Four Fish 8 Cod Flashcards
Gadiformes
an order or ray-finned fish that includes cod.
“Gadiforms live a lazy life, preferring to move slowly in chilly water.” (137)
blood line
the set of nerves that make up a fish’s lateral lines.
Their [Cod’s] flesh therefore often contains a minimum of high-speed muscle tissue – tissue that is usually contained within the blood line that runs down the length of the fish’s fillet.” (137)
ray-finned fish
The ray-finned fishes are so called because they possess “fin rays”, their fins being webs of skin supported by bony or horny spines (“rays”), as opposed to the fleshy, lobed fins that characterize the class Sarcopterygii which also, however, possess fin rays.
lateral line
a visible line along the side of a fish consisting of a series of sense organs that detect pressure and vibration.
putrefy
(of a body or other organic matter) decay or rot and produce a fetid smell.
“Since oil in the flesh determines the speed at which flesh putrefies when frozen or dried, cod and other gadiforms can be stored for great lengths of time.
fetid
smelling extremely unpleasant: the fetid water of the marsh.
morphology
the branch of biology that deals with the form of living organisms, and with relationships between their structures.
“The popularity of gadiforms is greatly aided by their morphology generally.” (137)
bank
an elevation in the seabed or a riverbed; a mudbank or sandbank.
Georges Bank
underwater rise in the Atlantic Ocean, between Massachusetts and Nova Scotia, site of important US and Canadian fishing zones.
coterie
a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive of other people.
“The Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen’s Association, formed in 1991, has brought together a coterie of small-scale fishermen that use low-impact hook-and-line fishing gear to harvest cod and other groundfish from unclosed areas of Georges Bank.” (156)
Union Jack
the national flag of the United Kingdom, consisting of red and white crosses on a blue background.[originally a small British union flag flown as the jack of a ship; compare with union.]
jack
a small version of a national flag flown at the bow of a vessel in harbor to indicate its nationality.
Norse
relating to medieval Norway or Scandinavia, or their inhabitants or language.
As legend has it, the two Norse noblemen had a bet between them - whoever touched the land of the island first would get to claim them for his own. On realizing that his boat was falling behind as they approached landfall, the trailing nobleman took an ax from his belt, hacked off his hand, and threw it to shore before the other lord could touch dry land. Needless to say, the one-armed man won.” (157)
frenetic
fast and energetic in a rather wild and uncontrolled way:
“Rzepkowski is a frenetic person, and lolling on a Caribbean island did not suit his temperament.” (158)
eschew
deliberately avoid using; abstain from
“in addition to eschewing selective breeding, Rzepkowski chose to raise cod in accordance with organic standards that had been established by the Scottish Soil Association.” (159)
