Biol 3711 - Fisheries

Flashcards based on key terms and concepts in the lecture notes for Biol 3711 - Fisheries.

Fisheries

The areas and industries involved in the cultivation and catching of fish.

Overfishing

The act of catching fish at a rate faster than they can reproduce.

Bycatch

The incidental capture of non-target species during fishing operations.

Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY)

The largest yield (or catch) that can be taken from a specific fish stock over an indefinite period under existing environmental conditions.

Biomass

The total mass of a group of organisms in a given area or volume.

Tagging

A method used to identify fish by attaching a tag to them to study their movement and population.

Aquaculture

The cultivation of aquatic organisms, including fish and shellfish, for food.

Trophic levels

The hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Ctenophores

Gelatinous marine animals commonly known as comb jellies, which can flourish when other predatory fish are removed.

Pelagic trawls

Fishing nets that are dragged through the water column to catch fish in open water.

Gill nets

A type of fishing net set vertically in the water to capture fish by their gills.

Shoreline nets

Nets that are staked into the bottom of the water, trapping fish swimming along the coastline.

Purse seines

A type of fishing net that encircles schools of fish and is drawn tight at the top.

Fishing pressure

The amount of fishing effort exerted on a fish stock, usually influenced by the number of fishers and the technology used.

Fished species

Species of fish that are targeted in commercial or recreational fishing.

Population crashes

A sudden and drastic decrease in a fish population due to overfishing or environmental pressures.

Recovery (in fisheries context)

The process by which fish populations increase in size after being depleted by fishing pressure.