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Glossary
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Adipose Fin
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A small fleshy fin on a salmon's back between the dorsal fin and the tail. All members of the
salmon family have them.
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Alevin
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A salmon that has hatched and still has a yolk sack.
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Amphipod
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A small crustacean of the order Amphipoda, having a laterally
compressed body with no outer shell.
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Anadromous
- A fish that lives in salt water, but spawns in fresh water.
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Anal Fin
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A single fin located beneath the tail near the vent.
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Caudal Fin
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The tail fin.
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Copepod
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Tiny crustaceans that form huge swarms near the ocean surface. These are important foods for
young salmon in the ocean.
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Crustacean
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A mainly aquatic animal with a segmented body and outer shell such as crabs and shrimp.
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Dorsal Fin
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The large single fin located along a salmon's back.
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Drift Net
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A fishing net supported upright in the current with floats on the top and weights on the bottom.
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Ecosystem
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An area that contains organisms (eg, plants, animals, bacteria)
interacting with one another and their non-living environment.
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Estuary
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The mouth of a river where fresh water meets and mixes with salt water.
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Fry
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A young salmon that is free-swimming and feeding.
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Gill Net
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A net either pulled behind a boat or set from shore with floats on top and weights
on the bottom to make it hold it upright in the water. salmon poke thier heads through
the net and get caught by the gills.
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Invertebrate
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An animal without a backbone, such as insects.
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Mollusk
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Soft-bodied marine and freshwater animals that often secrete some kind of protective shell.
Members of this group include: clams, snails, octopus and squid.
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Parr Marks
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The vertical stripes and bars found on the sides of juvenile salmon that help to camouflage them.
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Pectoral Fin
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The paired fins located just behind the gills along the abdomen. Their function
is to help the fish stop and turn.
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Pelvic Fin
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Paired fins located about halfway down the length of a salmon along the abdomen.Their function
is to help the fish stop and turn.
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Plankton
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Small or microscopic plants and animals that float or drift in great numbers in fresh or salt
water, especially at or near the surface, and serve as food for fish and other larger organisms.
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Purse Seine
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A large net laid out in a circle around a school of fish. After the school is surrounded, the bottom
of the net is drawn shut to trap the fish.
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Redd
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A gravel area in a stream bed where a female salmon digs a hole and lays her eggs.
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Roe
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Unspawned, unfertilized fish eggs.
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Set Net
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A fishing net attached on one side to land supported upright in the current with floats on the top
and weights on the bottom.
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Smolt
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A young salmon undergoing physical changes in preparation for entering salt water.
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Smoltification
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The physical changes that occur in a young salmon to help it make the transition from a
freshwater to saltwater existence
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Tributary
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A stream that flows into a larger stream.
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Trolling
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A fishing method where baited lines or metal flashers are pulled behind a boat to attract
and catch fish.
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Tunicate
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A worm-like animal often found attached to rocks and pilings in shallow water. During their
free-swimming larval stage, they are a food for young salmon.
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Zooplankton
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Small or microscopic animals that float or drift in great numbers in fresh or salt
water, especially at or near the surface, and serve as food for fish and other larger organisms.
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Text and graphics by USFWS staff
Last modified 4, March, 2009
Cyber Salmon
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