NCDMF Glossary of Fisheries Terms



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OY - See advisory panel.

Pelagic - Refers to fish and animals that live in the open sea, away from the sea bottom.

Population Dynamics - The study of fish populations and how fishing mortality, growth, recruitment, and natural morality affect them.

Possession Limit - The number and/or size of a species that a person can legally have at any one time. Refers to commercial and recreational fishermen. A possession limit generally does not apply to the wholesale market level and beyond.

Predator - A species that feeds on other species. The species being eaten is the prey.

Predator-Prey Relationship - The interaction between a species that eats (predator) another species (prey). The stages of each species’ life cycle and the degree of interaction are important factors.

Prey - A species being fed upon by other species. The species eating the other is the predator.

Primary Productivity - A measurement of plant production that is the start of the food chain. Much primary productivity in marine or aquatic systems is made up of phytoplankton, which are tiny one-celled algae that float freely in the water.

Pulse Fishing - Harvesting a stock of fish, then moving on to other stocks or waiting until the original stock recovers.

Put and Take Fishery - The placing of hatchery-raised fish in waters to be caught by fishermen. There are few marine fisheries that fit this description. Most cases are found in inland streams and lakes.

q - See catchability coefficient.

Quota - The maximum number of fish that can be legally landed in a time period. It can apply to the total fishery or an individual fisherman’s share under the ITQ system. Could also include reference to size of fish.

RD - See regional director.

RIR - See regulatory impact review.

Recreational Fishery - Harvesting fish for personal use, fun, and challenge. Recreational fishing does not include sale of catch. *The term refers to and includes the fishery resources, fishermen, and businesses providing needed good and services.

Recruit - An individual fish that has moved into a certain class, such as the spawning class or fishing-size class.

Recruitment - A measure of the number of fish that enter a class during some time period, such as the spawning class or fishing-size class.

Recuitment Overfishing - When fishing pressure is too heavy to allow a fish population to replace itself.

*Added by Wallace et al.

Reef Fish Complex - A term used by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to describe the many species of fish found around natural reefs, artificial reefs, ledges, and mud lumps. Snapper, grouper, and tilefish are examples.

Regional Director (RD) - The person in charge of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for a given region.

Regression Analysis - A statistical method to estimate any trend that might exist among important factors. An example in fisheries management is the link between catch and other factors like fishing effort and natural mortality.

Regulatory Impact Review (RIR) - The part of a federal fishery management plan that describes impacts resulting from the plan.

Relative Abundance - An index of fish population abundance used to compare fish populations from year to year. This does not measure the actual numbers of fish, but shows changes in the population over time.

Rent - See economic rent.

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