Four Fish 4 Flashcards
mercury
the chemical element of atomic number 80, a heavy silvery-white metal that is liquid at ordinary temperatures.(Symbol: Hg ) Also called quicksilver.
The EPA also concluded that most Americans are not at risk from mercury exposure. Therefore, most people can continue to look to fish as a healthy, low-fat source of protein and other nutrients. However, pregnant women, women who may become pregnant within the next several years, children less than six years old and people who consume unusually large quantities of freshwater sport fish, shark, or swordfish, may be harmed by mercury.
coronary artery
the artery supplying blood to the heart.
coronary heart disease
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a disease in which a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries. These arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle.
“The Mozaffarian study compared the risks of cnacer death from PCB poisoning related to farmed-salmon consumption with the risks of coronary heart disease death from not eating farmed salmon.” (55)
endemic
growing or existing in a certain place or region
common in a particular area or field
“In Washington, Oregon, and California, hatchery-bred salmon were often introduced into rivers to which they were not endemic. As the fading wild populations diminished, the introduced hatchery fish ended up displacing the wild spawners, wreaking havoc on the original population of fish. Soon those salmon rivers were on human life support. If humans stopped stocking fish in most western rivers of the lower eighth, the salmon would all but disappear.” (59)
wherewithal
the money or other means needed for a particular purpose: they lacked the wherewithal to pay.
“Indeed, it’s possible that many Alaskan salmon no longer contain the genetic wherewithal to endure.” (60)
polluck
a commercially valuable food fish of the cod family, occurring in the North Atlantic. Also called saithe.
“Two years ago, over 120,000 king salmon were caught accidentally as ‘bycatch’ in pollock nets; a third of these salmon were probably destined for the Yukon River.” (65)
bycatch
the unwanted fish and other marine creatures caught during commercial fishing for a different species.
“Two years ago, over 120,000 king salmon were caught accidentally as ‘bycatch’ in pollock nets; a third of these salmon were probably destined for the Yukon River.” (65)
commercial
making or intended to make a profit.
aquaculture
the rearing of aquatic animals or the cultivation of aquatic plants for food.
” ‘Closed-system’ aquaculture, in which salmon are raised in tanks away from natural systems, is the only way to guarantee that wild and domesticated forms of salmon stay separate.” (67)
transgene
A transgene is a gene or genetic material that has been transferred naturally, or by any of a number of genetic engineering techniques from one organism to another.
“AquAdvantage salmon is a genetically modified (GM) Atlantic salmon developed by AquaBounty Technologies. A growth hormone-regulating gene from a Pacific Chinook salmon, with a promoter from an ocean pout, was added to the Atlantic’s 40,000 genes. This gene enables it to grow year-round instead of only during spring and summer.”
promoter
a sequence of DNA that turns on the expression of a gene.
closed system aquaculture
Any system of fish production that creates a controlled interface between the culture (fish) and the natural environment
” ‘Closed-system’ aquaculture, in which salmon are raised in tanks away from natural systems, is the only way to guarantee that wild and domesticated forms of salmon stay separate.” (67)
integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA)
noun (IMTA) provides the byproducts, including waste, from one aquatic species as inputs (fertilizers, food) for another.
“This method of farming combines species that require feed (such as salmon) with other species (such as mussels and sea urchins) that extract organic particulate matter, to provide a balanced ecosystem-management approach to aquaculture.” (69)
carp
a deep-bodied freshwater fish, typically with barbels around the mouth. Carp are farmed for food in some parts of the world and are widely kept in large ponds.
“The world’s very first aquaculturists, the Chinese who farmed carp starting four thousand years ago, began as polyculturists. Early Chinese farmers found that carp would naturally congregate [to eat silkworm feces] under the mulberry bushes where silkworms would spin their cocoons.” (69)
polyculture
the simultaneous cultivation or exploitation of several crops or kinds of animals.
“Eventually it was discovered that carp could be a crop in and of themselves. This original two-way relationship expanded over time. Carp feces, it was found, would stimulate the growth of rice and other useful grasses, which the Chinese harvested. These grasses also fed ducks that could be slaughtered for meat. Thus a four-way polyculture developed, with silk, fish, fowl, and grain all coming out of the shared and multiply repurposed fertility of a single pond.” (69-70)
