Four Fish 7 Flashcards
icthyoplankton
are the eggs and larvae of fish. They are usually found in the sunlit zone of the water column, less than 200 metres deep, which is sometimes called the epipelagic or photic zone.
“But most fish mortality happens during the very first days of a fish’s existence, a phase that Thanasis, a student of ichthyoplankton, knew well-the monstrous-looking forms fish take when they are first hatched.
winnowing
to make (a list of possible choices) smaller by removing the less desirable choices
to remove (the unwanted coverings of seeds) from grain by throwing the grain up in the air and letting the wind blow the unwanted parts away
“Years of watching the dance of larval fish had taught him that nature’s winnowing is most likely to take place at this delicate, hypersensitive stage.” (105)
lateral line
a visible line along the side of a fish consisting of a series of sense organs that detect pressure and vibration.
“But because they are so underdeveloped, lacking functioning eyes and equipped only with rudimentary nostrils, the only way they can locate prey is by using their neuron-rich lateral lines to sense the vibrations prey creates when it movs.
rotifer
Rotifers are small (50-1000 µm) zooplankton that occur in freshwater, brackish, and marine environments. Rotifers feed on microalgae and are consumed by a wide variety of fish, shellfish, corals, and other organisms.
“The very act of vibrating makes rotifers suitable ‘prey’ for sea bass, compelling the sea bass to ‘hunt’ and therefore acquire the fats and proteins that the rotifers contain.” (111)
supersaline
A hypersaline lake is a landlocked body of water that contains significant concentrations of sodium chloride or other salts, with saline levels surpassing that of ocean water (3.5%, i.e. 35 grams per litre or 0.29 pounds per US gallon).
“Because of the supersaline conditions of salt lakes, artemia produce hard, nearly impervious cysts that are fantastically tolerant to outside conditions.” (111)
cysts
a tough protective capsule enclosing the larva of a parasitic worm or the resting stage of an organism.
“Artemia cysts over a million years old have been found and successfully hatched. The largest source of artemia in the world is the Great Salt Lake in Utah.”
fetch
the distance over water that the wind blows in a single direction.
“Fetch is a nautical term meaning the distance over which wind-driven waves travel without encountering obstructions.” (114)
limpid
adjective
(of a liquid) free of anything that darkens; completely clear.
• (of a person’s eyes) unclouded; clear.
“….Josh Goldman, an earnest, limpid-eyed fish farmer in his mid-forties who installed himself near his old college town in the bucolic Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts.” (120)
barramundi
any of a large number of fishes of Australia and Southeast Asia that migrate between sea and river and are mouth brooders.
“Barramundi are, under the right conditions, wildly fertile, spawning throughout the year. They have adapted huge gills for anoxic environments, which makes them highly disease-resistant. Finally, and most important, they can live mostly on vegetarian feed, which means they are less reliant on fish meal and oil than are other carnivorous species.” (122)
brood (v)
(of fish, frog, or invertebrate) hold (developing eggs) within the body.
catadromous
(of a fish such as the eel) migrating down rivers to the sea to spawn. The opposite of anadromous.
anadromous
(of a fish, such as the salmon) migrating up rivers from the sea to spawn. The opposite of catadromous.
anoxia
an absence of oxygen
dispensation
exemption from a rule or usual requirement.
“…I received special dispensation from my family for a ful twenty-four hours’ sea leave to give it a shot.” (130)
thoroughfare
a road or path forming a route between two places.
• a main road in a town.
