Flashcards: Fisheries

Overfishing is a form of overexploitation where fish stocks are reduced to below acceptable levels.

The continental shelf is an underwater landmass which extends from a continent, resulting in an area of relatively shallow water known as a shelf sea.

Freshwater fish are those that spend some or all of their lives in fresh water, such as rivers and lakes, with a salinity of less than 0.

Red tide is a common name for a phenomenon known as an algal bloom (large concentrations of aquatic microorganisms) when it is caused by a few species of dinoflagellates and the bloom takes on a red or brown color.

Benthos is the community of organisms that live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone.

An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea.

Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp.

A seamount is a mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface (sea level), and thus is not an island.

Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters – being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore – in contrast with demersal fish, which do live on or near the bottom, and reef fish, which are associated with coral reefs.

The term fish kill, known also as fish die-off, refers to a localized die-off of fish populations which may also be associated with more generalized mortality of aquatic life.

Bycatch, in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while catching certain target species and target sizes of fish, crabs etc.

A lake ecosystem includes biotic (living) plants, animals and micro-organisms, as well as abiotic (nonliving) physical and chemical interactions.

Forage fish, also called prey fish or bait fish, are small pelagic fish which are preyed on by larger predators for food.

Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery.

Water conflict is a term describing a conflict between countries, states, or groups over an access to water resources.

Swarm behaviour, or swarming, is a collective behaviour exhibited by entities, particularly animals, of similar size which aggregate together, perhaps milling about the same spot or perhaps moving en masse or migrating in some direction.

Filter feeders are a sub-group of suspension feeding animals that feed by straining suspended matter and food particles from water, typically by passing the water over a specialized filtering structure.

Marine life refers to the plants, animals and other organisms that live in the ocean.

The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore and seashore and sometimes referred to as the littoral zone, is the area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide (in other words, the area between tide marks).

Cod fisheries are fisheries for cod.

Demersal fish live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes (the demersal zone).

A fishery is an area with an associated fish or aquatic population which is harvested for its commercial value.

A bait ball, or baitball, occurs when small fish swarm in a tightly packed spherical formation about a common centre.

Coastal fish, also called inshore fish or neritic fish, inhabit the sea between the shoreline and the edge of the continental shelf.

This is a glossary of terms used in fisheries, fisheries management and fisheries science.