| Adipose
fin |
A
small fleshy fin on back located between second dorsal
and caudal fin. Has no spines
or rays. |
| |
|
| Bag
Limit |
The
maximum number of crabs that a recreational crabber may
have in possession inany one day. |
| Barbel |
Small,
fleshy, worm-like appendage located near the mouth of certain
fish. Sensory in nature, may aid in food location. |
| Bycatch |
The
harvest of fish or shellfish other than the species for
which the fishing gear was used. Examples are blue crabs
caught in shrimp trawls or sharks caught on a tuna line.
Bycatch is also often called incidental catch. Some bycatch
is kept for sale. |
| Canine
teeth |
Long,
fang-like teeth on either side of mouth (dog-like). |
| Catch |
The
total number of poundage of fish captured from an area over
some period of time. This includes fish that are caught
but released or discarded instead of being landed. The catch
may take place in an area different from where the fish
are landed. |
| |
The
rearmost fin on fish. May be of various shapes, for example:
square or flat (snappers), rounded (tripletail), slightly
forked (jacks), and deeply forked (tunas). |
| |
|
| Commercial
Fishery |
A
term referring to the whole process of catching and selling
fish and shellfish. |
| |
A
group of freshwater and saltwater animals having no backbone,
with jointed legs and a hard shell made of chitin. Includes
shrimp, crabs, lobsters, and crawfish. |
| Decapod |
An
animal that possesses 10 appendages; also a subgroup of
the class Crustacea. |
| |
Top
fin on fish. Usually divided into first (front) and second
(back), but may be continuous. |
| Filaments |
Soft,
thread-like continuations of fins. Normally part of most
rearward fin ray. |
| |
|
| |
Soft
or bony structures supporting fins. Visible through fin
membrane, usually branched on tip. |
| Fishery |
All
the activities involved in catching a species of fish or
shellfish. |
| Gear
License |
A
license, purchased from the state, that permits the owner
to use specified types of equipment to catch fish or shellfish.
In recreational fishing, for example, gear licenses may
be purchased for the use of crab traps, hoop nets, wire
nets, trawls, oyster tongs, or crawfish traps, depending
on the species sought. The possession of a basic fishing
license is required to purchase a gear license. |
| |
The
larger structure inside the gill
cavity. Hard, bone-like structure inside the gill
cavity. Hard, bone-like, and semicircular, with finger-like
projections (rakers). |
| |
|
| |
Small,
bony structures located inside the gill
cavity, attached to the gill arches
and projecting forward or upward. |
| Growth |
Usually
an individual fish or shellfish's increase in length or
weight over time. May also refer to the increase in number
of fish in a population with time. |
| Harvest |
The
total number or poundage of fish caught and kept from an
area over a period of time. |
| Juvenile |
A
younf fish or shellfish that has not reached sexual maturity. |
| Landings |
The
number or poundage of fish unloaded at a dock by commercial
fishermen or brought to shore by recreational fishermen
for personal use. Landings are reported at the points at
which fish are brought to shore. |
| |
The
newly hatched, earliest stage of growth, which is markedly
different in size and form from the adult stage. |
| Lateral
line |
Line
extending along both sides; contains sensory organs. |
| |
The
process in which a crustacean
sheds its hard outer shell in order to grow. |
| Nursery |
The
part of a fish's or animal's habitat where the young grow
up. |
| |
|
| Pectoral
fin |
Paired
fins on sides of the body, chest region. |
| Pelagic |
Living
or occurring in the open sea, away from the bottom. |
| Pelvic
fin |
Paired
fins on sides of the body. |
| Possession
Limit |
The
number and size of a species that a commercial or recreational
fisherman can legally have at any one time. |
| Predator |
A
species that feeds on other species. |
| Premolt |
A
crab, either a peeler or a buster, that is preparing to
molt. |
| Preopercle |
Forward,
bony part of the gill cover normally
separated by a groove from the rear portion. |
| Recreational
Harvesting |
Harvesting
fish for personal use, fun, and challenge. Recreational
fishing does not include sale of catch. |
| Scutes |
Hard,
bony ridged structures located on either side of the body
immediately forward of the tail fin.
Usually pointed. |
| Soft-Shelled
Crab |
A
crab that has shed its hard outer shell, exposing the new
soft shell underneath. At this stage, the crab may be cooked
and eaten with most of the shell intact. |
| Species |
A
group of similar fish or shellfish that can freely interbreed. |
| Ventral |
Bottom
surface (belly) of fish |
| Vomerine
teeth |
A
patch of small teeth on the roof of the mouth. Rough in
texture and visible when mouth is open. |
| Zooplankton |
Minute
animal life floating in a body of water. Form the primary
diet of larval fish and shellfish. |
