Common Fishery Terms

Alevin
newly hatched fish on which the yolk-sac is still apparent
Anadromous
fish, such as salmon, that are born in freshwater, migrate, feed at sea and return to freshwater to spawn
Enhancement
increasing numbers of a natural population, such as expansion of a salmon run through use of a hatchery
Escapement
that portion of a run of fish which passes through various fisheries and escapes to spawn
Fishery
the legally sanctioned harvesting of a particular species in a specific time and place, such as the Area E fishery in Prince William Sound
Fry
a recently hatched fish whose yolk sac is no longer visible
Gametes
an organism’s reproductive cells (female-eggs / male-sperm)
Gillnetting
long volleyball-like nets stretched underwater. Some nets drift with the tide, others are anchored. The web of the net is just large enough to catch certain size fish by the gills as they swim into them
Harvest
to catch fish, (noun) those fish which are caught in a fishery
Hatchery
facility in which people collect, fertilize, incubate, and rear fish
Otolith
part of the inner ear of a fish used to maintain balance. The otolith can be marked through manipulation of water temperature in a hatchery for later identification of the fish. The otolith exhibits annual growth rings can be counted to determine age, similarly to the technique of tree-ring dating
Roe
the eggs of a fish
Run
a group of fish migrating to spawning areas to reproduce
Seine
a long net that is drawn through the water encircling fish in its path; the bottom is eventually closed (purse seine) or dragged along the bottom to shore (beach seine)
Smolt
juvenile salmon emigrating from fresh to salt water that are physiologically able to survive in salt water
Spawn
to produce or deposit eggs, (noun) a mass of spawned eggs
Stock
a group of fish that can be distinguished by their distinct location and time of spawning
Wier
a fence-like structure across a stream or lake outlet, usually with a small opening for directing, capturing, or counting fish