G

G = instantaneous rate of growth (a measure of the weight increase, the natural logarithm of the ratio of final weight to initial weight of a fish in a unit of time, usually a year. When applied collectively to all fish of a given age in a stock, the possibility of selective mortality must be considered (Ricker, 1975). The formula is g = [Ln(Wt) - Ln(W0)]/(t1-t0) where Wt is the weight of the fish after t1 days and W0 is the initial weight).

g = 1) G.

g = 2) gram(me) (0.0022 lb).

G.S.I. = gastrosomatic index (weight of gut in grammes x 100/weight of fish in grammes (Desai, 1970)).

gaar = gar (2).

Gabelbissen = gaffel bitar (Germany).

Gabelrollmops = rollmops made from fillets of small Baltic herring. These may be with or without skin and are usually prepared without added vegetables (Germany). They are usually in a light vinegar brine and may also be in wine, sauces or mayonnaise.

gabion = a wire basket or cage filled with rocks, stones or gravel. Used to control erosion, stabilise river banks, direct stream flow and improve degraded aquatic habitat, or to form breakwaters and jetties.

gad (noun) = 1) a pliable branch, often forked, passed through the gills of a trout for ease in carrying (Newfoundland).

gad (verb) = 2) to string fish on a gad.

gad = 3) the quantity of fish on a gad (1).

gad = 4) a fishing rod (English and Scottish dialect).

gaefeather = a curved cut made on a finnan haddock  (q.v.) as a trade mark (Scottish dialect).

gaff = 1) a short to long pole with a large hook on the end to land large fish.

gaff = 2) a large fish hook.

gaff = 3) a boat hook.

gaff = 4) to pull a fish from the water with a gaff.

gaff = 5) a traditional "hook" to get people to enter sideshows. The Feejee Mermaid, q.v., is a gaff.

gaff hook =gaff.

gaff point = the sharp tip of a gaff.

gaffalbitar = smoked herring packed in spiced soya-bean sauce (Iceland); a variant of the products listed below.

gaffel bitar = semi-preserved fat herring, gilled or headless, with 10-12% salt and sometimes benzoic acid added. The product is ripened in barrels at moderate temperature, then filleted, skinned and cut into 'tidbit' pieces, packed with spiced brine, and also with vinegar or with sauces in cans or glass jars. Also called tidbits, herring tidbits or fork tidbits.

gaffelbidder = gaffel bitar (United Kingdom).

gaffelbitter = gaffel bitar (Scandinavia).

gag = 1) a device for keeping the jaws of a fish open in order to extract a hook (British). Called jaw spreader in North America.

gag = 2) to gut a fish clumsily (Shetland Isles dialect).

gagline = hauling leg (a wire rope extension of the halving becket joined to the lazy deckie (both q.v.). Also called bag becket leg, codend gag and lazy deckie leg).

gaining stream = a stream or a part of a stream where flow increases because of groundwater discharge. Also called effluent stream.

gal = gallon (U.S., 3.785 L).

gal_BI = gallon (Imperial, 4.454 L).

gal/min = gallon per minute (3.875 L/min).

galeophobia = fear of sharks, a medical term where the sufferer feels anxiety even when viewing a shark in an aquarium or other safe environment. Also called selachophobia.

gallery = part of a fishing stage (q.v.) where the catch is landed on its way to the stage head (q.v.).

gall bladder = small sac associated with the liver used for storing the bile which is used in digestion. It opens by 4-6 ducts through the dorsal anterior wall of the expanded duodenum, posterior to the pyloric caeca.

gallon = 4.454 L (Imperial), 3.785 L (U.S.). Abbreviated as gal_BI and gal respectively.

gallon per minute = 3.875 L/min. Abbreviated as gal/min.

galloper = a small vessel of 30-40 tons used in the cod fishery and coastal trade (Newfoundland).

gallows = 1) a frame to hang nets on to dry.

gallows = 2) device on a fishing craft for setting an otter trawl.

gallows = 3) an elevated structure used by fishermen to watch salmon movements.

galouper = galloper.

galuchat leather = a shagreen or sharkskin leather made from a Japanese ray and used for trim on pocketbooks. Also called pearl sharkskin.

galvanotaxis = fish swimming to the anode in electrofishing. Also called electrotaxis.

gam- (prefix) = marriage.

gambusino = a provincial Cuban word meaning nothing, a joke or a farce, hence the expression "to fish for gambusinos" when catching nothing. Origin of the genus Gambusia (Poeciliidae).

game fish = 1) fish sought after by sport fishermen, sport fish. Usually restricted to Atlantic salmon and brown trout in Britain, grayling (Thymallus thymallus) being considered a coarse fish as it spawns in spring.

game fish = 2) any fish sought by anglers for its fighting ability and eating quality.

game fish = 3) fish reserved for anglers, not for sale commercially.

game warden = a person who upholds fishing laws and regulations may be uniformed and armed.

gamone = chemicals controlling the activity of the sperm prior to and during fertilization.

gang = the set of the long line gear.

gang boards = in an undecked fishing-boat, wooden plank(s) placed over the midship compartment or "room" in which fish are stowed.

gang hooks = one of a series of fish hooks arranged so that they are effective in all directions.

gang rig = a series of hooks bound or ganged to a line and used with fish or squid baits. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

gange = 1) twisting fine wire around a fishing line to prevent the hook from being bitten off. Also spelled genge and ginge.

gange = 2) fastening an eyeless hook or lead weight to a line. Also spelled genge and ginge.

gangen = a branch line with a hook, attached to a main line. Also called tom and stangeon.

gangeing = ganging.

ganging = branch line (a thin strong line by which a hook is attached to the main or back line of a troll or long line).

gangion = a leader line or snood (a short line connecting a fishing line with the hook).

ganoid scale = a non-overlapping or partially-overlapping scale, often rhomboidal in shape, with thick outer ganoine layer (enamel-like substance), a middle layer of dentine and an inner dermal, cosmine bony layer. Grows by addition of material above and below, e.g. in Lepisosteidae, Amiidae and Polypteridae. Lepisosteidae have lost the dentine layer. The scales of Lepisosteidae are called lepisosteoid scales as distinct from paleaoniscoid scales of Brachiopterygii.

ganoine = a hard calcified tissue resembling enamel but in many layers; found only in ganoid fishes.

ganz = gange (2) (Scottish dialect).

gap = gape (2).

gape = 1) the opening of the mouth. Its width is the greatest distance across the mouth opening. Its length is the distance from the anteriormost median point on the jaws to the posterior end of the mouth cleft.

gape = 2) the space between the point and the shank of a hook, q.v. A large gape accepts a larger bait.

gape net = stow net (a conical net secured by boats, anchors or stakes in rivers or areas with strong currents. Also called stow net, swing net).

gape-and-suck feeding = the feeding mechanism of most fishes by means of a negative pressure in the mouth and sucking in the food item. Enabled through rapid expansion of the oral and opercular cavities.

gaping = 1) the act of opening the gape.

gaping = 2) parting of fish flakes as the connective tissues break down. Roundfish gape more than flatfish and some species, e.g. ling, Molva molva and wolffishes, Anarhichas rarely gape. Gaping reduces market value.

gaping for gudgeons = looking out for extremely improbable things. Gudgeons (Gobio gobio, Cyprinidae) are used as bait to fool fish by a lie or deception. See also swallow a gudgeon.

gar = 1) a member of the family Lepisosteidae, from the Old English "spear" in allusion to the elongate jaws.

gar = 2) slime on fish (Scottish dialect). Also spelled garr, gaar, gare and garro.

gare = gar (2).

gargaropteron stage = a pelagic stage of the chiasmodontid Kali characterised by greatly elongated paired fin rays.

garon = garum.

garos = 1) garum.

gáros = 2) the enzymatic preparation from hydrolysed fish livers used to mature salted sardines and anchovy (Greece).

garr = gar.

garro = gar (2).

garth = 1) a dam or weir in a river for keeping or catching fish.

garth = 2) a shallow part of a river used as a ford.

garth fishing = catching fish at a garth.

garthman = 1) a man responsible for the upkeep of a garth (archaic).

garthman = 2) the owner or worker of a garth.

garum = a Mediterranean sauce made from whole fish (or livers and viscera, sources vary) placed in concentrated brine and exposed to the sun in jars so that fermentation occurs. Various herbs and spices may be added. In the ancient world mackerel and mullet were favoured species and some reports indicate fish blood was added to the mix. Reputedly and famously very smelly, this may have been old sauce that had gone "off". Garum mixed with water is called hydrogarum, with wine oenogarum, with vinegar oxygarum and with honey mellogarum. See also liquamen and muria. Also spelled garon, garus or garos. Named for the Roman family that produced it.

garus = garum.

garvie = 1) a sprat (Sprattus sprattus in Europe, Clupeidae). Also called garvie-herring.

garvie = 2) a small specimen of any fish (Scottish dialect).

garvie-herring = a sprat.

gas bladder = a thin membranous, sometimes alveolated sac in the dorsal portion of the abdominal cavity. Composed of three layers, the tunica externa, the submucosa or middle layer and the tunica interna, all q.v. Contains a varying mixture of gases, not identical to the composition of air. May be one, two or three chambered. May be connected to the gut by a tube, the ductus pneumaticus (then called physostomous) or unconnected (then called physoclistous). May function as one or more of:- hydrostatic organ, sound producing organ, sound receptor, respiratory organ. Often lacking in bottom fishes. Sometimes called swim bladder or air bladder, less appropriate terms. An item in Chinese cuisine. Used to make isinglass, q.v.

gas bubble disease = supersaturated gases (>115-125%) in water entering the the body fluids of fish causing bubbles, an embolism. Often seen in gills, eyes, skin and yolk sacs where membranes are the most gas permeable. Fish often swim upside down or vertically, sometimes looking as if they are gasping for air at the surface and may have exophthalmia. Found below power plants in winter when cold water is rapidly heated by passing through condensers, in hatcheries using borehole water and in aquaria when fresh cold water is rapidly heated. Also called air embolism.

gas disease = a disease caused by excess nitrogen or oxygen causing accumulation of gas in body spaces.

gas floater = a fish with a swimbladder able to regulate its position in the water column by gaseous exchange.

gas gland = a structure with numerous blood vessels (retia mirabilia) in the gas bladder that secretes gases from the blood. Also called fascis mirabilis, red gland, red body.

gas supersaturation = the overabundance of gases in turbulent water, such as at the base of a dam spillway. Can cause a fatal condition in fish similar to the bends (see gas bubble disease).

gasher = a small fishing boat with a sharp prow and stern (Newfoundland).

Gaspé boat = a vessel used on the Gaspé peninsula of Québec. About 35 feet long, it is used in longlining and net fishing. Similar to the Labrador boat and the Tancook whaler, these three types of boat are also called double-enders from their sharp stern and bow.

Gaspé cure = split, lightly salted, pickled and cured (2-3 days in brine liquor) cod or white fish dried to a moisture content of 34-36% in the sun or drying kilns. It is amber in colour and translucent.

gastric = relating to the stomach (not all fishes have a differentiated stomach).

gastric artery = a branch of the coeliaco-mesenteric artery (from the dorsal aorta) that runs along the dorsal surface of the stomach and to the left of the pyloric part of the stomach.

gastric vein = delivers blood from parts of the stomach to the hepatic portal vein.

gastric caecum = the posterior prolongation of the stomach found in some oceanic fishes.

gastrohepatic ligament = a remnant of the ventral mesentery and a continuation of the falciform ligament (q.v.) attaching the liver to the stomach.

gastrointestinal tract = the digestive system tube from mouth to vent.

gastrolith = a stone in the stomach, deliberately ingested to aid in grinding food.

gastrosomatic index = weight of gut in grammes x 100/weight of fish in grammes (Desai, 1970). Abbreviated as G.S.I.

gastrula = generally in embryology, a postblastula stage in which an archenteron (primitive gut or gastrocoele) forms by invagination of cells through a blastopore, and in which germ layers appear and the embryonic axis is formed. In fishes, an archentron and blastopore may not form and so the term is used for an equivalent stage.

gather = to draw together the ends of a net to enclose the fish.

gauge = a device for measuring the water level relative to a datum, q.v.

gauge mesh = a tool used in braiding nets; it regulates the mesh size.

gauge rod = a ruler-like wooden measuring rod used to determine how many gallons a barrel held, q.v. See also sample rod and wantage rod.

gauging station = a particular site in a stream, lake, reservoir, etc., where hydrologic data are obtained.

gauntlet fishery = a fisheries method where only juveniles are taken. Once the fish have "run the gauntlet" as juveniles they are safe from the fishery and adults of reproductive age are not fished. Only works with species where the juveniles are large enough to be commercially important.

gazebo = a part of a fishing stage (q.v.) where the cod catch is landed on its way to the stage head (q.v.) (Newfoundland).

gear = 1) the equipment used for fishing, e.g. gillnet, handlines, hook and line, harpoons, seines, longlines, midwater trawls, purse seines, trolling equipment, rod-and-reel, traps, trawls, spears, etc. but not vessels.

gear = 2) a general term for equipment on a ship such as ropes, tackle, blocks, etc.

gear bank = a store of fishing equipment from which items are leased to fishermen (Newfoundland).

gear-tub = wooden container in which trawl lines are coiled in dory fishing (Newfoundland).

gear conflict = interference by one gear with another on fishing grounds, e.g. trawls damaging static traps.

gear deployment = 1) when fishing gear enters the water, including the first in a series like pots or hooks on a longline.

gear deployment = 2) when trawling gear reaches the level at which it begins catching fish.

gear efficiency = that part of a group of fishes that meeting harvesting gear, are captured by it.

gear ratio = a measure of a fishing reel's retrieval speed; the number of times the spool revolves for each complete turn of the handle.

gear restriction = where the amount and/or type of fishing gear used by fishers in a particular fishery is restricted by law according to area or season.

gear retrieval = 1) when fishing gear leaves the water.

gear retrieval = 2) when the cable of trawling gear starts to be retrieved.

gear retrieval = 3) for serial gear such as longlines and pots when the last element leaves the water.

gear unit = a standard measure used to manage fisheries, e.g. one gear unit is 1000 metres of net.

geer = dan leno hoop (a hoop-shaped dan leno made of bent wood with short rigging ropes wired to the outer circumference. Also called dan leno ring, hoop, hoop bridle, round dan leno and yoke hoop).

gefilte fish = a Jewish dish consisting of ground fish mixed with eggs, matzo meal, and seasonings that have been formed into balls or patties then simmered in vegetable or fish stock. The fish used is usually carp, pike or whitefish.

geg = gig (2).

Gegenbauer's mark = the point in the digestive tract near the transition between the oesophagus and the mid-gut where the bile duct enters; the mark is always located posteriorly to the transition between the fore-gut and mid-gut.

gelatin(e) = a soluble protein made from the skin and swimbladders of fish and used in the food industry.

geminate species = a little differentiated species evolved from a close common ancestor, a twin species.

Gemminger's ossicle = one of several bones in the tail of Mormyriformes.

gempylotoxic fishes = those fishes causing gempylid poisoning - certain members of the family Gempylidae, Lepdiocybium, Ruvettus and Thyrsites.

gempylotoxism = a form of fish poisoning caused by eating gempylotoxic fishes. Takes the form of diarrhoea following ingestion of the oil in the flesh and bones of gempylids. No other effects are apparent and thus gempylid oil is not toxic in the usual sense of the term.

gen. = abbreviation for genus, meaning genus.

gen. et sp. nov. = abbreviation for genus et species nova, meaning new genus and speceis.

gen. nov. = abbreviation for genus novum, meaning new genus.

gen. rev. = abbreviation for genus revivisco, meaning genus revived for a reinstated genus from an earlier synonymy.

gendarme = hareng saur (salted herring, partially desalted and cold smoked, whole ungutted or gibbed, also heads and gut removed. The curing time with salt is 2-3 weeks (France) It is called demi-sel when subject to prolonged desalting for more than 46 hours and lightly cold-smoked. Also called gendarme and, in Germany: Lachshering (whole) or Lachbückling (headed)).

gender = a grammatical property of a genus-group name (masculine, feminine or neuter) that affects the way in which Latin or latinised adjectival or participial species-group names are to be spelled, since the gender form of such a species-group name must agree with the gender of the generic name with which it is combined.

gender limit = fish protected by their sex from fishing, often females when spawning.

genecology = the study of the genetic basis of ecological differentiation.

genera = plural of genus.

generalist = a species with a broad tolerance of environmental conditions and able to feed and reproduce without special requirements.

generation = the average age of parents in the population. This is greater than the age at first breeding, except in taxa where individuals breed only once.

generation time = the time required for a female to produce a reproductively-active female.

generic = pertaining to a genus.

generic name = a scientific name of a taxon of genus rank; the first word in a binomen.

generitype = genotype, the primary type of the type species of a genus.

generotype = see type species.

genetic drift = the occurrence of random change in gene frequencies within a small, isolated population over a short period without mutation or selection.

genetic pollution = the breeding of escaped farmed fish with wild stocks, presumed to introduce less fit genes into the wild stocks.

genetically modified organism = an organism, including fishes, in which the genetic material has been altered by means of gene or cell technologies. This usually excludes selective breeding and polyploidy.

geniohyoideus = a muscle in two parts, a short anterior muscle from the anterior dorsal surface of the basihyal to the medial surface of the dentary symphysis and a larger posterior part originating from the lateral surface of the ceratohyal. The posterior segment inserts on the tendon of the origin of the anterior segment.

genital cavity = the space at the posterior end of the abdominal cavity separated from the rest by a ring-shaped peritoneal fold (called the genital or coelomic funnel) through which the mature eggs pass on the way to the exterior via an orifice.

genital funnel = a ring-shaped peritoneal fold through which the mature eggs pass on the way to the exterior via an orifice. Also called the coelomic funnel.

genital pad = a many-folded swelling of the epidermis near the vent containing numerous muscle cells. Found in many female Poeciliidae, particularly cave-dwelling species.

genital palp = genital papilla.

genital papilla = a small fleshy projection behind the anus, through which the genital and sometimes urogenital system communicates with the exterior. In males of some species, e.g. Cottidae, the papilla is developed into an intromittent organ. Also called urogenital papilla or genital palp.

genital pore = the external opening of the combined vas deferens.

genital sinus = the united vas deferens of the testes carrying sperm to the exterior between the urinary papilla and the anus through the genital pore.

genitalium = gonopodium.

genoholotype = the primary type of the type species of the genus, designate by the author in the original description of the genus.

genoisotype = genotype plus isotype, q.v.

genolectotype = the primary type of the type species of a genus selected from a genosyntype series subsequent to the original description.

genome = the minimum set of chromosomes necessary to ensure the proper functioning of a cell.

genoneotype = genotype plus neotype, q.v.

genoparatype = genotype plus paratype, q.v.

genosyntype = any individual from the syntype series of the type species of a genus.

genotype = 1) the primary type of the type species of a genus; the specimen on which a genus-group taxon is based, no longer used in zoological nomenclature.

genotype = 2) the genetic constitution of an individual, or all the individuals sharing the same genetic constitution.

gents = gentles.

gentles = maggots, used as bait in Britain. Also called gents.

genus (plural genera) = 1) a category above species and next below the family-group.

genus (plural genera) = 2) an individual taxon of the category "genus" as Salmo, Scomber, Bothus. A nominal genus is a named genus, objectively defined by its type-species; thus, the nominal genus Osmerus is always that to which its type-species, Salmo eperlanus, belongs. The genus-group is the assemblage of coordinate categories which includes genus and subgenus which is next below the family-group and next above the species group in the hierarchy of classification.

genus novum = new genus.

geodesic = a curve drawn upon a surface such that, if one takes any two adjacent points on the curve, the curve gives the shortest surface distance between them. The spiral rows of scales around and along the body of a fish usually forms a geodesic as may be shown by the fact that a string wound along a row hugs the fish tightly.

geoecotype = a regional ecotype (a population adapted to a restricted habitat as a result of natural selection within a local environment. Nothing to do with taxonomy).

Geographic Information System = a computer system based on geographical coordinates (latitude and longitude) linked to various data such as temperature, habitat type, depth, catches, etc. used in zoogeographical analyses. Abbreviated as GIS.

geographical speciation = speciation occurring during a period of geographical isolation.

geosmin = a compound produced by blue-green algae and actinomycetes giving an earthy-musty flavour to fish that have absorbed them. Such fish are unmarketable.

geostrophic flow = currents in the deep ocean that flow along lines of constant pressure or baroclinic surfaces.

geothermal vent = a vent of hot, mineral-rich water on the ocean floor, usually near spreading oceanic ridges or subduction zones, with an associated fauna including fishes.

gephyrocercal = a secondary condition of symmetry in the caudal fin where the original caudal fin has been lost and the interval is bridged by caudal elements. Symmetrical internally and externally, e.g. Mola, Fierasfer, Carapus. Sometimes applied to any secondary internal symmetry - a synonym of diphycercal.

germ ring = the thickened margin of the blastodisc that advances over the yolk during epiboly.

German measles = a parasitic disease of carp evidenced by a red beady surface with blood leaking from ulcers.

germinal epithelium = the tissues of the reproductive organs that produce eggs and sperm.

get fast = accidental fouling of gear on the sea bed.

GH = general, total or permanent hardness. A measure of the overall concentration of calcium, magnesium and other ions. One degree equals about 17.9mg/l. The degree symbol is often replaced with a "d" (i.e. 6dGH). The harder the water, the higher the GH.

ghaniori = a plant in Himachal Pradesh, India whose leaves are used as a fish poison.

ghillie = a fishing guide, particularly in the Celtic parts of Britain. Also spelled gillie and gilly.

ghost carp = Cyprinus carpio (koi crossed with mirror carp) with a white to pale cream appearance often stocked in commercial fisheries in Europe. Varies through to black with varying amounts of orange or metallic flecking on the scales.

ghost fish = those fishes caught by ghost fishing.

ghost fishing = accidental catches by lost or discarded fishing gear.

ghost lineage = an inferred lineage based on cladistics but without a fossil record to confirm it.

ghost net = a fish net lost in a storm or from neglect.

ghoti = pronounced as fish; an indication of the complexity and inconsistency of the English language attributed to George Bernard Shaw - gh as in cough, o as in women and ti as in nation means ghoti can be pronounced as fish (and other words have been cited such as trough, rough, laugh station, etc., the original has not been tracked down).

giant cell = 1) found in inflammatory lesions caused by fungal or mycobacterial infections in fish, these cells are formed from macrophages usually by fusion of many cells.

giant cell = 2) alarm substance cells or "clubcells", q.v.

giant cell = 3) one of the 1-10 sensory cells in the mormyromasts of type C or tuberous organs; these have a diameter of 40-50 microns and are located in a tightly-fitted capsule and are covered with long thin microvilli.

gib = 1) the kype (q.v.) of a salmon.

gib = 2) the gills and guts of a herring (Newfoundland).

gib = 3) the verb for gibbing. See also gip.

gib = 4) to clean fish.

gibb = the noun for gibbing.

gibbing = removal of the guts and gills by inserting a knife in the gill region. Pyloric caeca, ovaries or testes remain in the fish. Usually in reference to herring. Also called gipping.

gibbing knife = a knife with a short blade, used to remove the gills and entrails of herring.

gibbosity = swelling or protuberance, a convex hump, e.g. frontal gibbosity in certain male Labridae.

gibbous = protuberant, convex; a lunar shape between circle and semicircle.

gibfish = a male salmon.

gift = specimen(s) donated to a museum without payment. Sometimes specimens are exchanged without payment to enhance both institutions' collection diversity.

gig = 1) a pole with barbed prongs for striking fish.

gig = 2) an arrangement of hooks dragged through the water to foul-hook fish. Also spelled geg.

gigantocerebellum = the greatly enlarged lobi laterales valvulae of the cerebellum which displace the optic lobes laterally and ventrally and cover the brain dorsally and laterally in the Mormyriformes. Also called mormyrocerebellum.

gigantothermy = the phenomenon where a large, bulky body in ectotherms (q.v.) is able to maintain a higher temperature relative to the environment because of a greater volume to surface area ratio, e.g. in the great white shark.

gigger = jigger (a jig for fishing; jigs are hooks or lures of various kinds which are jerked up and down in the water to attract and catch fish. May be carried out by hand or by mechanical devices).

gild = 1) assuming a yellow phosphorescent colour due to incipient decay in fish. Also spelled guild.

gild = 2) of full size and weight, said of marketable fish (Scottish dialect). Also spelled gyld and gjild.

gill = 1) a paired respiratory organ in fishes consisting of gill filaments on the gill arch in the posterior portion of the head and usually providing the primary exchange of gases between the blood and the surrounding water.

gill = 2) to catch a fish in a gill net.

gill = 3) to become entangled in a gill net.

gill = 4) to gut and clean a fish.

gill = 5) a ravine or valley (Viking, still in use in England).

gill arch = the endochondral skeletal support of the gill which bears the gill filaments and the gill rakers. Consists of pharyngobranchials, epibranchials, ceratobranchials and hypobranchials. Usually 4 in teleosts, can be as many as 16 in some Cyclostomata.

gill bar = the tissue between adjacent gill slits containing blood vessels, nerves and skeletal support.

gill basket = branchial basket (the network-like cartilaginous skeleton of the gill region of Petromyzontiformes and Holocephali).

gill cavity = the area occupied the gills.

gill chamber = the cavity containing the gills on each side of the rear of the head, enclosed by the operculum and the branchiostegal membrane.

gill chamber brooder = a reproductive guild (q.v.) where eggs are incubated in the gill cavity, e.g. the cave fish Amblyopsis spelea.

gill cleft = gill slit.

gill cover = the side of the head covering the gills, comprising the bones (mostly the operculum) and associated tissues of the opercular series.

gill disease = see bacterial, dietary, hamburger, nutritional and proliferative gill disease.

gill filament = the thread-like, soft, red respiratory and excretory structure projecting outward from the gill arch.

gill-helix = diverticulum pharyngealis (epibranchial organ (a paired dorsal diverticulum at the posterior limit of the pharynx in certain microphagous fishes. Also called gill-helix, pharyngeal organ, or pharyngeal pocket. In all forms with these organs, except some characids, prominent gill rakers extend into the organ dividing its cavity into two parts, one confluent with the pharynx, and one with the opercular cavity. Small food particles, generally plankton, are retained by the rakers, consolidated by mucus and squeezed out into the oesophagus. Found in Heterotidae, Characidae, Chanoidei, Gonorhynchoidei, Clupeidae and Engraulidae)).

gill lamella (plural gill lamellae) = the transverse vertical platelet on the gill filament, through which capillaries run. The primary gill lamellae carry numerous fine layers called secondary lamellae which are the actual regions of respiration and excretion.

gill lamellae = plural of gill lamella.

gill maggot = a copepod crustacean (Ergasilus) parasitising fish gills. There is no intermediate host. Rarely a problem in aquaria but common on wild and cultured fish. Fish gasp, cough, flare the gill covers and have an increased respiration.

gill membrane = the tissue supported by the branchiostegals and forming the lower wall of the gill cavity. Preferably called the branchiostegal membrane, q.v.

gill net = a net suspended in the water at varying depths by means of floats on the upper margin and weights on the lower margin. The mesh size determines the size of fishes caught, the fish being entangled around the gill region or gilled. Also called entangling net.

gill netting = catching fish with a gill net.

gill opening = an external opening leading from the gill chamber. Also called gill slit or branchial opening. Elasmobranchii have 5-7 openings or slits on each side of the head while bony fishes have only one. The opening allows water to exit after passing over the gills for respiration.

gill pouch = the sac containing the gills and communicating with the mouth cavity and with the exterior in Myxini and Petromyzontiformes.

gill raker = one of a series of variously shaped bony or cartilaginous projections on the inner side of the branchial arch. The rakers have epithelial denticles and both their gross and fine structure serves to retain food particles in the mouth. The gill raker count normally includes all rakers, even the rudiments, and is made on the front half of the first arch. Upper and lower gill raker counts may be presented as the upper and the lower (including the central raker), e.g. 9 + 17; or as upper rakers, central raker, and lower rakers, e.g. 9 + 1 + 16. The most anterior and posterior rakers are often small and delicate, easily torn or lost if the arch is removed. Plankton feeders have numerous, crowded, elongate and fine rakers while predators have few, separated, short and stubby rakers.

gill raker sieve = the set of gill rakers on the gill arches acting as a filter or sieve.

gill ray = branchial ray (the cartilaginous rod projecting out from the gill arch into the interbranchial septum which it supports and from the hyoid arch into the first hemibranch. Homologous with branchiostegal. Found in Elasmobranchii and Acanthodii).

gill rod = one of a series of gelatinous rods supporting the pharynx in Amphioxi. Also the ossified or cartilaginous rods supporting the individual gill filaments in teleosts.

gill rope = net rope (a float line made of two ropes of opposite twist to prevent kinking).

gill rot = branchiomycosis (a disease caused by the fungi Branchiomyces sanguinis and B. demigrans found particularly in carp and eels. Respiratory distress is caused by gill necrosis as blood vessels thrombose. Gills become discoloured in patches and rot. Occurs in ponds with high temperatures, excess organic matter and high ammonia levels. Also called European gill rot).

gill septum = the layer of tissue lying between the two hemibranchs. In Elasmobranchii the septum extends out to the outer surface of the body and divides the gill slits. In the Teleostomi the septum is shorter than the gills.

gill sinusoid = the wide, thin-walled capillaries found in the secondary lamellae on the gill filaments. They are short and have large lumina.

gill slit = gill opening.

gill teeth = pharyngeal teeth (teeth on the pharyngeal bones. May be placed in a dorsal and ventral pair, as in most teleost fishes, or in laterally opposing pairs, one set on each side, as in Cyprinidae and Catostomidae. The upper pharyngeal teeth are located on a dentigerous plate on the fourth pharyngobranchials and the lower pharyngeal teeth on the dentigerous plate on the fifth ceratobranchials. The pharyngeal teeth of minnows and suckers are processes on the dentigerous plate of the fifth ceratobranchials and are thus homologous to the lower pharyngeal teeth of other fishes; these oppose a prominent horny pad which rests on a projection from the basioccipital).

gill tuft = a fluffy cluster of gill filaments, e.g. in Syngnathidae. See also tuft gill.

gill-net fishery = any fishery where the gear is limited to the use of gill nets only.

gilled = 1) gill (2, 3 and 4).

gilled = 2) fish caught in a net and entangled in the gill region.

gilled and gutted weight = the weight of fish after the gills and guts (and sometimes the heads) have been removed. The gills and guts are usually discarded at sea.

gillie = ghillie.

gilling = the process of being gilled.

gillnetter = a vessel in eastern Canada that is over 10 gross tons and less than 65 feet long. Used for gillnetting and for longlining.

gills, to the = completely, as full as possible.

gilly = ghillie.

gilson = wire tackle for emptying the cod end of a trawl.

gilt = to become yellow as in fish in the early stages of decay (Scottish dialect).

gin pole = a stout pole on the deck of a fishing boat used to haul fish on board.

gingeing = ganging.

ginners = fish gills (English and Scottish dialect).

gip = 1) the point of a fish jaw or the protruding jaw.

gip = 2) gib (3).

gip = 3) a cut made in the belly of a fish in order to gib (3) it, i.e. remove the intestines and associated organs.

gip = 4) herring guts.

gipper = a woman employed in gutting fish.

gipping = gibbing.

gipsy = warping end (a small, spool-shaped, auxiliary drum with filleted flanges at each end fitted outside the main part of a winch for general use in handling fishing gear).

gipsy head = gipsy.

gird-an'-girns = a girn on the end of a fishing rod used for trout in deep pools (Scottish dialect).

girdie = a large reel used to pull in stainless steel trolling lines. Also called girdle.

girdle = 1) the skeletal support of the paired fins. See pectoral girdle and pelvic girdle.

girdle = 2) the large reel used to pull in trolling lines. Also called girdie.

girn = a snare or running line, often used for catching trout in deep pools (Scottish dialect). Also see gird-an-girns.

girne = girn.

girth = the circumference, usually the maximum, of the body of a fish, excluding fins.

GIS = Geographic Information System.

gisukeni = small fish species such as gobies, pond smelt and anchovies (and also shrimps) dried, or after baking or boiling, then soaked in a seasoning made from sugar and soy bean sauce. Then dried again by smouldering (Japan).

give one whitings but [= without] bones = to flatter or wheedle (English and Scottish dialect). See also butter a whiting.

gizaboo = gazebo.

gizzard = longitudinal folds in the oesophagus of certain fishes, e.g. Mugilidae, used for grinding and softening food, especially plants.

gizzard erosion = a gut abnormality caused by a dietary toxin.

gjild = gild (2).

glabrous = smooth.

glacial lake = a lake formed from melting ice sheets facilitating fish movements, especially in the Pleistocene.

glacial relict = a relict isolated by events associated with one of the glacial periods when much of northern North America and Eurasia were ice-covered and fishless.

glaciomarine relict = a relict from glacial times and a marine environment, e.g. Myoxocephalus thompsoni.

glaive = an eel spear with flattened tines used on sand or hard bottoms as in the English fenland.

glancing = the skimming or bouncing of young (up to four weeks old) Cichlidae such as Etroplus maculatus off the side of the adult fish.

glandular triangle = a term proposed to designate a cross section of the ventrolateral-glandular grooves of the sting of a Mylobatoidei, but which was later expanded to include cross sections of the glandular grooves of other fishes regardless of the anatomical position of the groove.

glandula nidamentaria = the anterior portion of the oviduct or Müllerian duct in Elasmobranchii which consists of an anterior albumen gland and a posterior shell gland which secrete the albumen and horny egg shell.

glandula rectalis = rectal gland (an evagination of the terminal portion of the intestine of Elasmobranchii. Function formerly thought to be related to digestion or excretion, but now considered to secrete high concentrations of excess sodium chloride. Found also in the coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae).

glans = terminal end of the intromittent organ of Chondrichthyes.

Glasgow capon = a salt herring. See also capon.

Glasgow magistrate = a red herring (q.v.) (Scotland). Also called magistrate.

Glasgow pale = a variety of eyemouth cured (q.v.) haddock that is smoked so lightly that it has the barest detectable smoky flavour and almost no colour (Scotland).

glass eel = elver (young transparent, cylindrical transformed Anguilla about 5-8 cmc long, at the stage in their migration where they have reached the coasts and begin ascending rivers and have lost the leaf-like leptocephalus form).

glass float = a hollow ball of glass once used by fishermen to support nets in various parts of the world, now replaced with modern materials such as aluminium and plastics such as styrofoam. Most numerous in the Pacific from Japanese fishing gear, still washing up on shore and now collectibles. The Japanese ones are mostly greenish from the long exposure of recycled sake bottles. Norwegian glass floats were egg-sized and used with hook and line. Also called glass fishing float and Japanese fishing float.

glass fishing float = glass float.

glass trap = a Japanese glass bottle, up to 45 cm in diameter, with a funnel neck entrance, baited and left overnight to catch freshwater fish. The fish are removed via a stoppered hole.

glass-bottom boat = a boat with part or all of its bottom made of transparent material for direct and dry observation of aquatic life.

glassworm = also called white mosquito larvae, these are phantom midge (Chaoborus sp.) larvae sometimes used as food in aquaria. Since they are predators, they should not be introduced to fish tanks containing fry.

glaum = to scoop up shoaling fish with a net (Newfoundland).

glazing = protection of unwrapped fish against drying by dipping in cold water, spraying with cold water or brushing with water to form a protective ice layer.

glean = a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for herrings.

glenoid region = the region of articulation between the scapula and cleithrum, and the coracoid and cleithrum.

glibe = glipe (1 and 2).

glide = 1) a shallow stream habitat with smooth and slow flow and no turbulence. Velocity is less than 20cm/s.

glide = 2) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for flying fish.

glider = a type of jerkbait that glides form side to side on alternate strokes of the fishing rod.

glint = a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for goldfish (coined).

glipe = 1) a newly-spawned fish (Scottish dialect). Also spelled glibe.

glipe = 2) a spent and sickly cod (Scottish dialect). Also spelled glibe.

glitter = dirty slime on fish skins (archaic).

global catch = a limit applied to the total catch from a fishery.

global positioning system = a hand-held electronic system that uses satellite signals to give exact locations on the earth's surface as latitude and longitude. Variously used for locating fisheries, favourite angling spots and scientific sampling locations. Takes all the fun out of getting lost with maps. Abbreviated as GPS.

global sea = all the sea waters of the Earth regarded as one ocean. Also called world ocean.

globiform = a spherical shape, e.g. in porcupinefish.

globoid = ball-shaped or spheroidal.

glochidia = the larval stage of mussels attaching to fish fins and gills and forming cysts.

glochidiasis = the infection of fish tissues with glochidia.

GloFish = a trade-marked name for a zebra fish (Brachydanio rero) containing a gene from a jellyfish that makes the fish bright red or green under normal light and fluorescent under ultraviolet light. Developed to detect environmental pollutants such as oestrogen and heavy metals via an estrogen-inducible promoter and a stress-responsive promoter used to drive the fluorescent colour genes. Also sold as an aquarium novelty.

glogg = glugg.

glomerular = with glomeruli.

glomeruli = plural of glomerulus.

glomerulus (plural glomeruli) = the network of capillaries within Bowman's capsule of the kidney tubule. The network filters water and nitrogenous wastes from the blood.

gloor = fish turned putrid after being hung up to dry (Scottish dialect).

gloss = the sheen or brightness on the cut surface of smoked or thawed fish indicative of quality.

Gloss = the replacement line corresponding to the lowest observed spawning stock (or loss). The slope of the replacement line joining the origin of the stock-recruitment plot to the point given by the fitted recruitment value Rloss, at the lowest observed spawning stock biomass, Sloss. The slope is calculated from Gloss = Rloss/Sloss.

glossatella = a disease caused by a ciliated protozoan (Apiosoma sp.) causing increased mucus production of the skin and gills, the latter resulting in respiratory problems.

glossohyal = lingual plate (a dermal toothed bone covering and sometimes fusing with the basihyal, e.g. in Osteoglossidae. Also called dermentoglossum, supralingual or basihyal dental plate).

glossopharyngeal nerve = cranial nerve IX innervating taste buds in the rear of the mouth and on the gill arches.

Gloucester's royal pie = a pie made with lampreys caught in the Severn River of southwest England. The Corporation of Gloucester sent such a pie to the king or queen of the day. Often decorated with gilt ornaments. One weighing 20 lb was sent to Queen Victoria, for example, and was decorated with truffles, crayfish on gold skewers, a gold crown and sceptre on the top and four golden lions at the base, and a banner with the Gloucester coat of arms.

glow-in-the-dark rope = an experimental rope which glows yellow-green for 48 hours, can be recharged in sunlight, and may prove effective at stopping whales from becoming entangled in fish nets as their superior vision should enable them to spot and avoid the nets.

glue = 1) fish glue (isinglass (the glutinous or gelatin-like fluid prepared from the collagen of the outer layer of gas bladders of sturgeons or other fishes. Used in clarifying wines and beers, for jams and jellies, in printing inks and as an adhesive cement)).

glue = 2) a liquid glue made from the bones, fins and skin of fish by heating in water, used cold for bookbinding, for example. See also photo-engraving glue.

glug = glugg.

glugg = dirty slime on fish skins (Scottish dialect). Also spelled glug and glogg.

glut = 1) a commercial catch with too many fish to process.

glut = 2) slime on fish skins (Orkney dialect).

glutted = 1) fish with full stomachs.

glutted = 2) said of an overcrowded fishery.

glutton = deep-bodied or obese morphs as a result of an increase in available food. Not of any taxonomic significance but sometimes named as morpha, e.g. morpha lacustris as the result of filling of reservoirs and the very high nutrient load from a flooded terrestrial ecosystem (Balon, 1977).

glossohyal = the median dermal toothed bone at the anterior of the hyoid series. It covers dorsally the cartilaginous or bony basihyal. See lingual plate. Equivalent to the basihyal of Elasmobranchii.

GMO = genetically modified organism, e.g. in fishes such species as zebra danios, Danio rerio, and medaka, Oryzias latipes, carry genes from other organisms such as the fluorescent pigments of corals. They have appeared on sale in the aquarium trade in some countries but are banned in most countries.

gnathal = relating to the jaw. See also gnathic.

gnathic = relating to the jaw. See also gnathal.

gnawer = a fish biting out small hard pieces of food, such as coral, e.g. Balistidae, Monocanthidae and relatives.

go = said of migrating fish, especially salmon (Newfoundland).

go fish = a card game. Two players try to accumulate books of cards by asking the opponent for particular cards (hence go fish).

go fishing = to seek for an obliging or mercenary woman.

go on the plant = to fish on one's own account (Newfoundland).

go sanke = a collective term for highly regarded types of ornamental carp or koi (q.v.).

goatfish = 1) members of the family Mullidae.

goatfish = 2) the combined symbols of Enki (q.v.), the Sumerian god of water, later appearing as Capricorn, which became one of the signs of the zodiac. See also Ea.

gob = 1) to remove a hook from a fish gut with a gob stick.

gob = 2) an unspecified amount of fish.

gob = 3) a cod's tongue and lips.

gob stick = a short to long forked stick used to remove the swallowed hook from the intestine of a fish caught by longlining (Canada).

gobbetted = a fifteenth century word for dressing trout (preparing this fish for consumption), no longer in use.

God's fish = an oath (archaic, more usually odds fish).

gogar = a large fish hook, larger than usual; a hook used for securing netted fish or a fish caught by line (Scottish dialect). Also spelled gogger and goger.

gogel = gug (2).

goger = gogar.

gogger = gogar.

gogl = gug (2).

going fishing = a batter in baseball who swings at a pitch outside the strike zone. Also called fishing trip.

goiter = a dietary disease of fish caused by a lack of iodine.

gold dust disease = an infectious disease caused by dinoflagellates evidenced by a golden or brownish dusty appearance on the fish skin through mucus production. The fish may show irritability, flashing, respiration difficulties and clamping of the fins. A very contagious and often fatal disease in aquaria. Called velvet disease when Oodinium (or Piscinoodinium), coral fish disease when Amyloodinium, and rust from the appearance.

golden caviar = almas, i.e., either the eggs of an albino sturgeon with a light and delicate flavour or those of Acipenser gueldenstaedtii at least 60 years of age with a creamy and subtle flavour.

golden cure = a heavily-salted herring cold smoked for 5-6 days instead of several weeks. Also used on freshwater fish.

golden cutlet = cold smoked block fillet of small haddock or whiting. May be dyed, available frozen or chilled.

goldfish = 1) Carassius auratus, a cyprinid fish, popular in aquaria but also a food fish in some parts of the world and widely introduced.

goldfish = 2) a proprietary brand of crackers, pretzels and other snack foods.

goldfish cocktail = contains no Carassius auratus but is comprised of 2 ounces of gin, 1 ounce of dry vermouth and a quarter ounce of Goldwasser liqueur (a German herbal liqueur with 22-karat gold flakes suspended in it).

goldfish crap = loose translation of the Japanese "kingo no funi" referring to the faecal cast (q.v., faeces hanging from the anus), meaning a sycophant or hanger-on.

goldfish swallowing = a fad in 1920s America, re-emerging in 1939 at universities, re-appearing at intervals since then, and being banned in various towns. The record allegedly exceeded 300 fish at one sitting. The Belgian city of Geraardsbergen maintains an annual medieval festival where a small fish swimming in a cup of wine is swallowed (goldfish are now used as they are cheap and readily available).

goldfishing = forgetting a task not carried out immediately (slang).

gonad = the organ, ovary and testis, producing the primary sexual products (eggs and sperm), and the sex hormones.

gonad maturation stage = degree of gonadal development; differs according to authors.

gonadal vein = one of the veins from the gonads (ovaries or testes) draining to the hepatic portal vein.

gonadosomatic index = gonosomatic index.

gonapophyses = plural of gonapophysis.

gonapophysis (plural gonapophyses) = the enlarged haemal arches articulating with the gonopodium in Poeciliidae and Horaichthyidae.

gong show = a crowd of anglers in a confined space often tangling their lines.

gonochoric = adjective for gonochorism. See also gonochoristic.

gonochorism = those species with sexes separate, the male and female reproductive organs being in different individuals, as opposed to hermaphroditic, gynogenetic, and hybridogenetic.

gonochoristic = adjective for gonochorism. See also gonochoric.

gonoduct = any duct that generally transfers eggs or sperm cells.

gonopodia = plural of gonopodium.

gonopodium (plural gonopodia) = the specialized rays at the front of the anal fin in males, modified as a trough or united as a tube, used to transfer sperm to the female, e.g. in Poeciliidae, Horaichthyidae and Embiotocidae.

gonosomatic index = gonad weight expressed as a percentage of whole body weight. Used to describe the gonad maturation cycle. Abbreviated GSI.

googit = said of fish that are soft and on the point of decay (Scottish dialect).

goor = 1) slime scraped from fish (Scottish dialect). Also spelled goorie, goory and gourie. See also gurry.

goor = 2) fish intestines used as bait for other fish such as eels (Scottish dialect). Also spelled goorie, goory and gourie. See also gurry.

goorie = goor.

goory = goor.

gorge = 1) an old piece of fishing gear comprising a short piece of wood, bone, horn, flint or metal, variously shaped, but having sharp ends, usually a central attachment for the line, and embedded in bait. When the fish swims away, having swallowed the baited gorge, it lodges crosswise in the throat. Variants have line attached at one end and the other end pointed, a cross-shape that spreads open when the line is pulled, and the spring-gorge or spring-angle, q.v.

gorge = 2) a small, narrow canyon with steep sides with a stream.

gorge fishing = trolling with a dead bait on a double hook which the fish is given time to swallow, or gorge.

gorm = gurm.

gosen = gozen.

goshen = abundant, used of fish when there is a good catch; usually appears in the plural (Scottish dialect).

gospel-shark = a clergyman or missionary (slang).

gotrif = gutriv.

gotriv = gutriv.

goujon = a strip of fillet usually floured, egg-washed and bread-crumbed.

goujonettes de sole = sole filets baked or fried in bread crumbs and a light batter; the origin of fish sticks, q.v.

gourie = goor.

governor = the master of the first English fishing vessel to reach a harbour in Newfoundland, having certain privileges for the season. See also fishing admiral.

gowk = to kill a hooked fish by thrusting a stick down its throat (Scottish dialect).

gowp = guddle (1) (Scottish dialect).

gozen = to dry partially in the sun (Shetland Isles dialect). Also spelled gosen.

gozzer = the soft, white maggot of a bluebottle fly bred by anglers in Britain for catching bream (Abramis brama).

GPS = global positioning system.

graball = gill net (Australia).

grabbling = noodling (capturing fish by hand, often in murky waters under logs and boulders or in mud holes; may be restricted to use of a hook or snare type device, with or without a short attached line, manipulated by hand when a person is in or under the water. See also hogging and hand-fishing).

gracile = slight, small, slender, light-weight. The opposite is robust or massive. Used to describe anatomical structures and whole organisms.

grade = an artificial taxon as opposed to a clade, q.v.

graded stream = a stream that has reached almost an equilibrium state in respect of sediment transport and supply.

gradient = rate of vertical fall of a stream or river, expressed as metres per kilometre.

grading = 1) separating fish by size using screens or sieves of appropriate sizes.

grading = 2) sorting fish by hand according to size, quality, class, species, etc.

grading = 3) the size at which fish fillets are sold.

gradistic classification = use of key characters or traits to form groups, e.g. predators or birds, or where groups advance from lowly to advanced grades in a subjective fashion. While members of a monophyletic clade can be predicted to share other characters not used in their definition, gradistically classified organisms may not share properties not included in their definition.

gradualism = evolution with slow and steady rates of change as opposed to punctuated equilibrium, q.v.

graduated = becoming progressively longer in one direction, e.g. said of spines becoming progressively longer along the fin length.

graggan = small fish from a catch divided among the crew as leftovers (Scottish dialect). Also spelled groggan.

Graham's Great Law of Fishing = all fisheries that are unregulated become unprofitable.

graice = grease.

grain = 1) grains may be used to indicate the optimal weight of line a fly rod will cast. Most modern rods will cast 400 grains easily. 1 ounce is 437.5 grains (or 28.35 grams). Note that one ounce equals 1.42 metric grains, a different measure.

grain = 2) a tine or prong of a fork used to move fish.

grain alcohol = ethanol (C₂H₅OH; used as a 70-80% solution in water for the permanent preservation and storage of fish specimens in museum collections. Also called ethyl alcohol or spirit of wine).

grainy caviar = dry caviar (caviar prepared in such a way that the eggs can be separated easily).

graith = to ready fishing tackle (Scottish dialect). Also spelled graithe, greth, greath and grath.

graithe = graith.

gram(me) = 0.0022 lb. Abbreviated as g.

grammistan = a bitter tasting toxin secreted in mucus from disturbed Grammistidae (Diploprion, Aulacocephalus, Rypticus, Grammistops, Pogonoperca, Grammistes). Disturbed grammistids produce a large quantity of mucus, which when confined to a small volume of water becomes frothy and may be lethal to other fishes. The mucus may cause a predator to drop a grammistid that the predator has seized. To humans the mucus has an immediate unpleasant bitter taste accompanied by a light stinging sensation.

Grand Bank(s) = a shoal area (about 50 fathoms deep) south and east of Newfoundland in the Atlantic Ocean, the greatest cod fishery in the world until recently (1990s) and supporting many other commercial species. Many specialised words or words with special meanings derive from this fishery.

Grand Banker = a fisherman working on the Grand Banks.

grannie = an extra large plaice (Scottish dialect).

granny = killick (an early form of anchor made from a wooden frame enclosing large stones, with four flukes at the bottom, one of which would dig into the sea floor. Still extant locally in Maritime Canada. Also called keylock, kellick).

Granton trawl = a Scottish-designed otter trawl used in deep water.

granulated = rough with small bumps.

granulocyte = leucocytes or white blood cells that fight infection, distinguished by deeply staining granular material in the cytoplasm. In fish called acidophils, basiphils, eosinophils and neutrophils.

grapelin = graple.

grapenel = graple.

graphite = a material used for making fishing rods; stiff and sensitive.

graple = a light anchor to moor small boats and stationary fishing gear (Newfoundland).

grappling gear = fishing gear that wounds or kills fish rather than trapping them, e.g. harpoons, spears, arrows, a series of hooks, etc. Also called wounding gear.

grase = grease.

grass = grassbed; any area with vegetation.

grass carp rhabdovirus = a virus infecting young grass carp at 23ºC; relationship to other rhabdoviruses unknown.

grassbed = an area of marine or freshwater grasses, such as eelgrass.

grated = commercially, a mixture of particles of fish that have been reduced to a uniform size but are discrete and do not comprise a paste. Also called shredded.

grath = graith.

graticule = a network of fine lines, dots, cross hairs, or wires in the focal plane of the eyepiece of an optical instrument. Used to measure the size of such objects as eggs of fishes. Also called reticle or reticule.

gravadlax = gravlax.

gravel = pebbles and small stones 3-76 m in diameter or 2-64 mm (sources differ). Pea gravel is 3-30 mm. Sometimes used in a broad sense for objects 2-256 mm or in a restricted sense for those 2-4 mm in diameter.

gravel permeability = passage of water through gravel; important in supplying oxygen to incubating fish eggs.

gravel pit = a large cavity excavated for its deposits, often filled naturally with water and stocked with fish.

gravid = 1) full of eggs or embryos.

gravid = 2) ready to spawn.

gravid spot = a dark spot above the anal fin on some livebearers; particularly prominent when they are about to give birth as it is the dark embryos, and their dark eyes, which are visible through the body wall. Some livebearers have an actual spot on the skin in this location but this not the same structure.

gravity trap = a weighted cylinder that falls down and traps any fish pulling on a bait attached to a trigger mechanism. Also called drum gravity trap.

gravlaks = gravlax.

gravlax = fillets of salmon cured with salt, pepper, sugar and spices such as fresh dill, pressed with weights in a chilled environment, and served sliced thin. Also called gravlox, gravlaks and gravadlax.

gravlox = gravlax.

gravy = fish gravy is fish sauce.

grayling reach = grayling zone.

grayling section = grayling zone.

grayling zone = an area of a river lying between the trout and the barbel zones (both q.v.) characterised by alternating rapid and moderate currents.

graypnel = graple.

grazer = a fish that feeds on plants.

grease = herring oil (Newfoundland). Also spelled graice and grase.

grease ice = a soupy and thin ice layer at the water surface formed from accumulated frazil ice, q.v.

grease trail = a trail used to reach the traditional fishery for eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus, Osmeridae) in the Pacific northwest and bring back the oil from this fish for trade. The oil is solid at low temperatures with the consistency of soft butter, being pungent and golden. The grease is used as condiment, in bread and stews and formerly as a preservative for dried berries. See also cultural keystone species.

greasy = fish infected with Ichthyophonus hoferi (possibly a fungus) having flesh with a soft and greasy feel and a sweet, sickly smell, e.g. in Melanogrammus aeglefinus, especially smoked haddock, and herring. Fillets have a blotchy appearance which show as white spots in smoked fish. Also called greasers or greasy haddock.

great bank = the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.

great diurnal range = the difference in height between mean higher high water and mean lower low water.

great fish = those fish species of size and commercial importance (Scottish dialect).

Great Herring Pond = the Atlantic Ocean.

Great Law of Fishing = fisheries that are unlimited become unprofitable.

great line = a longline running for many kilometres with thousands of hooks (20 km and 12,000 hooks).

great suborbital = third infraorbital in Characidae.

greath = graith.

greave = glaive.

grebeshki = a Russian term for the scalloped ridge ornamentation found on the armour of Heterostraci.

greedy pig rig = a fishing rig for holding very large baits, designed to avoid bites from smaller, undesired species.

green = raw, of fish eggs, of fish flesh when minimally prepared, of young ichthyologists.

green bone = the colour of bones in certain fishes, e.g. Tautogolabrus adspersus (Labridae), Belone and Tylosurus species (Belonidae). See also blue bone.

green cure = cod, haddock, herring and hake when unsalted, or green fish.

green eggs = 1) unfertilised eggs stripped from a fish and easily transported.

green eggs = 2) healthy, newly-fertilised salmon eggs vulnerable to shock.

green fish = fish split and stored between layers of salt but not dried. Green fish would keep for months in a ship's hold and were moist or "green".

green fisher = green fisherman.

green fisherman =a migrating fisherman carrying out the cod fishery in a schooner on the Labrador coast, salting the catch aboard the vessel.

green fishing light = fishing light attractor (an underwater light used to attract fish including both bait and larger fish. Variously legal or not depending on jurisdiction. Also called green light from the colour emitted).

green light = green fishing light.

green man = one of a specified number of novice fishermen required by regulation to be carried on on a British fishing vessel migrating to Newfoundland.

green manure = plants grown for ploughing into the bed of s dried-up pond as fertiliser for when the pond is refilled.

green roe = green eggs, immature roe, e.g. chinook salmon eggs at 0 days age (stages at 45°F in chinook salmon are green = 0 days, eyed = 38 days, sack fry = 69 days, swim up = 92 days and button up = 115 days).

green salted fish = green fish.

green tuna = an undesirable green colour appearing in some cooked tuna loin often with a urine-like odour.

green water = 1) nutrient enrichment in aquaculture facilities so as to increase the food supply, e.g. for marine fish larvae.

green water = 2) proliferation of green algae in aquaria or ponds, not deliberate.

greenfishery = fishing for cod that were stored as green fish for transport to Europe from the Grand Banks.

greenfishing = the fishery for green fish.

greenhorn = a worker on a fishing vessel on his or her first season.

greening = a grey to green discolouration of canned tuna or in gas-packed, sliced smoked salmon. Trimethylamine and myoglobin are involved although the chemistry is unclear.

Gregorian calendar = the day following 4 October 1582 of the Julian calendar was designated 15 October 1582 of the Gregorian calendar; the 10 days being dropped in order that the vernal equinox would fall on March 21. The Gregorian calendar was not adopted by England until 1752, but is now in general use throughout the world. However it was adopted only in the twentieth century in Russia and so collection dates on museum samples can appear under a different date when subsequently revised.

greth = graith.

grey cataract = a disease found particularly in goldfish manifesting as a whitish condition in one eye lens.

griap = to catch a trout by groping.

grif-fish = one newly arrived in British India, unaccustomed to the ways and manners of the country (more usually griffin).

grilse = 1) strictly, a mature one-winter salmon ready to spawn and so much smaller than those having spent several winters in the sea. Used particularly in reference to Salmo salar and members of the genus Oncorhynchus.

grilse = 2) a precociously mature, anadromous salmonid just before or just after entering the river to spawn while still in silvery sea-run condition. It is smaller and usually younger than the true, mature adult.

grilsing = the process whereby a smolt matures in a single year at sea; also refers to the physiological and biochemical changes involved.

grin = girn.

grind = 1) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for blackfish.

grind = 2) a wooden frame on which fishing lines and hooks are wound (Scottish dialect). See also dorro.

grindal worm = a small Enchytraeus species fed to older fry and small aquarium fishes.

grinner knot = a knot used by anglers to attach swivels, hooks and lures to the main line; more clinched and stronger than the related blood knot. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.

grip = the cork handle of a fly rod, of varying types.

grist = sand, gravel, shell fragments and salt granules on the surface of cod that must be washed off before marketing (Newfoundland).

gristle = cartilage, q.v., especially when ingested by humans.

grizzly = trash collector (a wire fence across a stream used to retain debris and create a dam and a plunge pool; makes habitat for fish and collects gravel for spawning habitat. Also called debris catcher, trash catcher).

grocery bait = bait made from items found in a grocery, e.g. cheese, corn, marshmallows, etc.

grockle fodder = fish and chips; from grockle, a holidaymaker or tourist.

grog fish = the first cod of the season caught off Newfoundland or Labrador. This fish was split, gutted and the head left on was then placed in the hold of the schooner with the other fish. The crew member who took this unique fish from the hold later had to buy grogs or drinks for all the crew when they went to St. John's to sell the catch.

groggan = graggan.

groin = a solid structure built at an angle from a shore of the sea or a stream to prevent erosion from currents, tides and waves or to trap sand.

groin bay = the beach area between two groins.

groin field = groin system.

groin system = a series of groins arranged to protect a beach. Also called groin field.

groot = grute.

grootie barrel = a barrel or jar for storing oil from fish livers (Scottish dialect). Also called grootie pig.

grootie kettle = the pot in which fish livers were rendered for their oil (Scottish dialect).

grootie pig = grootie barrel.

groove = a basket for catching fish (Scottish dialect).

groovy = a sardine (American slang).

gross catch = the total weight of fish taken by a fishing unit.

gross protein value = the amount of protein present in fish meal whether available or not.

gross registered tonnage = a measure of a vessel's volume and size, and therefore of fishing capacity.

gross removal = the total live weight of a fish caught during fishing.

gross tonnage = a measurement of ship volume; may be used with engine power as a measure of fishing capacity.

gross weight = the total weight of the fish plus any bags, trays, wrappings, etc. it is contained in, cf. net weight.

ground = 1) the bottom of any body of water.

ground = 2) a shoal area with plankton and bait fishes and thus attractive to commercial species.

ground angling = angling with a weighted line without a float.

ground bait = food used as an attractant for fish in angling. Bread crumbs is the most common base and a wide variety of additives and flavours are mixed in with anglers having their own recipes. Flavours can be sweet, spicy or fishmeal, for example. Also called berley.

ground baiting = throwing food into the water to attract fish; it usually sinks to the bottom and is meant for benthic feeders.

ground basket = a pot or basket made of wood or osier and used to catch eels (or crabs and lobsters). Also called bottom-set pot.

ground cable = the length of wire or rope connecting the otter boards to the wings or towing bridle of a trawl net. Also called sweep line.

ground colour = the background colour or shade, used when describing the overall colour appearance of a fish.

ground drave = herring fishing by means of deep-sunk nets (Scottish dialect).

ground drove = ground drave.

ground fishing = fishing with bait on or near the bottom.

ground flake = poles or longers (q.v.) placed on the beach for the drying of cod (Newfoundland).

ground glass jar = a glass vessel with a finely ground neck internally and a matching stopper, used to store fish specimens in museum collections. The seal is often very effective and vaseline or some other substance may be used to further prevent evaporation or preservative.

ground line = a line used in ground fishing.

ground net = any kind of fishing net used on the bottom.

ground rope = groundrope.

ground spring = a spring from which water seeps into an area such as a pond or lake; useful for aquaculture.

ground string =fishing line that reaches to the sea floor (Scottish dialect).

ground water = water under the land surface and below the substrate of a water body. May be habitat for hypogean fishes, q.v.

groundbait paste = a bait made from stiffened ground bait and used with ground bait for catching such fish as bream (Abramis brama) in Britain.

groundfish = fish that live on or near the bottom, usually those sought commercially. Also called bottom fish.

groundling = small fishes that keep at the bottom.

groundrope = the rope forming the front edge of a trawl or demersal seine in contact with the sea bed. Often weighted with a chain and, on rough ground, protected by iron or rubber rollers, cookies, q.v., or bobbins, q.v. See also footrope and foot line.

groundwater = adjective for ground water.

groundwater outcrop = a spring.

group = in nomenclature, an assemblage of co-ordinate categories - the family-group, genus-group, or species-group; a neutral term for an assemblage of related taxa.

grout = grute.

grow-out = in aquaculture, the stage at which young fish have grown to market size.

grow-out operation = in aquaculture, the process of using any pond or enclosure for rearing of fish to a certain size, usually the market size.

grow-out tank = a separate aquarium for fry to grow to a marketable size or large enough to be placed in an aquarium with adults.

grower fish = fish in aquaculture past the fingerling stage and growing to marketable size.

growing pond = rearing pond (1) an artificial impoundment in which juvenile fish are raised prior to release into the natural habitat).

growing season = that period of a year in which growth takes place in fishes; varies with locality, mostly summer in cooler regions, year round in the tropics.

growler = a small segment of sea ice, usually glacial in origin, and usually greenish in colour, awash with sea water and difficult to see, hazardous to shipping.

growth curve = growth plotted against time on a graph.

growth hormone = a peptide produced in the anterior pituitary of fish regulating growth, metabolism and ion regulation.

growth mark = a layer of material deposited on a scale or bone which reflects the growth of a fish. Also called growth ring or growth zone.

growth model = a mathematical description or representation of the size of a living organisms at its various ages, e.g. the Von Bertalanffy growth model.

growth overfishing = the rate of fishing, as indicated by an equilibrium yield-per-recruit curve, greater than which the losses in weight from total mortality exceed the gain in weight due to growth. This point is defined as Fmax. It means that individual fish are caught before they have a chance to reach their maximum growth potential. Occurs when too many small fish are being harvested, usually because of excessive effort and poor selectivity, e.g. a too small mesh size. The fishery would produce more weight of fish if the fish were harvested at a larger size. A stock can recover in a single fish's lifetime after overfishing stops. See also recruitment overfishing and economic overfishing.

growth pattern = the relative growth of increments during a time period in the life of the fish and the calcified structure being studied for ageing.

growth period = any time period in which growth occurs.

growth rate = 1) the increase in weight of a fish per year (or season), divided by the initial weight; often measured in terms of K in the von Bertalanffy curve for the mean weight as a function of age (W = Wmax (1-exp (-K age)). Fish grow continuously, although more slowly as they become older. In a managed fishery, fish are allowed to grow to an age which produces good yields, neither too young (still growing rapidly) nor too old (growing slowly).

growth rate = 2) a value that quantifies how much a population can grow between successive time periods. This intrinsic growth rate is often estimated in growth models and is important in evaluating the sustainability of different harvest levels.

growth ring = a layer of material deposited on a scale or bone which reflects the growth of a fish. Also called growth mark or growth zone.

growth zone = a layer of material deposited on a scale or bone which reflects the growth of a fish. Also called growth mark or growth ring.

groyne = British for groin, which is more a part of human anatomy.

grub = a short, plastic imitation of a grub for angling, often used with a weighted jig hook.

grummet = a thick, narrow band of cloth or knitted wool worn around the fingers or palms by fisherman to protect the hand in line-fishing (Newfoundland).

grut = grute.

grute = the thick sediment of oil made from fish livers (Scottish dialect). Also spelled grut, groot and grout.

GSI = gonosomatic index (gonad weight expressed as a percentage of whole body weight).

guanine = the crystalline purine found in the dermis of fishes imparting silvery, white or iridescent (blue or green) tones.

guanophore = a guanine-containing pigment cell. Also called iridocyte or leucophore.

guardian = 1) a resident placed in charge of fishing gear and premises during the winter for the French Newfoundland migratory fishery (gardien in French).

guardian = 2) warden for a salmon river (Newfoundland).

gubbins = fish offal. Also spelled gubbings.

gubbings = gubbins.

guddle = 1) to catch fish by groping with the hands under the banks or stones of a stream (Scottish).

guddle = 2) to catch minnows or trout by means of a slip-knot on horsehair (Shetland Isles dialect).

gudgeon = 1) Gobio gobio, a Eurasian cyprinid.

gudgeon = 2) any member of the Gobioninae (Cyprinidae).

gudgeon = 3) a gullible person.

gudgeon = 4) a bait.

gudgeon = 5) a pivot at the end of a beam or axle on which a wheel turns.

gudgeon = 6) a rod that fits into an eye.

gug (noun) = 1) the slime on fish (Shetland and Orkneys dialect).

gug (verb) = 2) to smear with fish slime (Shetland and Orkneys dialect).

gugel = gug (2).

guggle = gug (2). Also spelled gugl, gugel, gogl and gogel.

gugl = gug (2).

guide = 1) any device used to direct fish to a certain place for capture or avoidance of danger, e.g. lights, bubbles, sound, electricity.

guide = 2) the North American word for the rings along a fishing rod that carry the line.

guide = 3) a professional fishing guide who directs the angler to spots where trophy fish can be found and advises on tackle to catch them. See also ghillie.

guide-stick = a short stick used by dory fishermen as an aid in hauling trawls (Newfoundland).

guideline harvest level = the estimated harvest level that will be allowed in the coming season. This level is judged to be that which gives a sustained yield of fish. It may be adjusted in light of new data.

guild = 1) a group of species, often unrelated taxonomically, that exploit overlapping resources or share common resources by a similar mode. See also feeding guild, reproductive guild and thermal guild.

guild = 2) gild.

gula = the region between the chin and isthmus.

gular = pertaining to the gula, the region between the chin and isthmus.

gular fold = a transverse fold across the throat, anterior to the branchiostegal membranes, e.g. in Hiodontidae.

gular plate = the median or paired, dermal, flat bone(s) between the lower jaws of primitive Teleostomes, below the basibranchials. There is a median gular in Amiidae and some Elopidae, Megalopidae and Albulidae, in some Dipnoi there is a second, posterior median plate while others have two pairs of gulars lateral to the median plate, and in Latimeria, Polypterus and Calamoichthys there is a median plate and a lateral plate on each side. Presumably gulars are serially homologous with branchiostegal rays.

gular region = throat.

gular sac (pouch) = a sac-like protrusion of the pharyngeal region in Southern Hemisphere Petromyzontiformes.

gulbin = gulvin.

gulch = 1) an erosional channel with temporary water or a ravine with steep sides.

gulch = 2) a steep-sided cove.

gulch = 3) a narrow depression in the sea bed.

gulf = an area of sea that penetrates inland, larger than a bay, where the opening is larger than the inland penetration.

gull = a large trout and formerly any large fish (archaic).

gullet = 1) the oesophagus, but used in a general sense by anglers for the upper digestive system of fish where the hook impales.

gullet = 2) a narrow channel in a river, either natural or constructed, used for catching fish.

gulley = gully (3).

gully = 1) an ephemeral stream channel. A small gulch or channel caused by runoff and erosion.

gully = 2) a small pond or series of linked ponds forming the headwaters of a stream.

gully = 3) a deep marine valley. Also spelled gulley.

gully = 4) a barrel or half barrel/tub with handles or rope affixed to its sides, used as a receptacle for salt, fish, bait or cod livers in Newfoundland.

gully stick = a long stick run through the rope handles allowing two people to carry a gully barrel with either end of the stick resting on their shoulders.

gulsh = a variant spelling of gulch.

gulvin = the stomach of a codfish (Newfoundland). Used as garden fertiliser. Term also slang for someone with a great capacity for food. Also spelled gulbin.

gump = guddle (1) (Scottish dialect).

gumph = guddle (1) (Scottish dialect).

gun pump = a fishing method where a school of fish is attracted to an electrode and shot by an air-blast gun.

gunnel = 1) the upper edge of the side of a boat or ship (formerly used to support guns, hence the name). Also spelled gunwhale but pronounced gunnel.

gunnel = 2) a common name for members of the fish family Pholidae.

guns-to-caviar index = a ratio of how much the world spends on fighter jets (guns) and how much on executive jets (caviar), a measure of the geopolitical and economic climate. The ratio was 10:1 in 1990 when Cold War funding was still being spent but by 1996 this had fallen to about 2:1.

gunwhale = gunnel (1).

guppies = term used for the anchovies found on pizzas. See also carp.

guppy disease = a protozoan disease (Tetrahymena corlissi) usually associated with guppies (Poecilia reticulata), other poeciliids and occasionally other aquarium fishes. Colonies of protozoans form small white patches, sometimes around the eyes, scales protrude, and internal organs may be affected.

guppy killer disease = guppy disease.

gurdy = a hand or powered winch, used for hauling longlines or trolling. Also called hurdy-gurdy.

gurgise = a fish-pool, lake or pond (Sussex dialect).

gurl = to catch fish with the hands (Scottish dialect).

gurm = to become slimy from handling fish.

gurn = girn.

gurry = 1) wastes from fish such as skin, fins, viscera, mucus, etc.

gurry = 2) oil running out from cod livers (Newfoundland).

gurry butt = large casks for cod livers; as the livers decompose, oil floats to the surface for further processing.

gusel = to dry fish in the wind (Shetland Isles dialect).

gustation = pertaining to the sense of taste.

gustatory = taste.

gut = 1) the alimentary or digestive tract, q.v., and associated organs.

gut = 2) to remove the abdominal organs in preparing fish.

gut = 3) a narrow passage such as a strait or inlet or a channel in shallow water usually formed by a current.

gut = 4) an elongated rock pool open to the sea at one end; a tidal gut.

gut cast = in angling, a piece of strong line or wire between the hook and main line meant to prevent the fish from severing the line.

gut cavity = the belly cavity of fishes.

gut loop = a loop or curve in the gut (an s-shaped gut is common in fishes).

gut-poke herring = gutpock herring.

gutpock = the stomach of a fish (Scottish dialect).

gutpock herring = a herring which feeds largely on small crustacean (Scottish dialect). Also spelled gut-poke herring.

gutriv = the anus of a fish (Scottish dialect). Also spelled gotriv and gotrif.

guts = a general term, often used by anglers, to denote the internal organs of the belly including the intestine, liver, kidneys, reproductive organs, etc.

gutster = a woman who removes the guts of fish (Scottish dialect).

guttag = a knife used for gutting fish, especially herrings (Scottish dialect).

gutted = fish with guts removed, the gills remaining or not.

gutted weight = weight measured after the guts have been discarded at sea. A conversion factor is used for each species to obtain total weight.

gutter = 1) a person who removes the guts of fish.

gutter = 2) a person who unpacks boxes of herrings (Scottish dialect).

guyot = a flat-topped sea mount or submarine mountain, a tablemount, rises about 1 km above the sea floor but is 183 m below the sea surface. Named for the American geologist Arnold Guyot (1807-1884).

gyld = gild (2).

gymnoarian condition = female fishes without oviducts, the eggs passing into the peritoneal cavity and thence by pores or funnels to the outside, e.g. salmonoids, hiodontoids, notopteroids, osteoglossoids, anguillids and the cobitid Misgurnus. Compare cystorian.

Gymnothorax poisoning = a form of ichthyosarcotoxism, q.v., produced by ingestion of moray eels.

gynetype = a female type specimen.

gynogamone = egg secretions which a) accelerate and attract sperm and b) holds sperm onto the surface of the egg or destroys the sperm of other species.

gynogenesis = the consistent production of only female offspring where the diploid or triploid eggs are activated by sperm from the male of a bisexual species but the paternal chromosomes are not incorporated in the embryo. The offspring are thus maternal replicates in morphology and in chromosome number, e.g. in the Poeciliidae Poecilia (Mollienisia) formosa and Poeciliopsis monacha-lucida and in the Cyprinidae Carassius auratus and Phoxinus neogaeus. See also hybridogenesis.

gynogenetic = the state of gynogenesis.

gyomiso = fermented fish paste containing salt and wheat bran and inoculated with the fungus Aspergillus oryzae.

gyre = an ocean current following a circular path within an ocean basin, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counter-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Also used for surface currents in large lakes.

gyri = plural of gyrus.

gyriform = having a convoluted form, like the surface of the human brain.

gyro = a parasitic infestation of fish caused by the trematode Gyrodactylus. Also called worm itch.

gyrus (plural gyri) = an outward fold.

gyttja = a sediment type found in lakes with oxygenated bottom waters.

© Brian W. Coad (www.briancoad.com)

Top