Terms & Definitions

Each definition below is meant to provide an overarching description of the term being defined.

A

Aquaculture : The farming of aquatic organisms including fish, molluscs, crustaceans
and aquatic plants. Farming implies some sort of intervention in the rearing process to
enhance production, such as regular stocking, feeding, protection from predators, etc.
Farming also implies individual or corporate ownership of the stock being cultivated. For
statistical purposes, aquatic organisms which are harvested by an individual or
corporate body which has owned them throughout their rearing period contribute to
aquaculture while aquatic organisms which are exploitable by the public as a common
property resource, with or without appropriate licences, are the harvest of fisheries.

Area Closure : In a fishery management system, the closure to fishing by particular gear(s) of an entire fishing ground, or a part of it, for the protection of a section of the population (e.g. spawners, juveniles), the whole population or several populations. The closure is usually seasonal but it could be permanent

B

Baseline Assessment : Baseline data assessment means basic information gathered before a venture begins which characterizes the existing conditions of both aquatic and terrestrial resources of the area. Emphasis is placed on resources whose characteristics are likely to be modified by the venture so that data collected on those same resources at a later time can be used to measure change and assess the ventures impact

Baseline data : Basic information gathered before a venture begins that characterizes
the existing conditions of both the aquatic and terrestrial resources of the area to be
impacted by the venture. Emphasis is placed on those aspects that are likely to be
modified by the venture such that data collected on those same aspects at a later time
can be used to measure change and assess the ventures impact.

By-catch : By-catch is the unintentional catch of non-target species, and is likely to be higher where stocks of desirable target species have been depleted

Biological diversity : The variety and variability among living organisms from all
sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems and the
ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species,
between species, and of ecosystems. Diversity indices are measures of richness (the
number of species in a system) and, to some extent, evenness (variances of species'
local abundance). They are, therefore, indifferent to species substitutions, which may,
however, reflect ecosystem stresses (such as those due to high fishing intensity). <FAO>

Biological Parameter : Biological parameters (e.g. abundance, lifespan) are properties of a population that can be used as inputs into stock assessment models or as indicators of change in the status of the resource over time.

C

Catch Per Unit Of Effort (CPUE) : The amount of catch that is taken per unit of fishing effort (e.g., number of fish per hook per day).

Carrying Capacity : Environmental carrying capacity is defined as: 'the ability of the environment to accommodate a particular activity or rate of activity…. without unacceptable impact'. In the case of aquaculture, capacity may be:

1. the rate at which nutrients are added without triggering eutrophication;
2. the rate of organic flux to the benthos without major disruption to natural benthic processes; or
3. the rate of dissolved oxygen depletion that can be accommodated without mortality of the indigenous biota.
   

Chemotherapeutants : Chemical compounds used to treat and control diseases (e.g. antibiotics, pesticides) and used here to describe therapeutants, hormones and drugs, antibiotics and other disease control chemicals.

Ciguatoxin : A toxin carried by some reef fish, that may lead to ciguatera food poisoning in humans who consume contaminated fish.

Ciguatoxic : Reef fish that can carry the toxin ciguatoxin, which may lead to
ciguatera food poisoning in humans who consume the contaminated fish.
Ciguatoxins may be specific to certain reefs, are concentrated up the food chain
and as such are more likely to be present in larger reef fish, and cannot be
destroyed by cooking and freezing

Conservation :
(a) The judicious use and management of nature and natural
resources for the benefit of human society and for ethical reasons. <GBA>;
(b) The management of human use of the biosphere so that it may yield the
greatest sustainable benefit to current generations while maintaining its
potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations. Thus
conservation is positive, embracing preservation, maintenance, sustainable
utilization, restoration, and enhancement of the natural environment. <CBD>

Coral reef : A reef, shoal or other natural feature composed in part of the solid skeletal
structures in which corals are major framework constituents.

Customary Marine Tenure : A socially defined agreement where individuals, groups or communities are recognised by local or customary laws as having ownership over marine areas and aquatic species in that area. Marine tenure arrangements govern the right of access and rules of use over marine areas and aquatic species

1. The intermittent (regular or irregular) surveillance to ascertain the extent of compliance with a predetermined standard or degree of deviation from an expected norm (CBD and GBA); and
   
   
2. The collection of information for the purpose of assessing the progress and success of an area-use plan. Monitoring is used to assess performance of a management plan or compliance scheme in order to revise it or to gather experience for future plans. (Adapted from FAO)
   

D

Diagnostic : Diagnostics in this sense means the scientific process used to establish the cause and nature of a disease.

Decompression Sickness("the bends") : Increased pressure on the body during diving causes nitrogen to be absorbed into the body's tissues. As a diver surfaces, the excess nitrogen begins to be eliminated. If the absorbed nitrogen is above a certain level, it clumps together in relatively large bubbles, causing decompression sickness, or "the bends." The risk is higher when divers repeatedly dive without adequate intervals on the surface. Symptoms range from minor discomfort to temporary or permanent paralysis to rapid death.

Designated Hubs : An area or location that has been approved by the relevant national or provincial regulatory authority for the loading or unloading of live reef food fish for holding or trans-shipment by air or sea transport.

Destructive Fishing Practices : The collection and fishing of live reef food fish through methods that are environmentally destructive or harmful to the habitat and non-target species, including but not limited to practices such as the use of poisons / toxins, other deleterious materials, and explosives; reef dredging; and physical damage to non-target organisms, especially corals, other sessile invertebrates, and fish.

E

Excess Harvest Capacity : In the short-term, fishing capacity that exceeds the capacity required to capture and handle the allowable catch. In the long-term, fishing capacity that exceeds the level required to ensuring the sustainability of the stock and the fishery at the desired level.

External Agencies : External agencies include Non Governmental Organisations and regional agencies (e.g. Network of Aquaculture Centres of Asia)

F

Feed Conversion Ratio's : The ratio of the gain in the wet body weight of the fish to the amount of feed fed. The ratio, usually expressed as a ratio (i.e. 1 : 1.5). Feed conversion ratios with "dry" pellet diets are typically in the region of 1 : 0.8 to 1 : 1.5. Ratios with wet diets, such as trash fish, can be as high as 1 : 10

Fecundity : In general, the potential reproductive capacity of an organism or population expressed as the number of eggs (or offsprings) produced during each reproductive cycle. Fecundity usually increases with age and size

Fisheries Management Framework : The social, political, legal and institutional processes within which the planning for management of a fishery occurs. The fishery management framework determines the information requirements and sets down the long-term management goals and objectives for the conservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources, which is formulated as a fishery management plan.

Fisheries Management Plan : A fisheries management plan is a formal arrangement between a fishery management authority and interested parties which identifies the partners in the fishery and their respective roles, details the agreed objectives for the fishery and specifies the management rules and regulations which apply to it and provides other details about the fishery which are relevant to the task of the management authority.

Fishing Effort: The amount of fishing gear of a specific type used on the fishing grounds over a given unit of time e.g. hours trawled per day, or number of hooks set per day.

Fishing Mortality : That part of the total rate of deaths of fish due to fishing. Fishing mortality is often expressed as a rate that indicates the percentage of the population caught in a year

Food Safety : The FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries for states that

"Safe fish - does not cause illness, injury or death in the consumer. Fish products can be unsafe due to the presence or growth of pathogenic organisms or their toxins (bacteria, viruses, fungi), the presence of biotoxins (for example biogenic amines and ciguatoxins) and parasites, or be contaminated with chemicals or unsafe materials (metal/glass)".

Fry : Grouper fry is a non-specific term used to describe advance larvae or early stage juveniles, generally 1-2 cm in length.

Fingerlings : Grouper fingerlings describes juvenile fish of between 2.5 - 5 cm in size.

Fish Mortaility: That part of the total rate of deaths of fish due to fishing. Fishing mortality is often expressed as a rate that indicates the percentage of the population caught in a year

G

Grouper : Groupers are the main preferred fish of the LRFFT. Other families of fish targeted by the trade are snappers (Lutjanidae), wrasses (Labridae), and emperors (Lethrinidae) <http://www.fishbase.org>. Groupers are typically carnivores/predators at the top of their food chain and have several characteristics of interest from the fishery viewpoint:

• when fully grown, they have virtually no predators other than humans;
• they have low abundance, relative to the animals at lower levels of the food chain, on which they feed;
• most are long lived; and
• they mature relatively late in life.

Grouper Seed : Is a general term which refers to fry, fingerling and juveniles used for mariculture grow-out to marketable or consumable size. Specific stages of grouper are:
Grouper fry: ~1-2cm long
Grouper fingerling: ~2.5 - 5cm long
Grouper juveniles: ~3 - 5cm in long

H

Hookah : A "Hookah" apparatus refers to the use breathing tubes that run from a compressor on a small boat to the divers below providing them with compressed air and enabling them to remain under water for long periods collecting fish. Hookah gear is usually used in conjunction with cyanide.

I

Immature Fish : Those individuals not capable of reproduction.

In Situ : In this context In situ means mitigation and control methods carried out where net cages are sited.

L

Lability : The ability of fish species to reduce the size at which they become reproductively mature in response to population declines or to alter the age at which they change sex in response to sex ratio bias

License(Also known as permits) : A license or permit is a document giving the producer the right to operate in a fishery according to the terms established by the regulatory authority

Limited Entry : Where the number of operators (and size of boats) is restricted through license limitation or quota systems, to control the amount of fishing effort. It frequently involves controls on the number and size of vessels, and conditions relating to the transfer of fishing rights or the replacement of vessels

Limit Reference Point : Indicates a state of a fishery and/or a resource which is considered to be undesirable. Management action should aim to prevent the fishery reaching this state.

M

Management Plan : A management plan is an arrangement between fishing participants and the fisheries management authority which makes explicit the objectives and means of management, the nature of the management authority and its powers and responsibilities and rights and responsibilities of fishery participants.

Marine Tenure : A socially defined agreement where individuals, groups or communities are recognised by local or customary laws as having ownership over marine areas and aquatic species in that area. Marine tenure arrangements govern the right of access and rules of use over marine areas and aquatic species.

Micro-organisms : Infectious organisms include: viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites

Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) :

1. The intermittent (regular or irregular) surveillance to ascertain the extent of compliance with a predetermined standard or degree of deviation from an expected norm <CBD and GBA>; and
2. The collection of information for the purpose of assessing the progress and success of an area-use plan. Monitoring is used to assess performance of a management plan or compliance scheme in order to revise it or to gather experience for future plans. <Adapted from FAO>

N

Natural Mortality : Natural mortality refers to deaths of fish from all causes other than fishing (e.g. ageing, predation, disease, cannibalism). It is usually expressed as a percentage of totsl stock. A natural mortality rate of 0.2 implies 20% of the total stock will die in a year from non-fishing causes.

Networks : The Hong Kong SAR government established a Red Tide Reporting Network in 1983 and a Red Tide Interdepartmental Working Group in 1999 to manage the threat of HABs in Hong Kong. <http://www.hkredtide.org/index_frame_eng.htm>

O

Otoliths : Earstone used by fish as a sense of balance. Otoliths have rings on them like trees and these are used by biologists to determine the age of a fish and it's rate of growth.

Overfishing : In general, action of exerting fishing pressure (fishing intensity) beyond optimum level. A reduction of fishing pressure would, in the medium term, lead to an increase in the total catch. Biological overfishing occurs when fishing levels are higher that those required for extracting the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) of a resource

P

Palliative : In this context palliative means relieving or soothing the symptoms of a disease or disorder without actually effecting a cure

Participants : Fishers, traders, buyers and exporters and retailers in source countries and importers, wholesalers and retailers in demand countries.

Pelagic : Pelagic in this instance refers to time the fish spends swimming in the water column with no contact with bottom structures.

Percieved Costs Of Formulated Feeds : There is limited economic data available to support the use of pelletised diets but their cost is usually about 4-5 times greater than for trash fish. Depending on the FCR attained, total feed costs can be higher or lower for pelletized feeds than for trash fish.

Post Larval : Fish that have changed from the larval form to the very first stages of juvenile or adult form and have settled on reef or substrate.

Precautionary Approach : A set of agreed cost-effective measures and actions, including future courses of action, which ensures prudent foresight, reduces or avoids risk to the resource, the environment, and the people, to the extent possible, taking explicitly into account existing uncertainties and the potential consequences of being wrong.

R

Red Tides : Some algal blooms discolour the seawater turning it to pink, red, brown, reddish-brown or deep green and are called Red Tides.

Reference Point : An estimated value, derived from technical analysis, which represents a state of the fishery or population, and whose characteristics are believed to be useful for the management of the fishery or unit stock. Reference Points may be biological, social or economic.

Risk-Averse : Decisions which tend to reduce the risk of negative outcomes.

S

Seasonal Closure : The banning of fishing activity (in an area or of an entire fishery) for a few weeks or months, to protect juveniles or spawners.

Sexual Maturity : Refers to the ability, on average, of fish of a given age/size to reproduce.

Spawning Aggregation : A group of conspecific fish gathered for the purpose of spawning, with fish densities and numbers significantly higher than those found in the area of the aggregation during non reproductive periods

Spawning Fish : Mature or adult part of a stock responsible for the reproduction. Whereby spawning is the release of ova to be fertilized.

Stock Assessment : The process of collecting and analysing biological and statistical information to determine the changes in the abundance of fishery stocks in response to fishing, and, to the extent possible, to predict future trends of stock abundance. Stock assessments are based on resource surveys; knowledge of habitat requirements, life history, and behaviour of the species; the use of environmental indices to determine impacts on stocks; and catch statistics. Stock assessments are used as a basis to assess and specify the present and probable future condition of a fishery

Stress : Stress can be brought about by: stocking density, nutrient deficiencies or adverse environmental conditions such as changes in salinity, water temperature and algal blooms.

T

Target Reference Point : A state of a fishery and/or resource which is considered to be desirable. Management action, should aim to achieve this state either during development of a new fishery or a stock rebuilding phase,

Trans-boundary : Movement of fry, fingerlings and market size fish across international boundaries or across the boundaries between states, regions or fishery management agency areas of control.

Trash Fish : Usually refers to fish with little or no commercial value. Trash fish is used as aquaculture feed, either on its own or in fishmeal production. In many developing countries trash fish are used for human consumption

V

Viability Assessment : Viability assessment means the activities necessary to assess if a fishery can be established that maintains the fish population in sufficient numbers and reproductive potential to maintain its existence over time in spite of normal fluctuations in population levels.

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W

Wild Live Reef Food Fish : Fish which are caught in the wild as juveniles, and raised in captivity.