Dictionary of Ichthyology
Brian W. Coad and Don E. McAllister†
K
K = Cretaceous, a geological period of the Mesozoic Era ca. 140-65 million years ago.
k-cut = knot cut (a cut of a netting piece just beyond the knots where the two cuts are cut at a time).
k-selection = a life history strategy characterised by slow development, low mortality, late maturity and reproduction, repeated spawnings but sometimes at intervals of several years, large body size and long life span. An adaptation to a relatively constant environment.
K-value = a chemical index as a measure of fish freshness, the ratio (often multiplied by 100) of the sum of inosine and hypoxanthine contents to the sum of the concentration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and all degradation products expressed on a molar basis. ATP is converted to inosine and hypoxanthine after the death of the fish.
ka = an abbreviation for thousands of years ago.
kaae = keeow.
kaavie = kavi.
kabayaki = split, boned, steamed eels or sauries which are then broiled with frequent dipping in tare (a thick sauce made from soy sauce, sugar, sweet rice liquor, etc.). Often sold canned (Japan).
kabbelow = cabelew (cod or pike hung and salted for a few days but not thoroughly dried (Scottish dialect). Also spelled cabylou and kabbelow).
kabbi = cabbie (a small cod caught near the shore, not big enough for salting down and selling, but of a nice size for eating fresh (Scottish dialect). Also spelled kabby).
kabbilow = cabelew (cod or pike hung and salted for a few days but not thoroughly dried (Scottish dialect). Also spelled cabylou and kabbelow).
kabby = kabbi.
kade = cade (an older name for a cask used to pack and measure fish. A cade of herring comprised 720 fish, a cade of sprats at Aldborough was a thousand).
kaen = to split cod (Scottish dialect).
kaf = 1000 acre-feet. Used in reservoir management in the U.S.A.
kag buoy = keg buoy.
kain fish = cane fish (rent for fishing, paid in kind (Northumberland dialect). Also spelled cain, kain and kane fish).
kainer = the overseer responsible for payment of kain fish.
kairomone = a type of pheromone produced by fish and used to attract a mate. Predators may also be attracted. Other organisms respond to the fish kairomone too, e.g. water fleas escape predatory guppies more easily, undergo morphological changes (longer helmets) and reproduce at a smaller size.
kaisie = cassie (a straw or rush woven basket for carrying fish. Also casey, casie, caisy, caisie, caysie, cazzie, caiss, kazie, kazzie, kazy, keizie and keize).
kakaban = an artificial nest-like structure made from natural material such as sticks, coconut fibres or from artificial material such as unraveled ropes on which some species of fish spawn. Many kakabans are added to ponds at spawning times and removed with the egg mass for controlled fertilisation.
kakuni = diced skipjack tuna or tuna meat cooked in a mixture of soya sauce and sugar. Usually preceded by the name of the fish (Japan).
Kalbfisch = trade name for hot-smoked pieces of porbeagle (Lamna nasus, Lamnidae) in Germany.
Kalkwasser = literally lime water (chalk water or calcium water, in German). Water containing dissolved calcium hydroxide at pH about 12.0 used to add inorganic calcium to aquaria for maintenance of calcium, pH and alkalinity. It is best dripped into the aquarium or added to top-up water as an overdose can easily kill the fish.
kamaboko = a heat-pasteurized, Japanese fish cake made from minced and kneaded fish, with starch for thickening, and sugar, salt and monosodium glutamate for flavoring. Of a rather rubbery texture. See also fish gel.
kameril = cameral.
kane fish = cane fish (rent for fishing, paid in kind (Northumberland dialect). Also spelled cain, kain and kane fish).
kaner = the overseer responsible for payment of kane fish.
kangal fish = Garra rufa and Cyprinion macrostomum (Cyprinidae) in Turkish hot springs in the Kangal area which clean dead skin fragments from humans with psoriasis. Also called doctor fish and nibble fish.
kap(p) = removing the head and guts of fish (Shetland Isles dialect).
kapi = fermented fish paste (Thailand).
Kán gait = a mode of locomotion in fishes characterised by large lateral body movements and synchronisation of tail-beat frequency to vortices formed by an object in the water. The cost of locomotion is reduced for the swimming fish by its use of environmental vortices and the body of the fish acts as a self-correcting hydrofoil.
kappa = a child-sized creature of Japanese folklore found in water, often with scaly skins, webbed hands and feet, smelling like fish and able to swim. They are mischievous troublemakers and there is an extensive folklore associated with them.
karal = a cotton drift net with bamboo floats, operated from a canoe (India).
karavala = whole or gutted fish, washed, salted and sun-dried (Sri Lanka).
karez = a term for a qanat in Central Asia (an underground water channel constructed in alluvial fan material to tap the water table and provide a constant flow of water. Mostly found in the Middle East and a habitat there for fishes. Called foggara in North Africa and falaj in Arabia).
karlen book = the book in which a fish catch was registered (Scottish dialect). Also spelled carlin book.
karstic = pertaining to irregular limestone strata, often with caves, underground streams and sinks, often inhabited by a specialised fish fauna.
katadromous = see the preferred spelling catadromous (running down; those fishes which spend most of their lives in freshwater and which migrate to the sea to reproduce, e.g. Anguilla).
kater-fish = fish claimed by a landlord in Caithness, Scotland from crofters when they returned with a catch.
katla jal = karal.
katsuo-bushi = dried meat of a skipjack tuna formed into sticks. The fish is cut longitudinally into four pieces, de-boned, boiled and simmered, then dried, the shape adjusted, and defatted by enzymatic action of moulds (Japan). Used as condiment.
kavel = kavvle.
kavi = a sinker on a fishing line (Scottish dialect). Also spelled kaavie or caavie.
kavl = kavle.
kavle = 1) cavil (to extract a hook from a fish mouth by means of a notched stick (Scottish dialect). Also spelled kavl, kavel, kavvel, kavvle).
kavle = 2) the rearmost space in a boat where the fishing line is hauled in over the gunwhale and where fish are remove from the hooks. Also spelled kavl, kavel, kavvel, kavvle).
kavlin tree = a stick notched at one end and used to take the hook out of a fish's mouth (Shetland Isles dialect).
kavvel = kavle.
kavvle = kavle.
kawr = a coastal lagoon (Arabic). Also spelled khawr.
kay = key (2).
kayak = a portable boat, originally skin-covered, with a small central opening in which the boater is ensconced, propelled by a double-bladed paddle. From the Inuit word qayaq.
kayak fishing = use of a kayak to catch fish. Equipment is similar to that used in larger and more stable boats but somewhat specialised to allow for the smaller size of the kayak and the possibility of tipping. Larger fish will tow the kayak through the water, part of the thrill of his form of fishing.
kazie = cassie (a straw or rush woven basket for carrying fish. Also casey, casie, caisy, caisie, caysie, cazzie, caiss, kazzie, kazy, kaisie, keizie and keize).
kazunoko = dried and salted herring roe sacs, with a crisp texture, a Japanese delicacy.
kazy = cassie (a straw or rush woven basket for carrying fish. Also casey, casie, caisy, caisie, caysie, cazzie, caiss, kazie, kazzie, kaisie, keizie and keize).
kazzie = cassie (a straw or rush woven basket for carrying fish. Also casey, casie, caisy, caisie, caysie, cazzie, caiss, kazie, kazy, kaisie, keizie and keize).
keb = to fish from a boat for flatfish with four hooks hung from the end of a weighted wooden cross (Lancashire dialect).
kebab = a skewer of fish grilled over a fire.
keddle net = a form of stake net in England authorised under a mediaeval royal charter. Used in mackerel fishing.
kedger = a fisherman (archaic).
kedgeree = boiled rice, fish (usually smoked haddock), eggs, butter and herbs. A traditional British breakfast dish. The original kedgeree in India did not have fish mixed in, but as a side dish. Also spelled kitchery.
kedgy = lumper (a helper in the cod fishery of Newfoundland, either at sea or on shore).
keel = a ridge or carina.
keel hook = a wet fly hook designed such that its point is uppermost and the shank is bent and in-line with the hook point. The bend drops the centre of weight of the hook so it rides barb upwards. Less likely to catch on vegetation or the bottom.
keel sinker = a keel-shaped weight to prevent line twisting when trolling.
keelboat = long, narrow boat with a sharp stern and bow, and with running boards on each side.
keelbone = the bony structure forming the primary roof of the mouth cavity and consisting of the vomer-parasphenoid (basisphenoid)-basioccipital. It connects the ethmo-vomer block to the cranial vault of the skull.
keeling = 1) large cod, Gadus morhua , but may refer to other species like haddock, Melanogrammus aeglefinus (English and Scottish dialect). Also spelled keillen, keilling, killin and killing.
keeling = 2) small cod, Gadus morhua (North Yorkshire dialect).
keeling = 3) a large fish out of condition.
keen fish = flesh from the head of a fish (Scottish dialect). Also spelled kinn fish.
keeow = inserting the points of fish hooks in the snoods or passing the snoods over the hooks and round their shafts, to prevent entanglements (Scottish dialect).
keep = a reservoir for fish by the side of a river (Lancashire dialect).
keep sack = a soft nylon sac used to keep live fishes in whilst angling.
keep under salt = to keep covered with salt after the curing process has been completed.
keeper = 1) a loop near the grip on a fly rod to which the fly and its hook can be attached when moving through trees, bushes or grass so that the hook doe snot become entangled.
keeper = 2) any fish that conforms to an established minimum length or weight and so can be legally kept.
keeper = 3) a trophy fish.
keeper = 4) a gamekeeper, who checks that your keeper is a keeper.
keeper = 5) any fish large enough to be eaten.
keeper = 6) kipper (2).
keeper ring = a small ring on a fishing rod near the reel used to attach the hook and tackle when the the gear is being carried or moved.
keepnet = 1) a net lacking knots and supported with plastic or metal hoops, designed to hold fish caught by angling, usually in contests so the fish can later be weighed and released, or to keep fish fresh before transport and eating.
keepnet = 2) any net used to retain or hold fish, even on a commercial scale. See also keipnet, cap net, kelp net or kipp net.
keerdrag = a small trawl with an oblong mouth, the bottom and sides of which are composed of an iron rod for weight and the upper edge of wood for buoyancy. The net tapers posteriorly for 7-8 feet to a round opening. Mesh size decreases posteriorly. The tow rope is attached by a bridle with three connections, one to the middle of the wooden beam and two to the middle of each side. The net is operated over the stern of a row-boat.
keethin(g) = kithing.
keething sight = the view a fisherman gets of ripples in the water which reveal the movements of a fish (Scottish dialect).
keg = 1) a measure of volume or quantity, e.g. a keg of herring has 60 fish.
keg = 2) a small cask, usually 45.5 litres or less in capacity.
keg buoy = a buoy formed from a keg, with a flag on a pole. Used to mark the position of a trawl line or fish trap (Newfoundland). Also called kag buoy.
keillen = keeling.
keilling = keeling.
keipnet = keepnet (2) (Newfoundland).
keith = 1) a bar laid across a river to prevent salmon from getting further up (Scottish dialect).
keith = 2) keth.
keize = cassie (a straw or rush woven basket for carrying fish. Also casey, casie, caisy, caisie, caysie, cazzie, caiss, kazie, kazzie, kazy, kaisie and keizie).
keizie = cassie (a straw or rush woven basket for carrying fish. Also casey, casie, caisy, caisie, caysie, cazzie, caiss, kazie, kazzie, kazy, kaisie and keize).
keling sound = the swimbladder of a cod used as glue (Scottish dialect). See also killing or kyling sound.
kelk = 1) a separate ovum or particle of roe in the spawn of a fish (Scottish and English dialect). Also spelled kilk.
kelk = 2) the bag containing the spawn of the haddock (English dialect).
kelk = 3) the testicles.
kellick = killick.
kelp net = see keepnet (2) (Newfoundland).
kelper = a small boat used in the Pacific Northwest to fish inshore rocky and kelp areas with strong currents.
kelt = a spawned out or spent Salmo salar or other salmonid up until the time it enters salt water. Also called dropback or downriver in British Columbia.
Kelvin sounding machine = a machine used to calculate water depth in fathoms. A lead weight was lowered on a wire and the depth recorded by the apparatus. See also lead line.
kemeral = cameral.
kemple = a sauce made from cod (Scottish dialect).
kenar = kainer.
kench = 1) a container in which fish are salted.
kench = 2) a pile of fish in a rough pyramid, with a base slightly over a metre, in the hold of a ship. The weight of the fish pressed the pickle (q.v.) out of the salted flesh.
kench cure = salmon, cod and related species salted in alternating layers of split fish and salt and arranged so the resulting fluid (pickle) can drain away. Also called round cure, round salted fish, bulk cure, salt bulk and bulk salted fish).
kenner = 1) a water bailiff (Scottish dialect).
kenner = 2) the lead man in a salmon boat who directs the fishing (Scottish dialect). Also spelled kinner.
kental = quintal (q.v.) (Newfoundland).
Kentucky reel = a quality fishing reel made in Kentucky up to about 1940, including fly reels and saltwater reels, now collectors items.
kepper = 1) a spawning fish or kipper (Northumberland dialect).
kepper = 2) a landing net (Scottish dialect).
keps = fishing tackle comprising a lead weight and two curved wires, from the end of which are suspended lines with hooks and bait (Cumbria, England).
keratin = a waterproof, structural protein forming horny parts of fishes, e.g. breeding tubercles, lamprey teeth.
keratinization = the process of becoming fibrous or horny as in the protein keratin.
keris = the late postlarval stage of unicornfishes (Naso, Acanthuridae). It moves inshore from the open ocean for transformation to the juvenile stage.
kernel = nucleus (the core or primordium of an otolith; no longer used).
kerplunk = a technique used by dolphins to drive fish out of hiding, e.g. from sea grass beds. A dolphin lifts its tail and lower body out of the water and crashes it down on the water surface, causing a loud splash and trail of bubbles. The bubbles startle the fish and flush them out.
keta caviar = light salted roe of Oncorhynchus keta.
ketch = a boat used for fishing and coast work. Also spelled catch.
ketchup = originally a Chinese pickled fish sauce (from ketsiap, the Chinese for sauce or the brine of pickled fish - sources vary).
keth = ripples on the water surface marking the presence and movements of fish (Scottish dialect). Also spelled kethe, keith or keyth.
kethe = keth.
kettle = 1) a kettle for boiling whole fish, whence kettle of fish.
kettle = 2) a relatively deep and small part of a water body.
kettle = 3) the deepest part of a fish pond usually near the monk, q.v.
kettle hole = a depression found in glacial deposits where a piece of ice from a retreating glacier became embedded in soft glacial till or drift. These holes are often filled with water making a small pond or lake.
kettle of fish = 1) a bad state of affairs; a very difficult and annoying situation; something to be considered or reckoned with.
kettle of fish = 2) literally a large cauldron in which salmon are boiled with salt by the side of the river, e.g. at Berwick-upon-Tweed.
kettle-fish = fish suitable for boiling.
keudie = kudi.
key = 1) a tabulation of characters used to identify a species. Two rubrics form a couplet, the usual arrangement of keys. Each couplet gives an alternative set of characters leading to the species identity or to the next couplet. Also called identification key, q.v.
key = 2) a small, low island near the mainland composed mostly of sand and/or coral. Also spelled cay, kay.
key = 3) a channel cut in ice in spring to facilitate ice flow such that ice jams and flooding does not occur. Explosives may be used and these can kill fish.
key character = a diagnostic character used in a key.
key classification = artificial classification (a classification based on characters selected for their utility and not indicative of phylogenetic relationships).
key scales = those scales used in scale counts for identification and description of fish species, e.g. lateral line scales.
keylock = killick.
Keys-Willmer cell = chloride secreting cell (a cell in the gills, especially along the bases of the secondary gill lamellae and the pseudobranchs when present, which excrete chloride, potassium and sodium ions in marine fishes. These cells maintain the osmotic balance from the loss of water via the gills and the necessity of drinking sea water).
keystone predator = the dominant predator or the top predator that has a major influence on community structure.
keystone species = a species that is essential to the food web of an ecosystem, e.g. Boregadus saida in the Arctic; a species whose loss from an ecosystem would cause a greater than average change in other species populations or ecosystem processes.
keyth = keth.
kg = kilogram(me) (2.2046 lb).
KH = buffering capacity, temporary or carbonate hardness, measured in degrees (K is from the German word karbonate). KH makes up a component of GH, q.v., so boiling will also reduce GH slightly. One degree KH is equal to 17.9 mg/l CaCO3. The degree symbol may be replaced with a d, e.g. 2 dKH).
khawr = a coastal lagoon (Arabic). Also spelled kawr.
KHV = abbreviation for koi herpes virus.
kibling = kibbling.
kibbling = cut-up fish used as bait (Newfoundland).
kick boat = a one-person fishing boat comprised of a seat between two pontoons allowing the legs to dangle in the water and propel the boat by kicking with the aid of scuba fins, by use of paddles or by a small electric motor.
kick-and-glide = a rapid darting locomotion involving 3-5 rapid strokes of the caudal fin, expulsion of water from the opercular openings, and a rapid stroke of the pectoral fins, followed by folding of the fins to the body for the glide, e.g. in frogfishes.
kicker = a larger bass caught in a tournament that helps increase the angler's total catch.
kicking the cod = rugby in Newfoundland.
kicknet = the use of a small net (often a dipnet) placed downstream of rocks or gravel to catch fish disturbed by kicking over rocks or shuffling feet in the gravel.
kid = a large box into which fish are thrown as they are caught on New England fishing vessels.
kidden = a decoy light for salmon (Cornish dialect).
kiddle = a basket set in the sluice of a dam or weir to catch fish. See also keddle, fine kettle of fish and pretty kettle of fish.
kidney = an organ of excretion and osmoregulation. See also nephridia, archinephros, pronephros and mesonephros.
kidney disease = bacterial kidney disease (a bacterial infection with Renibacterium salmoninus or Corynebacterium sp. affecting salmonids, usually when temperatures are falling. The disease may be chronic or acute and has no treatment. Causes swelling of internal organs (oedematous, grey and corrugated kidneys with off-white lesions) and haemorrhages. Lesions may occur also in the liver and spleen and muscle contractions occur. External symptoms may be absent or include exophthalmy, skin darkening, abdominal swelling, and skin ruptures and vesicles. Also called Corynebacterial disease and Dee's disease).
kidney lead = a lead weight, kidney-shaped used in handline fishing.
kidney spoon = a fishing lure with an oval or kidney shape.
Kieler sprotten = hot-smoked and ungutted fat sprats taken from Kiel bay and processed in or near Kiel (Germany).
kilk = kelk (1).
kill = 1) a small fast-flowing stream in the Dutch settlement areas of New York state (hence killifishes, Fundulidae).
kill = 2) a die off of fishes within a relatively short period due to the onset of man-caused or, more rarely, natural factors, e.g. pesticide related mortalities in the Mississippi River, the red tides in the Gulf of Mexico. See also winterkill and summerkill.
kill-devil = an artificial bait used in fishing, especially for pike.
kill-out = slaughter of some or all the fish in an aquaculture because of disease.
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. See also granny.
killin = keeling.
killin kite = a cod belly, in the sense that this is the chief sustenance.
killing = keeling.
killing sound = the swimbladder of a cod used as glue (Scottish dialect). See also kyling sound and keling sound.
kilogram = kilogramme.
kilogramme = 2.2046 lb. Abbreviated as kg.
kilometre = 0.6214 mi. Abbreviated as km.
kimchee = a Korean mixture of fermented cabbage and onions, strongly seasoned with horseradish, garlic, red pepper and ginger. Some preparations contain fish.
kimlets = the plump pieces taken from the jowls of a cod (north Yorkshire dialect).
kin fish = the fleshy part of the cheek of a fish (Shetland Isles dialect).
kinch = the young fry of fish (Gloucester dialect).
kinesis = the ability of parts to move or flex against each other.
kinethmoid = a small median bone in the snout dorso-posterior to the premaxillaries in cyprinoids (between the nostrils). Replaces rostral bone, now restricted to primitive bony fishes. Aids in protrusion of the premaxillaries. Also called moveable ethmoid.
kinetic line = a sharp angle between the skull and cheek region in Sarcopterygii, thought to be kinetic to some degree.
king = the senior migratory fisherman from England in a harbour (Newfoundland).
king herring = a herring of a blood-red colour which reputedly acts as pilot to a school of herrings. If caught, it is always thrown overboard by the fishermen, as keeping it would bring bad luck.
king sling knot = a knot used in angling to tie crank baits to the line, having a loop through the eye on the lure. It allows the lure to work freely and be more lifelike. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.
king trap = a large cod trap (Newfoundland).
king's fish board = a stall in Chester at which the quality of foreign fish was tested, and at which the Mayor, as Clerk of the Market, bought such fish as he chose for the city's use.
king's gap = a space between nets to allow salmon to ascend to the spawning grounds in thirteenth century Cumberland, England. A royal regulation which stated the gap had to be far enough apart to allow "a sow and her pigs to pass".
kingfish = 1) any species of fish notable for its size. A commercial name not used as in official common name lists as too confusing.
Kingfish = 2) the nickname of Louisiana governor Huey Long (1928-1932); the name was taken from the character "Kingfish" of the "Amos 'n' Andy" radio show.
Kingfish = 3) the NATO name for an air-fired Soviet anti-ship and strike missile, the Raduga KSR-5.
kingo no funi = Japanese expression, loosely translated as goldfish crap in reference to the faecal cast (q.v., faeces hanging from the anus), meaning a sycophant or hanger-on.
kinkin = a small barrel equal to a quarter of a tun (252 gallons or 954 litres) used for fish among other products (Scottish dialect).
kinn fish = keen fish.
kinner = kenner.
kinocilia = plural of kinocilium.
kinocilium (plural klinocilia) = a motile cilium, especially one that occurs alone at the end of a sensory hair cell of the inner ear among numerous non-motile cilia. The more numerous, shorter cilia are called stereocilia.
kintal = quintal (q.v.) (Newfoundland).
kinosphere = personal space; shark threat displays are often initiated when their kinosphere is violated.
kip = 1) to catch fish by means of line and chop-sticks (q.v.) (English dialect).
kip = 2) a male salmon, Salmo salar.
kip (noun) = 3) a bundle of fish (archaic).
kip (verb) = 4) to tie up fish in a bunch or kip.
kipe = 1) a osier basket used in fishing.
kipe = 2) to catch fish by means of a basket trap.
kiplin = 1) the palates, gullets, sounds or other perishable parts, when cured, of the cod (East Anglia dialect).
kiplin = 2) to cut up a cod in order to cure it (East Suffolk dialect).
kipp net = see keepnet (2) (Newfoundland).
kippeck = a small bunch or string of fish (Shetland Isles dialect). See also kip (3).
kipper = 1) a split, salted and cold smoked herring; sometimes a salmon. May be artificially coloured, and is sold chilled, frozen, canned or made into a paste. Also called kippered herring.
kipper = 2) a male salmon or sea trout during or just after the spawning season. Usually a salmon seriously out of condition with up to half its weight lost (English dialect). Also spelled keeper.
kipper = 3) to die, slang based on the definition above.
kipper = 4) kepper.
kipper = 5) to poach fish.
kipper catcher = a poacher of salmon during the close season.
kipper fair = a gala day at Newton-on-Ayr, Scotland, in August when the close of the salmon-fishing season was celebrated with a treat of kippered (i.e. smoked) salmon and ale.
kipper fillets = pieces of kipper fillets packed in cans.
kipper nose = someone with a hooked or beaked nose.
kipper time = the close season for salmon.
kipper watcher = one who watches for salmon during the close season.
kipper-split fish = a fish split along the backbone.
kippered herring = kipper (1).
kippered products = in the U.S.A. refers to hot smoked, dyed and brined fish.
kippering = 1) making kipper from herring.
kippering = 2) cold smoking (U.K.).
kippering = 3) hot smoking (U.S.A.).
kippers = 1) plural of kipper.
kippers = 2) kids in parents' pockets, eroding retirement savings.
kippock = a small bundle of fish hung up (Shetland Isles dialect).
kirbed = a hook offset to the right when viewed from the top of the hook with the eye towards the observer, cf. reversed. A hook that is not offset is called straight or flat. Kirbed is from Charles Kirby reputedly a superb hook maker in Izaak Walton's day. Kirbed or reversed hooks are all the same to fish but fishermen have strong preferences. Offset hooks are more likely to strike home on fast-biting fish while straight ones work better with slow-biters and chewers. Also flatfish mouth anatomy makes offset hooks more effective. However offset hooks lack the strength of straight ones and can be harder to set in bony or muscular mouths. Offset hooks tend to rotate if trolled or if in a current which may be either an advantage or not.
Kirby hook = a hook having a round bend, the point angled to the right of the shank. A reversed hook has the point to the left.
kit = a small wooden barrel used for packing pickled salmon.
kitback = kitpock.
kitch = straw or rush package for herrings.
kitchen-ready fish = 1) fish ready prepared for cooking. Also called pan-ready.
kitchen-ready fish = 2) fish specially prepared to make a good presentation. Also called pan-ready.
kitchery = kedgeree.
kite = a shearing device on a false headline used to lift the true headline and/or to scare fish down into the mouth of the net.
kite fishing = 1) using a kite to get a rig out beyond the reach of smaller, undesired fish; a mechanism releases the rig into the water and the kite is retrieved.
kite fishing = 2) a flat and square kite with a live bait attached and fished on the surface without any line being visible. Used for sailfish. Also baited hooks and spider-web baits are used and skipped along the surface to entice a fish such as bonito to snap at them.
kite rig = the equipment used in kite fishing.
kiting = using the body depth and erect fins to guide the fish across a current. Also used by a fish when hooked.
kithing = surface movements on the water indicating the presence of fish (Scottish dialect). Also spelled keethin(g).
kitpock = the stomach of a fish, especially that of the cod (Orkney dialect).
kitpoke = kitpock.
kitten = a basket in which fish are packed on the beach at Folkestone to be sent by train to London and elsewhere (Kentish dialect).
kittle = 1) to bring forth young, usually of cats, but also fish (British dialect).
kittle = 2) catching trout by tickling (q.v.).
kiwa = ornamental carp or koi, having a sharp definition between different colours. The most valuable fish have the most clearly defined lines.
klak = a fishing ground near the shore, as opposed to the haaf or deep-sea fishing grounds (Scottish dialect).
klak fishing = handline fishing (Scottish dialect).
kleek = cleek (1) a barbed hook used to land salmon; a salmon gaff (Ayrshire dialect). Also spelled click, cleik, kliek and cleeque).
kleek = cleek (2) to hook, catch up or fasten on a hook or to fish out with a hook. Also spelled click, cleik, kliek and cleeque).
klepp = clip (a gaff or strong iron hook with a wooden handle, used for landing fish (British dialect). Also spelled clep, clipe, klip and klepp).
kleptoparasitism = stealing food.
kleptotype = in taxonomy, a stolen type or portion of a type. The term is unofficial and presumably includes outright theft, specimens loaned and not returned, and specimens mistakenly retained in a collection other than the rightful one.
kliek = cleek.
klip = clip (a gaff or strong iron hook with a wooden handle, used for landing fish (British dialect). Also spelled clep, clipe, klip and klepp).
klipfish = split, salted and air-dried cod (Gadus morhua) (Norwegian klippfisk).
klondiked = klondyked (2).
klondyked fish = 1) fresh herring sprinkled with ice and salt for a few days preservation.
klondyked fish = 2) bulk purchasing of such fish as herring and mackerel as over-the-side sales from factory ships anchored offshore. Also spelled klondiked.
km = kilometre (0.621 mi).
kn = knot (speed in nautical miles per hour, 1.0 INM/h, 1.15 m.p.h. or 1.8532 km/h).
knab = a resinous fir root, burned in a cruisie or iron basket, to give light for poaching fish (Scottish dialect).
knap = a shoal or bank on fishing grounds (Newfoundland). Also spelled nap.
knephopelagic = the middle pelagic zone of the sea from about 30 metres down to the lower limit of light penetration.
knip = three small fish tied together (Scottish dialect).
knit up = to make or repair a net; to knot twine into meshes to form a fish net (Newfoundland).
knitting = making or repairing a fish net (Newfoundland). Also called netting.
knob = a good spot for fishing (Newfoundland).
knock soe = pounded bait (Scottish dialect).
knoll = a small reef within the lagoon or on shallow shelves.
knot = 1) speed in nautical miles per hour, 1.0 INM/h, 1.15 m.p.h. or 1.8532 km/h. Abbreviated as kn. Originally measured by throwing a log overboard and measuring distance by a knotted line.
knot = 2) a fold in fishing line as a means of connecting lines, weights, lures, hooks, etc. There are numerous types.
knot = 3) a collective noun (a noun that denotes a collection of persons or things regarded as a unit) for eels.
knot cut = a cut of a netting piece just beyond the knots where the two cuts are cut at a time. Also called k-cut.
knot disease = a disease characterised by small knots formed in the skin of fishes. Found in Cyprinus carpio and caused by the protozoan Myxobolus exiguus. Also called pimple disease.
knot picker = a pointed tool used by anglers and fishermen to unpick knots in line.
knot strength = the ability of a fishing line to resist weakness caused by knots - the type of knot is important.
knotless knot = a knot formed by whipping line to a hook without any knot being used. Various websites have animated steps showing how to tie this knot.
knotless net = nylon net made without knots using twisted yarn knitted together thus reducing scale loss and stress in fish.
knotless tapered leader = a fly fishing leader of monofilament.
knotted leader = a fly fishing leader made up of sections tied together to make a tapered leader.
knotted net = a net where the mesh is formed by knotting the twines using a single or double weavers' knot or reef knot.
known-stock fishery = a fishery taking place in an area and during a time where only fish of a certain stock are present.
knownon (nonon) = a unit of ignorance or nonsense.
Kochfischwaren = hot marinated fish (fish flesh marinated in hot vinegar or acidified brine at 80-90°C. Packed in jelly or sauces)(Germany).
kohaku = ornamental carp or koi, being white fish with a red pattern.
koi = 1) ornamental carp especially bred over centuries for colour patterns and body form. The Japanese word is nishikigoi. Contests for determining the most ornamental individuals ended with the losers being eaten.
koi = 2) the climbing perch, Anabas testudineus (Anabantidae).
koi herpes virus = a viral infection of both ornamental koi and fish-farmed common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and therefore of considerable effect on economically valuable populations. First isolated in 1998, there is no test for it during the asymptomatic period which can be lengthy. Abbreviated as KHV.
kokanee = 1) a beer from British Columbia.
kokanee = 2) a freshwater, landlocked Oncorhynchus nerka (Salmonidae).
kona head = an artificial trolling lure used for catching fast-swimming pelagic species such as swordfish and marlin. It resembles a squid.
kosher fish = those fish conforming to Jewish dietary laws. Fish without scales are not kosher. Also included as non-kosher are some groups which have scales in an ichthyological sense, e.g. sharks and rays (Elasmobranchhi), sand lances (Ammodytidae) and eels (Anguilliformes) (www.kashrut.com/articles/fish/, downloaded 1 December 2003).
krab of fish = freshly caught salmon cut into pieces and thrown into boiling water. An old method of serving salmon on the Tweed River in Scotland.
krampies = dish formed from the liver of fish (Shetland Isles).
krappin = fish liver mixed with oatmeal as a nutritious meal (Shetland Isles dialect). See also variant spellings using c instead of k.
kreppo = krappin.
kriesel tank = a circular aquarium designed for delicate species - it has no sharp corners, organisms are kept away from the filtration system and the water circulates slowly.
krohnius stage = the larval stage of Macrouridae.
kron-sardiner = 1) small herring used as raw material for preserves, mostly in cans. The herring is eviscerated and headed and thoroughly washed (Sweden).
kron-sardiner = 2) small herring eviscerated, headed and vinegar cured for export (Norway).
Kronsardinen = marinated small herring or sprat, mostly from the Baltic Sea, sometimes with spices, sugar and other flavouring agents (Germany).
Kronsild = Kronsardinen.
kroppen = krappin.
kroppin = krappin.
krugie = bait for fish, often a worm used for trout (Shetlands and Orkneys dialect).
krupuk = ground shrimp or fish mixed with tapioca flour, salt and seasonings. The mix is steamed in moulds, cooled, sliced and sundried, becoming crisp when deep-fat fried.
kuddie = kudi.
kudi = oil exuded naturally from decaying fish livers (Scottish dialect). Also spelled kuddie, keudie and variants.
kun = a giant and mysterious fish of northern seas in Chinese mythology. It can turn into as giant bird known as peng.
kunka = bati (an Indian cup used to measure carp fry or spawn, usually about 130-170 c.c.), containing up to 2.7 million eggs.
Kupffer's vesicle = a small ventro-caudal epithelial pocket formed mid-ventrally posterior the the yolk cell or its extension as the blastopore narrows in embryonic fish.
kusaya = horse mackerel (Decapterus spp.) dried after soaking in special salt water and preserved for years (Japan).
kwark = kwerk.
kwarkie = kwerk.
kwerk = part of the throat of a fish used as bait (Scottish dialect). Also spelled kwark, kwarkie, quark, quarkay, quarkie and whark.
kyarlin = 1) a line or net that has not caught any fish (from the witch whose spell binds the nets or lines, the spell being broken only when the first fish has been caught) (Scottish dialect). Also spelled cyarlin.
kyarlin = 2) the first fish caught on a line or in a net (Scottish dialect). Also spelled cyarlin.
kyarlin = 3) fines imposed on fishermen whose nets or lines catch the fewest fish, the various fines being pooled to provide a feast for the whole crew (Scottish dialect). Also spelled cyarlin.
kyling sound = killing sound.
kype = 1) the lengthened and hooked lower jaw of mature males in certain species of Salmonidae.
kype = 2) putt (a tapering basket used in making fish weirs on the Wye and Severn rivers of England. Putts are placed in groups of six or nine between pairs of stakes, each group between two stakes is called a puttcher. Also called butt).
kyphoscoliosis = lateral curvature of the spine with vertebral rotation. Associated with an anterio-posterior hump in the spinal column.
kyro-ichthyozoonosis = a viral disease in certain Brazilian fishes of unknown cause.
kyte = 1) the stomach of a fish (English and Scottish dialect).
kyte = 2) roe (English and Scottish dialect).
kythe-sight = the view a fisherman has of the motion of a salmon by marks in the water.
© Brian W. Coad (www.briancoad.com)