Aquaculture Vocab

Yearling

Development stage of fish following the fingerling stage and lasting until approximately one year of age.

Fingerling

Development stage of fish following the fry stage and continuing into the first three to four months of life. Usually 1 - 6 inches long.

Fry

Development stage of fish immediately after the larvae stage, at an age of less than a week.

Game fish

Fish, such as trout, raised to become replenishment stock for natural sport fisheries.

Brood stock

fish of any particular species which are raised for reproduction purposes.

Fish hatchery

one form of a fish farm, managed with the intent of resupplying native wild populations in natural environments

Fillet

the flesh of a fish that has been cut or sliced away from the bone.

Stocking

the practice of placing fish from a hatchery or other source into a pond or lake to either establish a new species or augment an already existing species.

Spawning

the release or deposit of egg or sperm, usually into water, by aquatic animals

Overfishing

detrimental practice of removing more of a natural aquatic species than what natural reproduction can support.

Fish kill

a description of the number of fish stock to die in a specific amount of time.

Salmonid

a fish of the salmon family

Swim Bladder

a gas-filled sac present in the body of many bony fishes, used to maintain and control buoyancy.

Ornamental fish

are small fish, such as koi, which are typically grown to be kept in aquariums or small landscape ponds.

Pond acreage

area committed to extensive aquaculture holdings at a fish farm or company.

In vitro fertilization

artificially fertilizing fish eggs in a laboratory setting.

Fish meal

commercially processed food source used in fish farming as a source of protein for the fish stock.