Adfluvial – Migrating between lakes, rivers and streams.
Algae – A plant or plant like organism that usually grows in water and produces chlorophyll but does not produce seeds.
Alkaline – This is a condition where water can be described as basic and has a pH less than 7.0. Water that has a pH of 7.0 is neutral. Water that has pH greater than 7.0 is acidic.
Ambush – To make a surprise attack on someone or something from a concealed (out–of-sight) position.
Amphibian – A cold-blooded vertebrate of the class Amphibia, comprising frogs and toads, newts and salamanders and caecilians (burrowing, limbless amphibians resembling worms).
Amphidromous – Migrating from fresh to salt water or migrating from salt water to fresh water at some stage of the life cycle other than the breeding or spawning period.
Anadromous – Fish that live in salt water as adults and spawn in fresh water.
Apex predator – An apex predator is a predator residing at the top of the food chain in which no other animals consume this species as prey.
Aquatic – Living or found in water; of or relating to the animals and plants that live in or near water.
Aquaculture – The rearing of aquatic animals or the cultivation of Aquatic plants for food.
Bag Limit/creel limit – The number and/or size of a species that a person can legally take in a day or trip. This may or may not be the same as a possession limit.
Bait – Food used to entice fish or other animals as prey.
Barbel – A fleshy filament growing from the mouth or snout of a fish.
Bayou – A sluggish, creek or stream that is connected to a larger tributary.
Brackish – A mixture of fresh water and salt water.
Broadcast Spawners – The simultaneous extrusion of eggs by female fish and milt by male fish into the water column to insure egg fertilization.
Brood stock – A small population of any animal maintained as a source of population replacement or for the establishment of new populations in suitable habitats.
Candidate Species – A candidate species is a species that is not currently listed as threatened or endangered when there may be sufficient information to possibly warrant listing them as such but are not evaluated because there are higher priority species to be evaluated and potentially listed at this given time.
Canine – In mammalian oral anatomy, the canine teeth, also called cuspids or “dog teeth, or fangs are relatively long, pointed teeth. In fish, canine refers to a similar look of fish teeth undergoing morphological changes associated with spawning.
Cannabalistic – The act of an individual of one species consuming an individual of the same species.
Catadromous – Fish that live in fresh water as adults and spawn in salt water.
Caviar – The pickled roe or eggs of sturgeon or other large fish. Caviar is considered a delicacy by many.
Copepods – The group of small or microscopic aquatic crustaceans belonging to the class of Copepoda.
Char/charrs – Fish of the Genus Salvelinus that are closely related to salmon and trout. This group includes Arctic Char, Dolly Varden, Lake Trout and Brook trout in North America.
Chemoreceptor – A sensory cell or organ responsive to chemical stimuli.
Cienega – A swamp or marsh normally formed or fed by a spring or springs.
Crustacean – A group of freshwater and saltwater animals having no backbone, with jointed legs and a hard shell made chitin. Includes shrimp, crabs, lobsters and crayfish.
Commercial fishery – A term related to the whole process of catching and marketing fish and shellfish for sale. “It refers to and includes fisheries resources, fisherman, and related businesses directly or indirectly involved in harvesting processing, or sales.
Continental shelf – The relatively shallow seabed (up to 200 meters (656 ft.)) surrounding a continent.
Creel – A wicker basket for carrying fish.
Critical habitat – It is a specific geographic area(s) that contains features essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management and protection.
