolated.
patch reef = a section of coral reef inshore of the main reef. Usually of less than 70 m depth and unattached to a major reef structure.
patchiness = unevenly distributed in a given area. Also called patchy distribution.
patchy distribution = unevenly distributed in a given area. Also called patchiness.
patent anchor = a type of folding anchor.
paternoster rig = a fishing rig where the hooklength branches from the mainline. Various styles exist and may have rigid wire branches with several hooklengths. St. Peter is supposed to have used a paternoster ("our father") rig to catch fish, hence the name.
patey = patie.
patie = a club for killing salmon (Scottish dialect, apparently from priest, q.v., and a jocular association with Pat or Patrick, a typical name for an Irishman). Also spelled paitie, patey, peatie and pettie.
patis = the free liquid extracted during fermentation of bagoong (q.v.) and used as a sauce (Philippines).
patriarch/matriarch family = the condition in Cichlidae where the male defends a large territory, which includes multiple spawning sites of several females. Each female assumes the responsibility of her own brood. The male is polygamous, and clear sexual dimorphism is present. This form takes place among cavity brooders. Also called male-with-harem family.
patriarchal family = the condition where no bond is formed between the parents, known only in the cichlid Sarotherodon melanotheron. The male carries the eggs and the fry, and there is no sexual dimorphism or dichromatism.
patrick = a fisherman or fisherman's servant of Irish extraction (Newfoundland).
patronym (adj. patronymic) = a taxonomic name derived from the name of a male person. Often used to honour a scientist or collector. Not the author or describer of the taxon. See also matronym.
patronymic = adjective for patronym.
pattern = 1) the way in which fishing operations are conducted.
pattern = 2) distribution of fishing mortality among age groups.
pattern = 3) in angling, any location, rig or presentation situation that can be duplicated elsewhere in the body of water being fished.
pattern = 4) the specific arrangement of fly-tying materials when tying a particular fly.
Patterson's Rule = instances of fossils overturning theories of relationship based on Recent organisms are very rare, and may be non-existent (Grande, 2000).
pauciglomerular = with few glomeruli in the kidney.
paupiette = a stuffed roll of fish fillet.
pavé = supreme cut (a slice cut off a fillet, often at a slant. Pavé (slab or block) is a term usually used for cakes and desserts).
pavement teeth = the series of rows of flat teeth found in rays and skates, and some sharks (Hexanchus, Heterodontus, Mustelus), used for crushing such hard foods as molluscs and crustaceans. Also called mosaic teeth.
pawl = the clicking drag mechanism in a fly reel.
pay lake = a lake where a fee is charged for fishing.
payaos = a bamboo and palm fronds raft found in southeast Asia, particularly the Philippine. The raft attracts pelagic fish seeking shelter and food. Fishermen use handlines to catch the fish, even tuna. Modern gear can be made of stainless steel, involve fish lights and sonar gear, and be used with gill nets, pump fishing equipment and purse seines, leading to overfishing.
paying away = laying out (paying out a line or net. Also called setting).
paying out = paying away.
payusnaya = caviar pressed into cakes that last for months and can be sliced like cheese (from the Russian "to shave").
pb = abbreviation for personal best, the largest fish of a particular species caught by an angler. Seen particularly in British fishing magazines.
pea = a fish egg (usually used in the plural).
pea gravel = small rocks less than half an inch (1.25 cm) in diameter often favoured as spawning areas by such fishes as basses (Centrarchidae).
peak period = a highly active part of the annual life cycle of a fish when anglers most easily make catches.
peal = a salmon of the first season, a grilse, or by extension any young salmon (British dialect).
peal stream = a salmon stream.
pearl essence = a nacreous pigment containing guanine crystals derived from scales, e.g. from herrings, used to produce sparkle in metallic paints, lip gloss and iridescent eye shadow and used in simulated pearls and plastics. Guanine crystals are rhombic platelets composed of multiple, transparent layers but they have a high index of refraction that partially reflects and transmits light from layer to layer thus producing a pearly luster. It is usually a liquid suspension of the guanine crystals that can be applied by spray, painting or dipping. Also called essence d'Orient.
pearl organ = see preferred term: tubercle, breeding. The term pearl organ has been applied vaguely and is not apt since the structure is often not pearl colored (usually small, raised, epidermal structures on regions of the head, body, or fin rays where two individuals come in contact. May consist of aggregations of non-keratinized epidermal cells, the same with a light, superficial keratinized cuticle, or with substantial number of fully keratinized cells that are organized to form a discrete, usually conical cap. Breeding tubercles may function to maintain body contact between the sexes during spawning; in the defence of nests and territories; in the stimulation of females in courtship; and in some forms perhaps in sex and species recognition. Also called nuptial tubercles. Found in 15 families of 4 orders; Salmoniformes, Gonorhynchiformes, Cypriniformes, and Perciformes (Wiley and Collette, 1970)).
pearl sharkskin = a shagreen or sharkskin leather made from a Japanese ray and used for trim on pocketbooks. Also called galuchat leather.
pearl thorn = a thorn resembling half a pearl in colour and shape in Chondrichthyes.
pearl tubercle = see pearl organ.
pearlescent = coloured like the surface of a pearl.
peat-diver = peat-spawner.
peat-spawner = killifishes (Cyprinodontidae) that deposit their eggs within a substrate. In aquaria this substrate is boiled peat moss. The fish are removed after spawning, and the peat can be removed, placed in a plastic container and wetted after the appropriate diapause, q.v., for hatching.
peatie = patie.
pebble = small and rounded rock fragments 2 or 4-64 mm in diameter (sources differ).
peck = a heading knife used by fishermen (Kentish dialect).
pectinate = comb-like.
pectinate scale = a scale with a comb-like posterior edge as in Brevoortia (Clupeidae).
pectiniform = pectinate.
pectoral = pertaining to the pectoral fin, its skeleton, or the adjacent region.
pectoral fin = the paired fin borne by the pectoral girdle, usually just behind the gill opening or slightly dorsal or ventral to this position. Also called omopterygium or homopterygium. This fin is generally larger than the pelvic fin and less variable in position and structure. The pectoral is low on the body in more primitive bony fishes and higher in more advanced ones. It functions to steer, brake and propel the fish. Pectoral fin ray counts include all the rays branched and unbranched. The length is measured from the origin (upper or outer part of base) to the distal tip of the fin. Abbreviated as P, P1 or P1.
pectoral fin abductores = muscles originating on the medial surface of the scapula and coracoid and inserting on the medial surface of the radials.
pectoral fin adductores = muscles originating on the scapula and coracoid and inserting on the radials and base of the lepidotrichia.
pectoral fin rotatores = muscle fibres on the leading and trailing edges of the pectoral fin, continuations of the abductores and adductores.
pectoral girdle = the bony support of the pectoral fin behind the gills and usually attached to the posterior part of the skull; the "shoulder" girdle. Composed of the following basic elements (some of which may be lost): coracoid, scapula, pterygials, postcleithrum, cleithrum (main bone), supracleithrum and posttemporal. The "primary" pectoral girdle includes actinosts, scapula, coracoid, and sometimes mesocoracoid cartilage or endochondral bones and supports the fins directly. The "secondary" (and more primitive) pectoral girdle encloses the dermal post-temporal, supracleithrum, cleithrum, and two postcleithra, which are membrane bones and is only indirectly related to the fins. Also called scapular girdle.
pectoral photophore = old name for the PVO photophores in Myctophidae.
pectoral propterygium = the outer or anteriormost basal cartilage in the paired fins.
pectoral radial = on of the bony or cartilaginous supports for the pectoral fin.
pectoral ring = one of the dermal plates in members of the Syngnathidae forming a series of rings enclosing the body; the first trunk ring, just behind the head.
ped = a wicker basket or hamper in which fish such as plaice or herring were offered for sale or hawked around the country (English dialect).
pedah = salted Scomber spp., ripened by fermentation (Thailand).
peddle = paidle.
pedicel = a stalk-like supporting structure. Also called pedicle or peduncle.
pedicle = pedicel.
pedlar = 1) an entrepreneur and vessel owner who purchases fish from fishermen in exchange for cash or supplies, operating outside the established system (Newfoundland).
pedlar = 2) a vessel engaged in collecting fish from fishermen and in carrying supplies (Newfoundland).
peduncle = 1) caudal peduncle, pedicel (the wrist-like portion of the posterior part of the body between the end of the anal fin and the base of the caudal fin. Its length is measured between the insertion of the anal fin and the caudal flexure (the fold shown by the hind edge of the hypural plates when the caudal fin is flexed). Depth is measured vertically at the narrowest point).
peduncle = 2) pedicel.
peduncle disease = coldwater disease (a bacterial disease of juvenile and yolk-sac fry of salmonids caused by Cytophaga psychrophila (or Flexibacter psychrophilus). It occurs at temperatures below 10°C and is an external and systemic disease with lesions on the fins skin and muscles, often concentrated on the caudal peduncle. Survivors may lose the caudal fin. Severe outbreaks leave fish lethargic and spinal deformities develop, or some fish may show spiral swimming, dorsal swelling and dark pigmentation on one side of the body; mortality is common. Also called low temperature disease).
peduncular plate(s) = the bony plate(s) on the caudal peduncle of some Acanthuridae which become sharply keeled forming a defensive weapon, e.g. in Prionurinae and Nasinae (in Acanthurinae there is a posteriorly hinged erectile sharp spine in a groove).
peel = 1) a flexible mold formed by applying a thin layer of the molding material (usually a plastic compound) to an object such as a fish fossil. The peel can then be studied or sent to a researcher without the need to examine the original fossil.
peel = 2) peal.
peel stream = peal stream.
peg = 1) a swim for match fishing, i.e. a section of river, canal or lake bank is split evenly into sections for an angling contest with numbered pegs. Anglers pick a peg number at random and are only allowed to fish within the limits of the peg.
peg = 2) to throw a fly in angling (British dialect).
peg board = a piece of wood with numbered holes once used to record the weight of fish catches. Pegs were placed in the appropriate hole and catches were usually recorded as quintals.
peg-down = used in reference to a fishing competition which uses pegs to mark fishing spots for the competitors, e.g. anglers will fish a peg-down match.
pegging = use of a slip sinker and worm bait with a peg to prevent the sinker sliding up the line.
pelagic = oceanic or lacustrine waters occurring above the bottom; non-benthic. See also epipelagic and bathypelagic, holopelagic and mesopelagic.
pelagic egg = an egg which floats above the bottom.
pelagic fish = fish living in the open ocean or lake water at or near the surface and, in the sea, often undergoing lengthy migrations, e.g. tunas, sharks.
pelagic fishery = a fishery targeting pelagic species.
pelagic seine = a seine net fished almost vertically in deep water.
pelagic trawl = a net shaped like a bag which is dragged through open waters above the bottom. Lacks chafe protection gear, bobbins, discs and rollers.
pelagophil = 1) a reproductive guild (q.v.) of a pelagic spawner with numerous buoyant eggs, not guarded, none or poorly-developed embryonic respiratory organs, little pigment and no photophobia, e.g. Anguilla anguilla, Platichthys flesus.
pelagophil = 2) a reproductive guild (q.v.) of a pelagic spawner with buoyant eggs guarded at the surface of hypoxic waters and having extensive embryonic respiratory structures, e.g. Anabas testudineus.
pelagophil = 3) favouring surface waters for feeding, reproduction, schooling, etc.
peld = pelit.
pelek = the membrane of the roe of a fish (Scottish dialect). Also spelled paellik, paellick, pyalick, pyaelick, peyailack, pjelek and pilek.
pelit = fish not treated, e.g. as by drying, and bulk packed (Scottish dialect).
pellet = 1) a food particle compounded with all the essential nutrients needed for aquaculture species, shaped into a standard form and stored frozen or dried. It must retain its shape for some time and not disintegrate in water but be easily digestible.
pellet = 2) animal feed, typically trout pellets, fished on a hair rig, used as loose feed or crushed and used as a paste.
pellet = 3) pallet.
pellicle = a glossy film on the cut surface of a fish during dripping due to swelling of protein under the influence of brine and subsequent surface drying in the smoking kiln.
pellock = a wooden vessel for carrying bait for fishing lines (Cumberland dialect).
pellucid = transparent.
pelometoxin = a little used synonym for scombrotoxin (the poison in scombrotoxic fishes, believed to consist of histamine, saurine and possibly other toxic by-products resulting from bacterial action on histidine, a normal muscle constituent of dark-meat fishes).
pelvic = relating to the pelvic fins or girdle.
pelvic bone = 1) innominate bone (the pelvic fin bone in Gasterosteidae, sometimes a misnomer for the ectocoracoid. Also called pelvic plate, posterior process, pubic bone and medial plate).
pelvic bone = 2) the ventral element in the priapium of the Phallostethidae on which articulate the ctenactinia (q.v.). Also called aproctal bone.
pelvic fin = the paired fin which is located posterior, ventral or anterior to the pectoral fins (abdominal, thoracic or jugular in position). Also called ischiopterygium. It functions to steer, brake and propel the fish and acts as a keel. In the pelvic fin ray count usually all the rays are counted except a small ray preceding the first ray and usually bound so closely to it so as to require dissection to be seen. In some fishes with reduced pelvics, the spine and the first ray may be bound together by a membrane and appear as one; both are counted, e.g. in Cottidae. Abbreviated as P2, P2 or V.
pelvic fin abductores = muscles originating on the outer surface of the pelvic plates and inserting on the outer surface of the fin radials.
pelvic fin adductores = muscles originating on the medial surface of the pelvic plates and inserting on the medial surface of the radials.
pelvic girdle = the skeletal support of the pelvic fins. May be free, or may attach anteriorly to the pectoral girdle. Consists of paired bones, the basipterygia. Absent in some species, the apodal fishes.
pelvic plate = innominate bone (the pelvic fin bone in Gasterosteidae, sometimes a misnomer for the ectocoracoid. Also called pelvic bone, posterior process, pubic bone and medial plate).
pelvic terminus = a small spinous knob at the end of the long pelvic girdle of Balistidae.
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.
pen = 2) a place in the hold of a ship where fish are kept while fishing or transporting the catch or where fish are iced or salted.
pen = 3) pan (2).
pen board = one of a series of boards in the hold of a ship that prevent fish movement.
pen culture = cage culture on a large scale (rearing of fish in cages, on the bottom or floating. Cages may be made of wire or netting).
pencil float = a large, slim balsa or hollow plastic float used in fishing live or dead baits for pike (Esox lucius) or zander (Sander lucioperca) in Europe. Attached by the bottom only and used in still or slow waters.
pendle = in Cichlidae the behaviour where two fish face each other, advancing and retreating in turn.
pendulum feeder = demand feeder (a device allowing measured amounts of food to be delivered when triggered by fish in aquaculture, operating on a pendulum).
penis = male copulatory organ, e.g. in Bythitidae, although intromittent organ is to be preferred.
pennant = a handling wire connecting warp to bridle and allowing the bridle to by-pass the otter board of a trawl.
penner = a trunk or box for keeping fish alive (Sussex dialect).
pennyman = pannier man.
penstock = a gate or sluice used to control water flow.
penultimate = the one before the last; the second from the end.
pep = pip.
pepper fish = not a fish but a cultivar of the chili pepper plant Capsicum annuum. The fruit resembles a swimming fish because of its variegation.
peppered = used to describe a pigment pattern of dark stippling.
pepple = to come up suddenly to the surface as a fish does to take a fly (Lancashire dialect).
pepsin digestibility = a measure of the nutritional availability of protein in fish meal, determined by the amount of protein digested by pepsin under controlled conditions.
per- (prefix) = through.
per capita consumption = the amount of fish eaten per person in a given area or country, usually on an annual basis.
perch = 1) a member of the family Percidae, more specifically Perca fluviatilis in Eurasia and P. flavescens in North America.
perch = 2) an old English measure of distance, also called a rod or pole, equivalent to 5.5 yards (5.03 metres), sometimes encountered in older scientific literature.
perch punch = bait made of chopped worm and some liquid flavouring frozen with small rocks in a convenient container. Removed from the container, they can be thrown into a fishing area to slowly melt and attract perch and trout. Used in Europe.
perched culvert = a culvert whose outlet is too high to allow passage of fish.
perennial = said of a stream with continual flow. Opposite of intermittent, q.v. Also said of lakes of other water bodies with water year round.
perfect loop knot = a knot used by anglers to connect lures or flies to a heavy leader; does not affect the action of the lure or fly. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot. Also called perfection loop knot.
perfect name = nomen perfectum (a perfect name, an available name which when originally published met all mandatory requirements of the Code and needed no correction of any kind, but which is validly alterable by change of ending).
perfection loop knot = perfect loop knot.
perforate = pierced.
peri- (prefix) = near, around, enclosing.
perianal = near or surrounding the anus; peritroct.
perianal organ = an organ near or surrounding the anus, e.g. in the Chlorophthalmidae.
periblast = a thin membrane in Teleostei lying below the embryo and surrounding the yolk. An old term for the yolk syncytial layer.
peribranchial chamber = the chamber exterior to the branchial bars and which communicates with the outside by an atrial pore in Amphioxi.
pericardial cavity = the coelomic cavity containing the heart.
pericardial sac = parietal pericardium.
pericardium = a coelomic chamber around the heart.
perichondral bone = formed from an ossification starting at the perichondrium of a cartilage and rapidly extending internally. Also called chondral or endochondral bones.
perichondria = plural of perichondrium.
perichondrium (plural perichondria) = a sheath of connective tissue covering a cartilage.
periderm = specialised, impermeable epithelial cells covering the entire embryo after epiboly ends and representing the sole derivative of the enveloping layer.
perigean range = the average semi-diurnal range occurring at the time of perigean tides; larger than the mean range where the type of tide is either semi-diurnal or mixed and of no practical significance when the tide is diurnal.
perigean tidal current = a tidal current of increased velocity occurring monthly as a result of the moon being in perigee (nearest earth).
perigean tide = a tide of increased range occurring monthly as the result of the moon being in perigee (nearest earth).
periglacial = areas, objects or processes near the edge of a glacier.
perinasal groove = a cleft or groove around the nasal opening in Chondrichthyes. Also called cirumnarial fold or groove.
period of catchability = the time when a given species is permitted to be caught.
periodic parasite = parasitic for part of its life cycle.
periosteum = a sheath of connective tissue covering a bone.
peripatric speciation = populations isolated at the periphery of a species range may diverge morphologically and/or ecologically, eventually forming distinct species.
peripharyngeal groove = a ciliated groove around the inside of the pharynx connecting the hyperpharyngeal and hypopharyngeal grooves.
peripheral = the division of fishes that occurs in freshwater but which is very tolerant to salt water, e.g. Petromyzontidae, Acipenseridae, Anguillidae, Gobiidae.
peripheral isolation = the process that allows peripatric speciation, q.v.
peripheral nervous system = nervous structures such as ganglia outside the central nervous system.
periphyton = plants and animals adhering to parts of rooted aquatic plants.
periphyton collector = a fish that combs algae from plants without eating or damaging the plants.
periphytonophagy = feeding on periphyton.
perissopterygia = plural of perissopterygium.
perissopterygium (plural perissopterygia) = median fin (one of those fins located on the sagittal plane of the body, the dorsal, caudal and anal fins).
peristaltic pump = a dosing pump for aquaria which works by using rollers to squeeze flexible tubing.
peritonea = plural of peritoneum.
peritoneal canal = a canal permitting the sperm to leave the body cavity in certain Teleostei.
peritoneal cavity = the coelomic cavity containing the viscera.
peritoneal membrane = peritoneum.
peritoneum (plural peritonea) = a membrane covering the body cavity (coelomic cavity) including the viscera. Often its color, light, speckled or black is of taxonomic significance. There are visceral and parietal peritonea, q.v. A black peritoneum may prevent luminescent prey from lighting up the stomach of deepsea fish, leaving them apparent to even larger predators.
peritroct = the area surrounding the anus; perianal region.
perivisceral cavity = coelom; the main body cavity.
perivitelline space = the fluid-filled space between the embryo and chorion of an egg. The width varies between fish groups and so can be used in identification.
permanent collection = specimens owned by a museum.
permanent current = a continuously running current independent of tides such as a river and the ocean currents.
permanent parasite = parasitic for its entire life cycle.
Permian = a geological period of the Palaeozoic ca. 290-245 million year ago. Abbreviated as P.
permit = a permit is a document giving the holder the right to operate in a fishery according to the terms established by the regulating authority. Also called a license.
permit stacking = cumulative limit stacking (the association of cumulative limits with permits rather than vessels. A vessel with multiple limited entry permits can harvest multiple cumulative limits. Also called permit stacking).
pers. comm. = personal communication. Used to document information received from another, as in a scientific paper.
pers. obs. = personal observation. Used to document information seen by the writer, as in a scientific paper.
persistence = the tendency of a population to continue to exist in the long term, despite short-term fluctuations.
personal best = the largest fish of a particular species caught by an angler. Abbreviated as pb, particularly in British fishing magazines.
personal communication = unpublished information communicated to the author verbally. Abbreviated pers. comm.
personal flotation device = a life jacket or life vest used to support a person in the water and prevent drowning. Abbreviated as PFD.
personal observation = information or data obtained by the actions of the author. Abbreviated pers. obs.
pescaphile = presumably similar to pescophile; a name for a registered user on Flyfishing Forum web site.
pescatarian = a person who eats fish but not meat.
pescavore = a person who eats fish but not meat.
pesco-vegetarian = a person who eats fish but not meat.
pescophile = lover of fish (Time, Canadian Edition, 2 December 2002, 160(23):75). Not in any dictionary at this date! (and only 3 Google hits as of 24 May 2005; but more all the time).
pessoner = a fishmonger (archaic).
pet fish = an aquarium or pond fish kept as a pet, rather than for food or for scientific study.
peter man = a fisherman (archaic), presumably from St. Peter in the Bible. Used in England for those unlawfully fishing in the Thames River (archaic).
peter-boat = a fishing boat with a sharp bow and stern for quick handling; from peter man.
Peterson method (of aging) = the calculation of age by the size distribution of a population.
Petersen tag = a tag composed of two plastic discs fastened by a pin through the back muscles of a fish.
petfish = pet fish.
petite = bite (a small piece of fish breaded or coated with batter, weighing less than 1 oz. Of various shapes such as round, square, or irregular. May be cut from regular blocks or blocks of minced fish. Generally sold by count, 25-35 per lb. Also called cubes, nuggets, and tidbits).
petrosal = the old term applied to otic bones, the pterotic.
pettie = patie.
pew (noun) = 1) fish fork with a long stick handle and a sharp prong or tine affixed to its end. Used to prong fish from the boat onto the fishing stage in Newfoundland.
pew (verb) = 2) the process of using a pew.
pewer = the person who handles the pew.
peyailack = 1) pelek.
peyailack = 2) the roe entire (Shetlands and Orkneys dialect).
pezac = a pilchard with a broken back; hence pezzacky meaning offish, poorly, sickly (Cornish dialect).
pezzack= pezac.
PFD = personal flotation device.
Pfiesteria = a toxic dinoflagellate, Pfiesteria piscicida, implicated in lesions on fish and in major fish kills both in aquaculture and the wild. Warm water, high nutrient levels and low dissolved oxygen levels appear to favour the development of this dinoflagellate which becomes toxic in the presence of fish schools. The trigger for toxicity may be fish secretions or faeces. This toxicity is controversial and still under investigation.
pH = a measure of how acidic or alkaline a solution is, i.e. the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution (log to base 10 of the reciprocal of the hydrogen ion concentration). pH 7.0 is neutral, lower values are acidic and higher values are alkaline. Acid rain decreases the natural pH of rivers and lakes. Some fish require a specific pH, others will live at wide range of values: the general range for fish is 6-9. The internal pH of a fish falls after death but rises as amines are formed during spoilage.
pH controller = a device used to control the pH of the aquarium through the addition of carbon dioxide to the system.
-phagous (suffix) = feeding on, eating.
phantom nomen = a scientific name accidentally published in an amateur publication without a proper description.
phantom reference = a reference cited in a published work as in preparation or in press but which is never subsequently published.
phantom taxonomy = a name for the trend to include taxonomic information from phylogenetic studies in on-line appendices in order to save space. These risk rejection by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature or may simply be ignored.
phantom trawl = a form of pelagic or midwater trawl.
pharotaxis = moving towards a place in response to a learned or conditioned stimulus.
pharyngeal = pertaining to the region of the pharynx.
pharyngeal apophysis = the apophysis in Cichlidae that supports the upper pharyngeals comprised of elements of the parasphenoid, basioccipital and prootic or only the parasphenoid. Probably of little value in assessing relationships.
pharyngeal arch = a segment of the lateral wall of the pharynx that will form jaw and gill structures. The anterior two arches form jaw structures and the following 5 arches form gill structures. Each arch is separated from its neighbours by an endodermal outpocketing or pharyngeal pouch which meets an ectodermal inpocketing or pharyngeal cleft. Between the second and last arches the gill slits develop during the hatching period.
pharyngeal bar = branchial bar (the vascularized cartilaginous bars serving as gills in Amphioxi).
pharyngeal jaw = fused left and right fifth ceratobranchial bones, e.g. in Cichlidae, Embiotocidae, Labridae and Pomacentridae. The suture may leave no trace and have teeth over the symphysis.
pharyngeal mill = molar teeth in the pharyngeal region used to crush shellfish, e.g. in Sparidae; in Poeciliidae the roof plates in the throat are on pharyngobranchials 2-4 and the floor plates are on ceratabranchials 4 and/or 5.
pharyngeal organ = diverticulum pharyngealis (epibranchial organ (a paired dorsal diverticulum at the posterior limit of the pharynx in certain microphagous fishes. Also called gill-helix, pharyngeal organ, or pharyngeal pocket. In all forms with these organs, except some characids, prominent gill rakers extend into the organ dividing its cavity into two parts, one confluent with the pharynx, and one with the opercular cavity. Small food particles, generally plankton, are retained by the rakers, consolidated by mucus and squeezed out into the oesophagus. Found in Heterotidae, Characidae, Chanoidei, Gonorhynchoidei, Clupeidae and Engraulidae)).
pharyngeal pad = the covering of the pharyngeal process against which the pharyngeal teeth grind food.
pharyngeal pocket = an outpocketing of the gill cavity in certain teleosts (having different origin). Functioning as accessory digestive, sensory (?) organs, e.g. Dorosoma (Clupeidae), Ophiocephalidae, Heterotis (Osteoglossidae), Anabantidae.
pharyngeal process = a large posterior expansion of the basioccipital above the pharyngeal tooth plates of the fifth certaobranchilas in Cyprinidae and related fishes.
pharyngeal sac = the paired toothed pockets projecting laterally from the gullet immediately behind the last gill arch in most Stromateoidei.
pharyngeal teeth = teeth on the pharyngeal bones. May be placed in a dorsal and ventral pair, as in most teleost fishes, or in laterally opposing pairs, one set on each side, as in Cyprinidae and Catostomidae. The upper pharyngeal teeth are located on a dentigerous plate on the fourth pharyngobranchials and the lower pharyngeal teeth on the dentigerous plate on the fifth ceratobranchials. The pharyngeal teeth of minnows and suckers are processes on the dentigerous plate of the fifth ceratobranchials and are thus homologous to the lower pharyngeal teeth of other fishes; these oppose a prominent horny pad which rests on a projection from the basioccipital.
pharyngeal tooth count (or tooth formula) = pharyngeal tooth counts (of Cyprinidae) are presented in a formula from the outer to the inner rows of the left arch, then the inner to the outer rows of the right arch, e.g. 2,5-4,2 means 2 teeth in the outer and 5 teeth in the inner row of the left arch and 4 teeth in the inner and 2 teeth in the outer row of the right arch. If variation in the outer row occurs it may be written as 1 or 2, 5-4, 2 or 1; or as 2,5-4,2 or 1,5-4,1. Periods and colons are sometimes used to separate the inner and outer rows; 1.4-4.1; 1:4-4:1. The third row, if present, is placed at the beginning and end of the formula 1,3,4-4,2,1. There may be no teeth in outer rows, e.g. 5-4. As there is only one row on pharyngeal arches of Catostomidae usually the count of only the left arch is given.
pharyngobranchial = the deep, endochondral bone at the top of the gill arch. May bear the upper pharyngeal and a dentigerous plate. May occur on arches 1, 2, 3, 4. Also called super-pharyngeals or superior pharyngeals. Suprapharyngobranchials are never associated with teeth while infrapharyngobranchials may be associated with dermal plates bearing teeth.
pharyngognathus = having lower pharyngeals united.
pharyngula = an embryo that has developed to the phylotypic stage.
pharynx = the portion of the intestine between the mouth and the oesophagus, or the oral cavity posterior to the mouth if it is distinguished and the oesophabus
phena = phenotypes, morphologically separable types which may or may not correspond to taxa.
phenetics = classification based on grouping by overall similarity, not recency of common descent.
phenology = the study of the timing of recurring biological phases, the causes of their timing with regard to biotic and abiotic forces, and the interrelation among phases of the same or different species.
phenols = chemicals in wood smoke used in smoking fish, mainly responsible for retarding bacterial activity.
phenon = a group of phenotypically similar organisms (the numerical taxonomy equivalent of taxon).
phenotype = the observable structural and functional properties of an organism, produced by the interaction between the genotype and the environment.
pheromone = a chemical secreted by an organism which affects the behaviour of others of the same species.
philopatry = the tendency of an individual to stay in its birth site, home area or other locality, or to return to such areas. This condition is opposed to dispersal or roaming behaviour; both are found in fishes.
-philous (suffix) = loving or thriving in.
phinnick = finnock (immature sea trout, Salmo trutta (Scottish dialect). Also spelled finnack, finneck, finnoch, and phinnock).
phinnock = finnock (immature sea trout, Salmo trutta (Scottish dialect). Also spelled finnack, finneck, finnoch) and phinnick).
phish = pronounced fish, an American rock band founded in Vermont playing an eclectic mix of rock, jazz, bluegrass, heavy metal, blues, progressive rock, acoustic, and classical.
phishing = pronounced fishing; identity theft by false representation in an email which requests personal information. While many people ignore this, some people take the bait as fish do in real fishing.
-phobic (suffix) = intolerant of, lacking affinity for.
phoneses = a temporary attachment of one animal to a faster one, e.g. in remora fishing (a captured remora is released from a boat with a line attached through its tail or to a ring through the tail. The remora then attaches to a turtle or shark which can be pulled to the boat) (von Brandt, 1964).
phosphorescent organ = an obsolete term for photophore, q.v. The basis for light production is not phosphorescence so this is a misnomer.
photic zone = surface waters where there is enough light for photosynthesis.
photo-engraving glue = a glue made from fish skins, with an added preservative to prevent bacterial growth. Used as a coating on colour television picture tubes.
photocyte = light-producing cell.
photogenic = light producing.
photogenesis = light production.
photoperiod = the length of sunlit portion of the day, which changes seasonally and latitudinally. Also refers to the lighting regime set up for an aquarium or for an experiment.
photophore = a light-producing organ. Light may be produced from compounds produced by the fish itself or from prey it has ingested, or by symbiotic bacteria. The organ may be simple or variously equipped with reflectors, lenses, shutters, etc., e.g. in Myctophidae, Gonostomatidae, Batrachoididae. Various abbreviations are used for light organs in descriptive works, e.g. AC, Ant, AO, AOa, Aop, BR, Dn, IC, IV, OA, OP, ORB, PLO, PO, Pol, Prc, PVO, SAO, So, SO, VAV, Vn and VO.
phototype = iconotype (an illustration on which a new species or subspecies was based). Iconotype is preferred. May be merely a photograph of the type.
phreatic = of or relating to ground water.
phreatic surface = water table (top of the zone of saturation).
phthitic = shrinkage and wastage of an organ.
phylogenetic specificity = closely related fish parasites which are found on phylogenetically related hosts. Compare physiological specificity.
phylogenetic systematics = the study of systematics aiming to infer the phylogeny of the organisms investigated. In a more restricted sense, the study of systematics using cladistics, q.v.
phylogeny = the evolutionary descent and interrelationships of a group of organisms.
phylogeography = relationships between gene genealogies (phylogenetics) and geography.
phylotypic stage = the stage at which an embryo develops characters defining it as a vertebrate or chordate such as the notochord, neural tube, pharyngeal arches, somites and postanal tail.
physiological specificity = fish parasites, not necessarily closely related, restricted to certain hosts by having similar physiological factors for development.
physoclist = a species having the the gas bladder closed, with no connection to the gut. There is supposedly a connection in larvae to allow for first inflation. Adult fish must secrete gases against a pressure gradient using a gas gland and rete mirabile. The gas gland secretes lactic acid into the blood, causing a decrease in pH which results in haemoglobin releasing oxygen which diffuses across the rete. An organ known as the oval body is the re-absorbent organ when the partial pressure of gases in the swim bladder is greater than that of the dissolved gases in the blood.
physoclistous = having the gas bladder closed, with no connection to the gut.
physostome = a species having the gas bladder connected by a tube to the gut.
physostomous = having the gas bladder connected by a tube to the gut.
phytobenthophagous = eating plant food from bottom sediments.
phytolithophil = a reproductive guild (q.v.) of a non-obligatory plant spawner characterised by adhesive eggs scattered on submerged objects, late hatching, cement glands in free embryos, showing photophobia, and moderately developed respiratory structures, e.g. Perca flavescens (Percidae).
phytophagy = plant eating; herbivorous.
phytophil = 1) a reproductive guild (q.v.) of an obligatory plant spawner characterised by an adhesive egg envelope sticking to submerged plants (both live and dead), by late hatching, cement glands, by not being phototactic, and by having very well developed embryonic respiratory structures, e.g. Cyprinus carpio.
phytophil = 2) a reproductive guild (q.v.) of adhesive eggs attaching to aquatic plants but tended by the adult. Extended embryonic period, free embryos without cement glands swim instantly, e.g. Pomoxis annularis (Centrarchidae).
phytophil = 3) a reproductive guild (q.v.) of adhesive eggs attaching to plants in a nest with the embryos hanging onto the plants by cement glands. Embryos have well-developed respiratory structures but are also fanned by the parents, e.g. Amia calva.
phytoplankton = plant plankton; minute, floating aquatic plants.
phytoplanktophagy = feeding on phytoplankton.
piabas = local term for aquarium fishes captured in the Amazon basin.
pick = 1) an unsuccessful oral grasp, q.v.
pick = 2) to separate male from female capelin (Mallotus villosus) in a fish-processing plant (Newfoundland).
pick = 3) a gaff used in sea fishing.
pick = 4) an eel spear.
pick = 5) a fisherman's heading knife.
pick-up = clems (fish and potatoes fried together (Cornish dialect)).
pick-up and lay-down = a fly fishing cast using only a single back cast followed by a forward cast onto the water.
picarooner = a small herring-fishing boat (Devon, England).
picker = 1) a young fish, such as a cod too small to swallow bait (Scottish dialect).
picker = 2) a person cleaning and preparing fish industrially.
pickerel = a common name used by anglers for walleye (Sander vitreus, Percidae) but strictly speaking the name for the smaller species of the pike family, Esocidae Pickerel is the Middle English for a small pike.
picket = a hook attached to the end of a small stick and used by fishermen in landing their fish (Northumberland dialect).
pickie = a wooden pole, furnished with a strong iron hook, used for striking fish into the boat (Shetlands and orkneys dialect).
pickle = 1) a mixture of brine and the body fluids of fish extracted by the brine. Also called brine pickle, brine liquor.
pickle = 2) to steep in pickle or brine.
pickle cured fish = fish treated with salt in a watertight container such that they are cured in the resulting pickle drawn out from the flesh by the salt.
pickle salted fish = pickle cured fish.
pickled fish = 1) fish that have been pickle cured.
pickled fish = 2) fish preserved in scientific collections, usually first fixed in formalin and later transferred to ethanol for long-term storage.
pickled grainy caviar = caviar immersed in a saturated salt brine pickle before packing.
pickled herring = 1) gutted herring, dry salted in barrels and allowed to cure in the resulting pickle.
pickled herring = 2) a buffoon (slang).
pickled salmon bellies = Pacific salmon ventral sections hard salted in pickle. Also called salmon bellies.
pickled salted fish = pickle cured fish.
pickling = 1) making a pickle.
pickling = 2) buckling (a large fat herring, sometimes headed, lightly salted and hot smoked).
pico reef = a small marine aquarium of less than 3 gallons. Cheaper than larger setups but difficult to maintain and very restricted in the fishes it can support. The smallest version of the nano reef, q.v.
pie = a fish pie comprises minced fish baked with potatoes, and sometimes mixed with vegetables, in a pastry.
piebald = with two colours irregularly arranged, usually black and white.
pieces = individual fish.
pier = a narrow platform providing access from the shore to deeper water for landing or as a recreational facility. May be floating or fixed on pilings built out into the water but usually of open construction. Often used for fishing.
pier fishing = catching of fish from artificial structures raised out of the water on supports. These structures often form good habitat for fishes.
pier rat = a fisherman (mostly men) who spend inordinate amounts of time of large piers waiting for fish to bite, even sleeping there and developing their own customs.
pig catcher = madrague (a trap used for tuna in the Mediterranean Sea).
pigeon droppings = dried and powdered these are used in groundbaits in Europe especially for roach (Rutilus rutilus).
pike = Esox lucius, said to be the only fish that did not dive underwater at Christ's crucifixion. It lifted its head and saw this event which is recognisable on it's head, showing a cross, three nails and a sword.
pike bung = a large rounded float used to support a live or dead bait when fishing for pike (Esox lucius).
pike fly = a large artificial fly imitating a fish and used to catch pike.
pike fry rhabdovirus = a virus found in fry and fingerlings of northern pike (Esox lucius).
pike pest = motile aeromonad septicaemia or bacterial haemorrhagic septicaemia (a bacterial infection with Aeromonas liquefaciens, Aeromonas hydrophila or Pseudomonas affecting fishes of all ages, usually in spring. Usually associated with stress and overcrowding. Haemorrhages occur in the skin, fins, mouth cavity and muscles. Exophthalmia and cavity ulcers may occur. Also called infectious dropsy, red pest, freshwater eel disease, and redmouth disease).
pike rod = a rod for pike fishing, about 3.7 m long with a test curve of 0.9-1.4 kg.
pike slider = a streamlined balsa or hollow plastic float with a hole through its length, sliding along the line until stopped at the desired distance from the bait by a bead and stop knot.
pike tube = a long mesh tube conforming to the shape of a pike and used to keep captured fish temporarily.
pilchard = Sardina pilchardus, a member of the family Clupeidae and an important food fish. Many terms were associated with the fishery for this species, particularly in Cornwall in southwest England. These terms in Cornish dialect are now archaic. The season in Cornwall lasts from June until the following March, and is carried out by fishing boats, regulated by size. Traditional drift or ring nets with a species specific mesh size are fished for a few hours in the evening, icing the catch as it is caught, before landing later the same evening. See also sardine.
pile (noun) = 1) a stack of split and salted cod at various stages of the drying and curing process.
pile (noun) = 2) the motion of the water, caused by a fish when it rises to the surface (English dialect).
pile (verb) = 3) to place split and salted cod in a stack at various stages of the drying and curing process.
pileate (adjective) = having a cap.
pileus (noun) = a cap marking on the head.
pilger = an implement for catching eels; a three-pronged spear (British dialect).
pilik = pelek.
pilk = 1) jig (one to several bare hooks attached to a weighted line. The hook(s) may have a lead head (lead molded around the hook) and be dressed with, or have a skirt of, rubber, hair, silicone or plastic).
pilk = 2) to pull out of the water with a jerk.
pilk = 3) to remove a hook with a stick or disgorger.
pilk = 4) a gaff (q.v.).
pillow = polster.
pilly ground = a fishing term for alternate stretches of sand and rocks covered with sea-weed, under water (Cornish dialect).
piloting = swimming within the friction layer of a larger fish, thus reducing energy expenditure, e.g. from the pilotfish, Naucrates ductor.
pimple = wedge (a small, cut-out and lens-less portion of the pupil margin of the eye. This widens the field of vision and allows more light to enter the eye, rather than falling on the iris. Usually found antero-ventrally for improving forward vision. Found in a various species of salmonids and cyprinids, for example. Also called notch or notche. See also aphakic space).
pimple disease = knot disease (a disease characterised by small knots formed in the skin of fishes. Found in Cyprinus carpio and caused by the protozoan Myxobolus exiguus).
pin = to attach the snood of a fishing line to the main line (Scottish dialect).
pin bone = 1) a small, fine bone in the middle of fish fillets (intermuscular bones).
pin bone = 2) the rib bones remaining at the anterior end of a fillet from round white fish.
pin bone trimming = pieces cut out of a j-cut fillet (a cut made through a skinned fillet from the neck end of the fillet, dorsal to and along the line of the pin bones (q.v.) towards the last pin bone and then curving sharply down to the ventral edge of the belly flap (q.v.). Also called j-cuts.
pindang = un-gutted small fish or chunks of bigger fish, usually Scombridae, salted and boiled or steamed (Indonesia).
pine = 1) to dry or cure fish by exposure to the weather (Scottish dialect).
pine = 2) to shrink during curing (Scottish dialect).
pineal eye = median, eye-like structure on the top of the head in members of the Petromyzontidae, e.g., developing from the pineal organ.
pineal foramen = a small opening in the skull roof in the pineal plate of Placoderms and Agnatha and between the frontals in Osteichthyes - the "third eye".
pineal organ = the light sensitive dorsal evagination of the diencephalon part of the brain. See also epiphysial apparatus. This large and dark body lies to the right of the midline while its left side counterpart is the parapineal, not always present or reduced in some fishes. Secretes melatonin which is thought to be important in reproduction, migration and growth.
pineal shield = a set of bones covering the skull roof posterior to the intracranial joint in Crossopterygians.
pineapple disease = pinecone disease.
pinecone disease = dropsy (a swelling of the fish's body usually caused by bacterial infection, and also by viral infection, osmoregulatory problems, a flagellate protozoan (Hexamita), aggravated by poor environmental conditions. Serous fluid accumulates in any body cavity. Other symptoms are lethargy, gasping, increased respiration, colour loss, skin ulceration and exophthalmia. Also called vertical scale disease (and pinecone disease) because the scales stick out, and ascites).
pinger = a sound-emitting device. Attached to static nets to discourage dolphins and porpoises from their vicinity so that the mammals do not become entangled. Also called acoustic device.
pinhole camera eye = a teratological condition in which the size of the eye is reduced, the lens is absent and the pupil is very small, acting as a pinhole camera, e.g. observed in white crappie, Pomoxis annularis (Centrarchidae) and Kurtus gulliveri (Kurtidae).
pink fish = salted dry fish with halophilic bacterial growth causing a pink or reddish colour. The fish eventually turn brown and have a foul odour.
pinkstern = chebacco boat (a fishing vessel employed in the Newfoundland fisheries. The word may be a corruption of Chedabucto, a bay in Nova Scotia, from which vessels are fitted out for fishing or the same as the chebec).
pinna (plural pinnæ) = fin.
pinna abdominalis (plural pinnæ abdominales) = pelvic fin.
pinna adiposa (plural pinnæ adiposæ) = adipose fin (a small fleshy fin lacking rays or spines but reinforced by actinotrichs posterior to the soft dorsal fins (rarely a hard ray or a few soft rays may be developed in the adipose fin of certain catfishes), e.g. in Salmonidae, Osmeridae, Argentinidae, Myctophidae, Ictaluridae, Percopsidae).
pinna analis (plural pinnæ anales) = anal fin (the median ventral fin or fins behind the anus. Abbreviated as A, or A1 and A2 if there are two. Also called proctopterygium, it functions to maintain equilbrium against rolling).
pinna ani (plural pinnæ ani) = pinna analis.
pinna caudalis (plural pinnæ caudales) = caudal fin (the tail fin, aiding movement. Also called the uropterygium. The fin at the posterior end of the vertebral column (but in Centriscidae the hind end of the body rotates so that the caudal fin is ventral, and in some Trachipteridae the upper lobe of the caudal may be dorsal (the separate lower lobe may disappear). In other families, such as the Zoarcidae and Anguillidae, dorsal, caudal and anal fins are united and are externally indistinguishable. Abbreviated as C).
pinna cercalis (plural pinnæ cercales) = caudal fin.
pinna dorsalis (plural pinnæ dorsales) = dorsal fin (the unpaired fin(s) on the midline of the back. Also called the notopterygium. In Pleuronectiformes it is on the opposite side to the anus. In Centriscidae the hind end of the fish has been rotated under the fish so the dorsal fin is on the under surface. Abbreviated as D, D1, D2, or D3 respectively for the only, first, second or third dorsal fins (or their rays and spines). It functions to prevent rolling).
pinna impare (plural pinnæ impares) = median fin (one of those fins located on the sagittal plane of the body, the dorsal, caudal and anal fins. Also called perissopterygium).
pinna imparile (plural pinnæ impariles) = median fin (one of those fins located on the sagittal plane of the body, the dorsal, caudal and anal fins. Also called perissopterygium).
pinna mediana (plural pinnæ medianæ) = median fin (one of those fins located on the sagittal plane of the body, the dorsal, caudal and anal fins. Also called perissopterygium).
pinna parilis (plural pinnæ pariles) = paired fin.
pinna paris (plural pinnæ pares) = paired fin.
pinna pectoralis (pinnæ pectorales) = pectoral fin.
pinna ventralis (plural pinnæ ventrales) = ventral or pelvic fin, q.v.
pinnæ = plural of pinna.
pinnæ abdominales = plural of pinna abdominalis.
pinnæ adiposæ = plural of pinna adiposa.
pinnæ anales = plural of pinna analis.
pinnæ ani = plural of pinna ani.
pinnæ caudales = plural of pinna caudalis.
pinnæ cercale = plural of spinna cercalis.
pinnæ dorsales = plural of pinna dorsalis.
pinnæ impares = plural of pinna impare.
pinnæ impariles = plural of pinna imparile.
pinnæ medianæ = plural of pinna mediana.
pinnæ pariles = plural of pinna parilis.
pinnæ pares = plural of pinna paris.
pinnæ pectorales = plural of pinna pectoralis.
pinnæ ventrales = plural of pinna ventralis.
pinnate = feather-like, having parts arranged on each side.
pinner = a small mackerel (Scottish dialect).
pinnula = 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).
pinny = a fish which is just hatched (Yorkshire dialect).
pint = 568.26 cm3 (Imperial, abbreviated as ptBI), 550.6 cm3 (U.S. dry, abbreviated as pt, dry), 473.17 cm3 (U.S. liquid, abbreviated as pt).
pinwiddie = a whole smoked haddock with its backbone retained, usually gutted and headed (Scotland). Initially cold smoked for several hours, then hot smoked. Also known as Arbroath smokie, Auchmithie cure, close fish.
pip = 1) the entrails of a fish.
pip = 2) to remove the gills and abdominal organs of a herring (Newfoundland).
pipe = extension piece (tapered sections of netting between the belly and the batings and the cod end of a trawl. Also called swallow piece, tail, tail piece, taper, Y-piece).
pipe trap = a trap associated with a weir on Japanese rivers. Two gravel dikes, parallel with the river flow, direct fish to a small weir, 30-40 cm high. A pipe just below the weir carries fish blocked by the weir to a holding tank or net just outside the gravel dike.
pipsey = pipsi.
pipshy = pipsi.
pipsi = cod and trout preserved by drying in the sun and wind without salt, an Inuit technique (Newfoundland).
piquoir = a sharp instrument used to spear and pick up fish in greenfishing, q.v. (Canada).
piracy = the action of a pirate stream.
pirate fishing = undertaken by large-scale fishing vessels registered under flags of convenience, the vessels being owned in one country but registered in another to avoid fisheries regulations. Not only are fish taken illegally but many seabirds are also killed incidentally by net entanglement, particularly albatrosses. See also white gold.
pirate stream = a stream that has captured the headwaters of another stream by deepening its valley more rapidly until it breached the divide between the streams.
pirn = the reel of a fishing rod (Scottish).
pirogue = a small, flat-bottomed boat often associated with West Africa and Louisiana, as well as other parts of the world. Small and light enough to be easily taken onto land, to move through very shallow water, and be easily turned over to drain water. Usually propelled by paddles that have one blade (as opposed to a kayak paddle, which has two). Can also be punted with a pole in shallow water. May have a small sail and/or an outboard motor.
piscan = of or relating to fishes.
piscary = 1) the right to fish in another man's waters (legal). Also called common of piscary.
piscary = 2) a fishing place or fishing ground where fish may be caught.
piscary = 3) a fishery.
piscary = 4) a fish market.
piscary = 5) a fisherman.
piscary = 6) a fish monger.
piscation = fishing, fishery.
piscatology = the science of fishing; erroneously ichthyology.
piscator = a fisherman, an angler.
piscator non solum piscatur = there is more to fishing than catching fish; motto of the Flyfishers' Club.
piscatorial = pertaining to fishing or fishes or fishermen.
piscatorial pornography = pictures of large fish that anglers drool over (from "The Economist" 22 December 2007, online edition).
piscatory = 1) of or pertaining to fish or fishing or fishermen.
piscatory = 2) living by or given to fishing.
piscean = 1) one born under the zodiacal sign Pisces.
piscean = 2) relating to fish (presumably a misuse of the above).
Pisces = 1) fishes, the twelfth sign of the zodiac represented as a fish.
Pisces = 2) a southern constellation.
Pisces = 3) a class of vertebrates, no longer in use.
Pisces = 4) a general term for fishes.
pisci- (prefix) = pertaining to fish, from the Latin piscis, fish.
piscian = 1) a fish (noun; presumably a misuse of piscean (1).
piscian = 2) relating to fish (adjective; presumably a misuse of piscean (1).
piscicapture = the catching of fish.
piscicapturist = one who catches fish, fisher.
piscicidal = adjective for piscicide.
piscicide = 1) extermination of fish.
piscicide = 2) an agent used to exterminate fish. Plant extracts are widely used around the world and are usually alkaloids. There are thousands of plants used in capturing fish, either as the whole plant, as bark, leaves, roots stems, pods, fruits and seeds, often crushed or fermented.
piscicle = a little fish.
piscicolous = parasitic on fishes.
piscicultural = adjective for pisciculture.
pisciculture = the artificial rearing of fish.
pisciculturist = a specialist in fish culture; superintendent of a fish hatchery.
piscifauna = a fish fauna; fish life of an area. The synonym ichthyofauna is more generally used.
pisciform = fish-shaped.
piscina = 1) a Roman pond for fishes.
piscina = 2) a pond or other facility for bathing or swimming, e.g. the swimming venue at the 2000 Olympic Games.
piscina = 3) a stone basin used in church services for carrying away the water used in rinsing the chalice and the hands of the priest.
piscina dulcis = a Roman freshwater pond for fishes, more plebeian than marine ones.
piscine = of or pertaining to fish.
piscine erythocytic necrosis-associated virus = a virus found in Atlantic cod and other marine species associated with erythrocytes; possibly an iridovirus and relationship to piscine erythocytic necrosis unknown.
piscine tuberculosis = myxobacteriosis (a disease of fish caused by any member of the Myxobacteria, e.g. coldwater disease, columnaris disease, fin rot, peduncle disease, etc.).
piscinity = the quality or state of being a fish, fishiness or fishhood.
pisciocephalic = having an overwhelming ego and thus leaving oneself open to ridicule. From an African saying "The fish whose head gets too large swims with his tail out of the water."
pisciponic system = a recirculating fish culture system.
piscis = Latin for fish, and the basis for many fish words.
Piscis Australis = Pisces Austrinus.
Piscis Austrinus = the Southern Fish, a constellation in the southern autumn sky. Represents the Babylonian fish-god Oannes (q.v.) and was sacred to the Egyptians. Also called Piscis Australis. See also Fomalhaut.
Piscis Volans = flying fish, a southern hemisphere constellation of stars.
piscivore = a feeder on fish.
piscivorous = fish-eating or subsisting on fish.
pisculent = abounding in fish, full of fish.
pisiform = pea-shaped, the size of a pea.
pissala = variety of garum (q.v.) made in Nice, France.
piston cartilage = a retractable cartilage support of the three lingual laminae in Petromyzontiformes enabling a rasping action.
pistris = a sea monster sent to devour Andromeda. Usually depicted with a dragon's head, the neck and head of a beast, fins for the forelegs and the body and tail of a fish. In Christian art, the pistris was usually employed to represent the whale which swallowed Jonah. Also spelled pistrix, pristis or pristix.
pistrix = pistris.
PIT = pit tag.
pit = 1) a deeper hole or sump in a fish pond where fish gather and can be caught.
pit = 2) an area excavated for gravel, sand or other materials and later naturally filled with water; often stocked for fishing.
pit lines = the series of dimples left on bones or fossil bones by the overlying lateral line.
pit organ = a neuromast set in a small depression in the skin, not enclosed in a lateral line canal.
pit tag = passive integrated transponder. Also spelled PIT.
pitch = to fish with a boat and a pitchin net (English dialect).
pitchin net = a large triangular net attached to two poles, and used with a boat to catch salmon. The boats are flat-bottomed, about seventeen feet long, about four feet and a half wide, and pointed at both ends. They can easily be managed by one person and rarely overturn (English dialect).
pitching = underhand pendulum method of casting when fishing to avoid tree limbs of to deliver bait to a particular spot. Similar to flipping, q.v., but not as stealthy and done from further distances.
pitfall trap = a hole dug into the ground to trap fish migrating overland. Seen in Myanmar and China.
pithing = killing a fish by means of inserting a sharp object into the brain.
pituitary gland = the endocrine gland located below the diencephalon just posterior to the crossed optic nerves. It controls the thyroid and interrenal gland, the gonads, growth, protein and carbohydrate metabolism, and chromatophore concentration and dispersion.
pizza and caviar = an unlikely combination offered on the ski slopes of St. Moritz to cater to Russian visitors.
pizza fish = anchovies (Engraulidae) used as a topping on pizzas. Rather strong-tasting and not always favoured.
pjelek = pelek.
PKD = proliferative kidney disease (a temperature-dependent disease of salmonids caused by a myxosporean protozoan causing gross changes in the kidney).
pla thu nung = gutted fish, salted and then boiled in saturated brine (Thailand).
pla-ra = headed, gutted fish or pieces of fish salted and then fermented (Thailand).
placental matrotrophy = nutrients provided directly via a placenta in endogenous feeding, q.v.
placentotrophic live bearer = a reproductive guild (q.v.) where eggs, embryos and juveniles develop within the maternal reproductive system. Food and gas exchange is via a yolksac placenta, a buccal and branchial placenta, or follicular and trophataenial placenta, e.g. Sphyrna tiburo.
placode = a thickened or plate-like region within an epithelium.
placoid scale = a type of scale, typically thorn-shaped, found on the skin of Elasmobranchii and claspers of Holocephali. Consists of a spine and a basal plate which is usually rhomboidal. It contains a pulp cavity and is composed of an inner layer of dermal bone, a middle layer of dentine and is covered by enamel-like vitrodentine. Also and less preferably called denticle, dermal denticle or odontoid.
plaice = flatfishes of the righteye flounder family (Pleuronectidae). The word comes from a Greek root meaning flat. Plaice is both singular and plural and plaices is seldom used.
plain = uniformly coloured or unadorned with structures.
plaited = folded longitudinally.
planer = a flat metal device attached to a troll line such that it dives or planes downward with the baited hook; lighter than downrigger cannonball (q.v.).
plank cooking = baking a fish in an oven or roasting it over open flames or coals while it is attached to a plank. The natural oils and moisture from the plank season the fish. Pre-cut planks are now available and can be used on barbecues.
planked shad = a split American shad (Alosa sapidissima) traditionally nailed to a plank and baked in the radiant heat from the coals of a fire.
plankter = an individual planktonic organism.
planktivore = consumer of plankton.
plankton = small aquatic organisms with weak locomotory powers living above the bottom. Fish eggs and larvae are often planktonic and some adults are. Opposite of nekton.
plankton feeder = planktivore.
plankton net = a fine-meshed net used to catch plankton and larval fishes.
plankton rain = the gentle falling of dead plankton from surface waters into the deeper part of the sea or a lake where they form food for other organisms, including fish directly or indirectly. Also called marine snow.
planktonivorous = plankton feeding.
planktophagy = feeding on plankton.
plant = a specific area of the Newfoundland foreshore with structures upon it for the landing and curing of fish. See also plantation.
plant eater = a fish feeding on higher aquatic plants or phytoplankton.
plantation = fishing room (a lot on a beach used as a base by fishermen and where drying of the catch is carried out (Newfoundland)).
planter = 1) a fisherman and owner of a fishing room or plantation and a boat in Newfoundland. Supplied by a merchant, he engaged a fishing crew.
planter = 2) a migratory fisherman from Newfoundland who conducts summer fishery from a station, room or harbour on the coast of Labrador.
planter = 3) a log lodged in the river bed with the other end at or below the water surface, dangerous to boats. See also deadhead.
planter fishery = the fishery carried out by planters (2).
planting = the addition of eggs, young or adults of a species of fish to a body of water by humans.
plaque = 1) a small flat formation or area.
plaque = 2) the bony covering of lateral line scales in Paralepididae.
plara = headed, gutted fish or fish pieces salted and then fermented. Made in India.
plash = to break the water surface.
plastic = skirted, brightly-coloured baits containing a large hook, trolled at high speed for such fish as marlin.
plastic worm = a plastic, flexible, and coloured worm with hooks.
plasticity = variation in form, ecology or behaviour, e.g. phenotypic plasticity.
plate = 1) any flattened structure, usually an external armament in certain fishes.
plate = 2) the flattened part of the shank of a hook.
plate freezing = freezing of fish product between two hollow plates with refrigerant flowing through them. The plates also compress the fish so that freezing is uniform.
plate-gill = a gill with laminae in Elasmobranchii and Holocephali.
plateau = flat or nearly flat area of considerable extent, dropping off abruptly on one or more sides. Includes undersea features of this form.
platelet = former name for loculus (one of the minute subquadrate bead-like elements forming the circuli in scales of Anguilliformes) or small plate-shaped segments of bone in some Gobiidae.
platform reef = a large reef of variable shape lacking a lagoon, seaward of a fringing reef and/or a barrier reef, for which the width is more than half its length.
platybasic skull = a skull with widely separated trabeculae, e.g. in Amia, Polypterus, Acipenser, Cypriniformes. The skull is dorsoventrally flattened, generally broad, lacks an interorbital septum, and the brain extends up to the ethmoid. Also called platytrabic.
platytrabic = platybasic.
play-ground = a tract of water at an estuary in which salmon may not be caught.
playa = a low, flat area in an arid or semi-arid region underlain by lacustrine sediments deposited in periods of higher precipitation than prevailing at present. May be covered in water in periods of high rainfall or runoff.
playing fish = in angling, the fighting of a hooked fish. This may be extended and necessary to land very large fish or deepwater fish to avoid narcosis. Care should be taken to avoid excessive playing as lactic acid buildup can be fatal.
Pl*co = an internet urban legend or superstition which maintains that if Pleco (for Hypostomus plecostomus, a suckermouth catfish, Loricariidae) is spelled correctly, then the aquarium pet will soon die - hence the asterisk.
plectospondylus = fishes with the anterior 4 or 5 vertebrae modified into ossicles connecting the gas bladder with the inner ear in Cypriniformes and Siluriformes.
pleio- (prefix) = more.
Pleistocene = a geological epoch of the Quaternary Period ca. 1.6-0.01 million years ago.
Plenary Power = the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is empowered by use of its Plenary Power to prevent the application of a rule of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature where such application in a particular case would disturb the stability or universality or cause confusion in zoological nomenclature.
plenty more fish in the sea = many other possibilities; said when current ones unsuitable or unsuccessful. Applied to people, things and situations.
plenum system = Jaubert plenum (a natural method of filtration for a reef tank using a plastic grid (called an egg-crate) to suspend a thick (8-10cm) layer of coral or aragonite sand above a 2 cm water-filled void called the plenum. The system helps in lowering of nitrate through the presence of denitrifying bacteria deep within the bed).
pleo- (prefix) = multiple, excessive.
pleomorphic = variable in size and shape.
plesiomorphy = an ancestral character state; the state from which an apomorphy is derived; usually and correctly applied to a specific character and not to a taxon. Note that derived states need not be more complex than plesiomorphic states and so the plesiomorphic state should not be referred to as primitive.
plesion = a group consisting of a series of successive branches from a stem lineage united by plesiomorphies or homoplasies, a paraphyletic group.
plesiotype = 1) a specimen identified by a subsequent author as belonging to a particular species.
plesiotype = 2) a specimen related to the type specimen but from another biological province or geological formation.
plesodic = said of a cartilaginous pectoral fin where ceratotrichia, q.v., reach the border and offer better support than in the aplesodic fin, q.v.
pleural rib = pleuroperitoneal rib.
pleurethmoid = parethmoid (a paired deep bone of perichondral origin lying in the front of the orbit under the prefrontal. Also called prefrontal, exethmoid and, incorrectly, ectethmoid as this latter is only in birds).
pleurocentra = with two intercentra, the two pleurocentra unite to form the centrum of a vertebra. Thr pleurocentrum is formed between adjacent myomeres while the intercentrum is formed in the centre of a single myomere.
pleurodont = teeth implanted in the side of a bone, e.g. in Scaridae and Balistidae.
pleuroperitoneal cavity = the peritoneal cavity if lungs are also present along with the viscera.
pleuroperitoneal rib = a rib lying just outside of the body cavity, articulating with the parapophysis of the vertebrae and protecting the viscera. Also called ventral rib.
pleurosphenoid = misnomer for pterosphenoid, q.v., since it is not homologous with the reptilian pleurosphenoid.
pleurostyle = the upturned strut in the tailfin skeleton of Clupeoidei, Gonorhynchiformes and Cypriniformes, composed primarily of uroneurals rather than centra, unlike the typical teleostean urostyle made up of upturned caudal centra.
pleuston = 1) organisms living in the thin surface layer at the air-water interface in fresh water.
pleuston = 2) plants floating on the surface of fresh water bodies.
plica (plural plicae) = a small fold in the skin, e.g. diagonal skin folds along the side of Ammodytes.
plicae = plural of plica.
plicate = having plicae or a series of folds, grooves or wrinkles in the skin; plaited.
plication = a series of small folds or pleats.
Pliocene = a geological epoch within the Tertiary Period ca. 5-1.6 million years ago.
PLO = a photophore above the base of the pectoral fin in Myctophidae.
plonger = plunger.
plosher = 1) a small coble (q.v.) used in herring fishing.
plosher = 2) a half-grown bream (unclear on which species this is, possibly the cyprinid Abramis brama).
plotolysin = the haemotoxic fraction of the catfish poison plototoxin, q.v.
plotospasmin = the neurotoxic fraction of the catfish poison plototoxin, q.v.
plototoxin = the poison derived from the catfish Plotosus lineatus (Plotosidae).
plucked = said of fish broken or injured, e.g. herrings removed from a net but stuck so fast that they cannot be shaken out but have to be plucked by hand, pulling their heads off.
plug = a fishing lure resembling a fish made of wood, plastic or metal with treble hooks attached. Available in many sizes, shapes, colours and actions and may be jointed or unjointed. Also called crank bait, jerk bait, minnow.
plugging = a nineteenth century "sport" of boys where a cork was affixed to the dorsal spines of fish. The fish dives but the cork brings it back to the surface.
plum-bob = the float of a fishing line.
plumb = a lead weight on a line, using for measuring water depth.
plumb line = plummet (1).
plumb the depths = 1) using a plumb.
plumb the depths = 2) to sink in misfortune or unhappiness.
plumbeus = lead colored; dull bluish grey.
plume = water, often turbid, beyond its usual confines, e.g. a river plume beyond the estuary or river channel.
plummet = 1) a cone-shaped lead weight with a loop at the top and a cork base. A hook at the end of a fishing rig is threaded through the loop and embedded in the cork. The rig is cast out and the plummet takes it to the bottom. The position of the float can be adjusted so that just its tip is visible above the water surface. The plummet is then removed and the rig fishes on the bottom.
plummet = 2) a metal weight with barbed points used to pierce flatfish lying on the sea bed.
plunge basket = cover pot (a wide-mouth basket with a smaller hole in the opposite end, plunged into the water over a fish spotted by a wading fisher, the fish being caught and extracted by hand through the smaller hole. Often used in turbid water or areas of rich plant growth. See also lantern net).
plunge pool = a basin scoured out by a waterfall.
plunger = a long shaft used in fishing with a trammel net. The shaft is plunged into the water to scare fish into the net (English dialect).
pluricuspid = tooth with many cusps or points.
pluriserial = arranged in two or more rows. Also pluriseriate.
pluriseriate = pluriserial.
plurivorous = feeding on a variety of different foods.
plus class = plus group.
plus group = the last age or size class which includes all the larger or older individuals than the nominal number of the class, e.g. 3+ is all individuals aged three years or more. Also called plus class.
pluvial = referring to a time period when precipitation is high and evaporation low, streamflow is strong and lake levels are high.
PM = abbreviation for preoperculo-mandibular canal.
pm or p.m. = post meridiem, for after noon indicating time after 12.00 noon.
PMAX = the probability of re-building a fish stock by TMAX. A higher PMAX probability is associated with a lower fishing mortality rate.
pneumatic artery = a branch of the coeliac artery that serves the swimbladder and anterior dorsal mesentery.
pneumatic duct = a tube connecting the pharynx to the gas bladder; ductus pneumaticus. Open in some fish, closed in others.
PO = a row of photophores on the breast in front of the pelvic fin in Myctophidae.
poach = 1) to catch and take away fish illegally.
poach = 2) to poke or stir with a stick, as applied to driving fish into cover or flushing them out of hole and overhanging bank.
pock = a bag-shaped fishing net especially one fastened to an iron ring.
pock net = 1) the stomach of a fish.
pock net = 2) to catch fish in a net.
pocket = 1) fish court (the holding chamber in a trap net or the last chamber in any net).
pocket = 2) a small indentation of a shoreline.
pocket = 3) an indentation in the stream bottom below a run, a riffle or a rock where water is calmer and fish hold position. Also called pocket water.
pocket = 4) any small, deep section in a lake or river.
pocket beach = a small beach between two headlands.
pocket water = pocket (3).
pocosin = a swamp partially or completely enclosed by a sandy rim.
pod = 1) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for billfish.
pod = 2) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for sailfish.
pod = 3) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for whiting.
pod = 4) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for tarpon.
pod = 5) a tight school of fish with individuals in contact with each other.
pod = 6) a group of fish related by a common factor, e.g. spawning males.
pod = 7) a folding stand on which carp rods are placed. It has a bite alarm at the front of the stand and a normal rod rest at the rear; can be set up on hard ground where bank sticks cannot be pushed into the soil.
pod = 8) a net used for fishing in small streams; an eel net or a purse-net.
pod net = pod (8).
podpod = boiled, smoked and seasoned fish product (Philippines).
pogey oil = a golden oil from menhaden or pogey (Brevoortia tyrannus) used in chumming (q.v.).
poikilo- = (prefix) = various, variable.
poikilosmosis = the ability of organisms to have an internal osmotic pressure which varies, following closely that of the environment, e.g. Myxinidae.
poikilosmotic = the adjective for poikilosmosis.
poikilotherm = an organism whose body temperature follows closely that of their environment as in most fishes, "cold-blooded". Opposite of homoiotherm.
point = 1) a narrow extension of land into the water, often sloping into deep water. Fish often congregate on and around points.
point = 2) tippet (the very end of a tapered leader that attaches to the fly in fly-fishing. It is the same diameter along its length and ranges from 7X (very fine) to 0X (very heavy)).
point = 3) the sharp end of a hook, q.v.
point = 4) tpoaching a fish with the point of a rod.
point bar = a stream bar deposited on the inside of a curve in the stream where water velocity is low.
point cut = n-cut (a net cut at right angles to the general course of the netting).
point fly = the lead fly in a two-fly rig.
point source pollution = pollution occurring from a discrete location such as a factory outlet.
pointing = fishing with a rod and line.
poison fishing = catching fish by means of a poison, usually one harmless to higher vertebrates, the poison being spread in the water or enclosed in a bait.
poisoning = 1) use of a chemical spread on water or added to a bait to poison fish and facilitate capture. See fish poisoning.
poisoning = 2) illness caused by eating poisonous fishes, q.v.
poisonous fishes = any fish containing a poison (exclusive of bacterial poisons). Sometimes restricted to those fishes whose poisons enter the victim's body orally, excluding venomous fish whose poison is introduced from glands by means of spines. For treatment of poisoning from spines, see venomous fishes, treatment of poisoning of; for poisoning from eating ciguatoxic fishes, see ciguatera poisoning; from clupeoid fishes, see clupeotoxism; hallucinogenic fishes, see ichthyoalleinotoxism; poisonous fish eggs or roe, see ichthyootoxism; improperly preserved scombroid and other marketed marine fishes, see scombrotoxism; pufferfish or tetraodontiform fishes, see tetrodotoxication.
poisson d'Avril = "April fish", French for April fool, based on a newly spawned, naive and easily-caught fish. A paper fish is attached to a victim's back without him noticing.
poke = cod-end (the end of a trawl net which retains the catch and the part of the net where most size-selection takes place. Cod end mesh sizes and structure are usually regulated).
poke end = the bottom of the bag part of an eel trap.
poke line = lazy deckie (a rope to haul the cod end to a ship's side).
poke net = halve net (a bag-shaped net set or held to retain fish as the tide ebbs (Scottish dialect)).
poker = a wood or metal stick used to disturb fish from crevices; may be combination poker and gaff (q.v.).
poking = catching fish with a net or spear where a pushing, jabbing or poking motion is used.
pokkali field = a traditional brackish-water fish and prawn culture used in paddy fields of Kerala, India. Fry enter the fields at high tide and are prevented from leaving by fine mesh nets at the sluices. Mullets (Mugilidae) and cichlids (Cichlidae) are harvested in December after growth from October when the rice was harvested and the fields turned over to fish culture.
Pol = ventrolateral photophore(s) above the AO series which lie along the base of the anal fin but below the lateral line in Myctophidae.
polarity = referring to the genealogical position (advanced or primitive) of a character state of a taxonomic character.
polarisation = the process of determining polarity.
polder = land reclaimed from a body of water and protected by dikes.
pole = 1) any fishing rod (a device to carry and project a fishing line, hook(s) and bait or lures. The construction of rods is both a craft and a science and there is an immense variety of types).
pole = 2) a very long rod blank, held by hand and fished directly over the water, and used in matches and speed coarse fishing. It is made of sections that can be disassembled for carrying or be telescopic. Size range is 12.5 to 20 metres. A whip pole has the line tied directly to the end of the pole and is used to catch very small fish while elasticised poles have elastic threaded through the top three sections. These long poles enable a float rig to be placed exactly in position without casting, directly under the pole tip. Various other equipment items are used to manage the long pole and are mentioned below. Others include pole U rests (a rod rest set up as a U nearer the water with a second one set up as an inverted U to the rear - the rod rests in the forward U and hooks under the rear U), pole seats which have a central groove running between the sitting angler's legs where the pole fits, pole winders which are H-shaped plastic structures for storing the float rig on and protecting it, and pole winder anchors that are silicone rubber structures used to hold the loose end of a rig on a pole float winder to stop the rig unraveling.
pole buoy = a float with an upright stick to mark the position of stationary fishing gear (Newfoundland).
pole feeder pot = a cup clipped onto the end of a match fishing pole containing ground bait which can be tipped out, the pole pulled in and the cup removed before putting out the float rig.
pole float = a very small and sensitive float with a thin tip, balsa wood body, a thin wire stem and about 15-20 cm long. Body up floats have a wider bulge at the top of the flat body, body down bulge at the bottom, slims have very long and thin bodies, dibbers have the float tip as part of the thin float body instead of a separate tip section, and continental floats are large and are designed to use olivettes, q.v., in large rivers.
pole hook = a large hook on the end of a pole used to impale a fish by sight or feel. Similar to a gaff, q.v.
pole line = a hook, baited or not, attached to a line from a pole of similar length to the line. Usually fished from a boat.
pole roller = a mechanism to allow the very long pole rod to be slid back a sections are added or removed. Various models exist but have a stand supporting horizontal rollers and vertical end rollers on both sides.
pole-and-line fishing = surface schooling fish such as tuna are attracted to a vessel and driven into very active feeding behavior by throwing live or dead bait into the water, by spraying water onto the sea surface to simulate the escape behavior of small prey, and sometimes by use of lights. The fish are lured with a line and a barbless hook attached to a pole and pulled off the water by manual (sometimes with two people to each pole) or powered devices.
pole-and-live bait fishing = pole-and-line fishing.
policy = a course of action in relation to fisheries selected from alternatives by an authority.
poling = pole-and-line fishing.
polje = a large depression in karst with a flat floor. Stream water runs in and exits via underground holes (called ponors). Flood waters are too heavy to exit through ponors and the polje becomes a seasonal lake.
polled = of fish, beheaded.
polster = the hatching gland rudiment when it underlies the forebrain during the early segmentation period. Also called pillow.
poly- (prefix) = many, several, excessive, generalised, affecting many parts.
poly vinyl alcohol = polyvinyl alcohol.
polyacmic = referring to many periods of seasonal change in an aquatic population.
polyandry = a female mating with more than one male.
polyaulacorhizid = vascularisation of a tooth root through many small foramina concentrated in several grooves running parallel from the outer to the inner face, e.g. in Myliobatidae (Herman et al., 1994).
polycentric distribution = the establishment of a population, species or other taxonomic unit in several widely separated geographic places.
polyculture = the practice of raising several species of fish together in aquaculture, or of fish with other species like shrimps, in either case the species are not competitors or predators.
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons = chemicals found in fish products as environmental contaminants, usually at low concentrations, much higher where there is contamination from petroleum and petroleum products. Found in smoked fish at 10 times or more than unsmoked fish. Some PAHs are carcinogenic.
polycyclic fishes = those fishes which spawn intermittently throughout their lives (as opposed to monocyclic fishes, q.v.), e.g. Salmo.
polygamy = both sexes mating with more than one other individual.
polygyny = a male mating with more than one female.
polyhaline = 1) water with a salinity between 18.1-30.0 p.p.t. from ocean-derived salts.
polyhaline = 2) sea water having a salinity greater than 34 p.p.t.
polyhalophile = an organism thriving in a wide range of salinities.
polyhalophilic = thriving in a wide range of salinities. Adjective for polyhalophile.
polyhymic tendon = a tendon bound to the ventral face of the gas bladder for its entire length and connecting the anterior end of the gas bladder to the first haemal spine in Velifer (Veliferidae).
polymorphic = 1) species having two or more distinct variants in the same population and sex, not recognised taxonomically.
polymorphic = 2) a character having two or more states.
polynya (polynia) = open water surrounded by ice in the Arctic, formed by wind displacement or warm upwelling (Russian).
polyparasitism = parasitised by more than one species, often the case in fishes.
polyphagous = adjective for polyphagy.
polyphagy = feeding on a wide variety of foods.
polyphil = a reproductive guild (q.v.) having various spawning substrates. Adhesive eggs are attached singly or in clusters. The eggs have dense yolk with high carotenoid content, embryonic respiratory structures are well-developed, and feeding of young on parental mucus is common, e.g. Symphysodon discus.
polyphydont = a type of dentition where the teeth are continuously replaced as in most fishes excepting Holocephali and Dipnoi.
polyphyletic = having more than one origin or lines of descent, not closely related. Species may be grouped polyphyletically as a convenience until a monophyletic classification can be made.
polyphyodont = polyphydont.
polyploid = having more than twice the haploid number of chromosomes, e.g. 3n, 4n, 5n, etc.
polysaline = water with a salinity between 18.1-30.0 p.p.t. from land-derived salts.
polyspondylic = adjective for polyspondyly.
polyspondylous = adjective for polyspondyly.
polyspondylous vertebra = vertebra showing polyspondyly (1).
polyspondyly = 1) notochord surrounded by many serially arranged calcified rays, in effect having several centra e.g. Chimaera has 5-9 centra, Amia has 2 in the caudal region.
polyspondyly = 2) calcified rings around the notochord at intervals which do not seem to correspond in a regular way to the placement of body segments, found in some Chondrichthyes.
polystenohaline = organisms that only inhabit oceanic waters of relatively constant high salinity.
polytomy = multifurcation (a node in a tree that connects more than three branches. If the tree is rooted or directed, one branch represents the ancestral lineage and the other branches descendent lineages. A multifurcation often results because of a lack of data to resolve the branches although it could be the simultaneous splitting of several lineages).
polytrophic = an ecological term used to describe an organism which has more than one mode of feeding.
polytypic = a taxon including several subordinate taxa, e.g. a polytypic genus is one containing several species.
polyunsaturated fatty acids = fatty acids with 18 or more carbon atoms and two or more double bonds, very important in the early development of marine fish larvae. Also important in human nutrition and health. Abbreviated PUFAs.
polyvinyl alcohol = a water soluble plastic used by anglers in Europe as bags to hold ground bait or as string for tying on boilies, q.v., or pellets. The bags or strings dissolve gradually in water and release the baits to attract fish. See PVA bag and PVA tape. Abbreviated as PVA.
pond = 1) a small, shallow, confined body of water, fresh or salt; technically less than 8 ha.
pond = 2) a pond stocked with fish for commercial or ornamental use.
pond = 3) an attraction at a fair where miniature fishing gear is used to hook fish-shaped tokens from a small pool to win prizes.
pond culture = the raising of fish in ponds on land, e.g. carp and rainbow trout.
pond fish = fish usually reared in a pond.
pond grate = a screen installed at the inlet or outlet of a water body to prevent entry or escape of fish.
pond spawning = spawning in a pond specifically designed for that activity, often equipped with nests for egg deposition or other suitable substrates.
pondage = 1) small-scale storage of water at a power plant to equalise daily or weekly fluctuations in river flow or to allow for fluctuations in power requirements.
pondage = 2) water capacity of a pond.
ponding = 1) an increase in water level caused by a blockage to stream flow.
ponding = 2) formation of a pond by damning a water course.
pondkeeper = a person who stocks and maintains a pond with various organisms including fish, usually for display rather than food, e.g. koi. Curiously not a word generally found in dictionaries although there are magazines with this term in their title.
pon or = a small hole forming an exit from a polje (q.v.).
pons moultoni = a loop of bone projecting from the inner wall of the chondrocranium appearing to arise from the sphenotic and spanning the anterior vertical canal of the ear medially, usually across the canal's anterior (lower) half in certain genera of Beryciformes, Polymixiiformes and Perciformes.
pony board = a small otter board used in place of a dan leno, q.v.
pool = 1) stream habitat having smooth surface, slow current and some moderate to deep water.
pool = 2) a small, deep confined body of water fed by springs or streams or flushed by the sea such that there is water circulation.
pool = 3) a small pond.
pool cue = a fishing rod with stiff action and therefore undesirable.
poor man's lobster = the tail meat of monkfish (Lophius species, anglerfishes).
pool quality = an index of the suitability of a pool for supporting fish. Factors involved are cover, dimensions, and velocity.
pool shark = a hustler at the game of pool or billiards; a hustler misrepresenting his skill level in order to cheat the other player out of money. Based on the predatory reputation of the shark. See also cardshark and loan shark.
pool/riffle ratio = the ratio of surface area or length of pools to the surface area or length of riffles in a given stream reach used to describe fish habitat rearing quality.
pool-and-weir ladder = a series of small dams making pools of regular length in a long, sloping channel for fish to travel around a dam. Fish jump from pool to pool in the ladder. See also rock-ramp fishway, vertical slot fish passage and DeNiel fishway.
pooler = a salmon which has lain a long time in a river but not yet spawned (Newfoundland).
poor fish = hapless, unfortunate.
poor john = dried and salted cod (Newfoundland).
poorly nourished = in aquaculture, fish receiving too small amounts of food, or a deficient diet.
pooty = a small cod (Orkney dialect).
pop corn = bass (Micropterus spp., Centrarchidae) too short to meet tournament standards; usually less than 14 inches (ca. 36 cm). Also called baby, dink, throw back, nubbin, and slick.
pop-up bait = a bait, usually a boilie, q.v., which float or pop-up off the bottom. Flotation is achieved by microwaving the boilie or inserting foam.
pop-up archival tag = pop-up tag.
pop-up tag = a tag that detaches itself from the fish after a pre-determined period has elapsed since tagging. The tag then sends a signal via satellite, providing its position and downloading any other available information.