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Glossary The following is a glossary of commonly used salmon biology and management terms. It may contain definitions for terms that are not used in the Sockeye Salmon Website. Definitions:
Alevin - The life stage of a salmonid between hatching from the egg and emergence from the stream gravels as a fry. The alevin stage is characterized by the presence of a yolk sac,which provides nutrition while the alevin develops in the protected gravel riverbed. Alluvial - Originating from the transport and deposition of sediment by running water. Anadromous fish - Fish that are born in freshwater, migrate to the ocean to grow and mature, and return to freshwater as adults to reproduce. Artificial propagation - Any assistance provided by human technology to animal reproduction. In the context of Pacific salmonids, this assistance includes (but is not necessarily limited to) spawning and/or rearing in hatcheries, captive broodstock projects, or the use of remote site incubators. Biodiversity - The variety and abundance of species, their genetic composition, and the natural communities, ecosystem, and landscapes in which they occur. Boldt Decision - See U.S. v. Washington. Broodstock - Those adult salmonids that are destined to be the parents for a particular stock or smaller group of fish. Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (CDFO) - The national fishery management agency of Canada. Cascade - A series of small steep drops increasing the velocity of the stream. Catch - The act of landing a fish at which point the fisher has the option of release or retention. Channelized - A portion of a river channel that has been enlarged or deepened, and often has armored banks. Chinook salmon - An anadromous salmonid of the genus Oncorhynchus and species tshawytscha. Also known as king, spring, or blackmouth salmon. Chum salmon - An anadromous salmonid of the genus Oncorhynchus and species keta. Also known as dog salmon. Coho salmon - An anadromous salmonid of the genus Oncorhynchus and species kisutch. Also known as sliver or hooknose salmon. Compensatory Mortality - Mortality is compensatory when the mortality rate (i.e., proportion of population affected) decreases as the population size decreases. This is in contrast to depensatory mortality, were the rate increases as the size of the population decreases. Conspecific - Individuals of the same species. Critical stock - A stock of fish experiencing production levels that are so low that permanent damage to the stock is likely or has already occurred. Cubic feet per second (cfs) - A measurement of stream flow. Cultured stock - A stock that depends upon spawning, incubation, hatching, or rearing in a hatchery or other artificial production facility. Delta - An alluvial landform, typically triangular in shape, composed of sediment at a river mouth that is shaped by river discharge, sediment load, tidal energy, land subsidence, and sea-level changes. Depensatory Mortality - Mortality is depensatory when its rate (i.e., proportion of population affected) increases as the size of the population decreases. This is in contrast to compensatory mortality where the mortality rate decreases as the population size decreases. Depressed stock - A stock of fish whose production is below expected levels based on available habitat and natural variations in survival levels, but above the level where permanent damage to the stock is likely. Ecological interaction - The sum total of impacts of one species on another species, or on other members of the same species. Ecosystem - A complex of biological communities and environment that forms a functioning, interrelated unit in nature. Electrophoresis - A process whereby charged molecules (such as DNA and enzymes) are separated in an electric field. El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) - A climate event that begins as a warming episode in the tropical Pacific zone that can result in large scale intrusions of anomalously warm marine water northward along the PNW coastline. Emergence - When newly-hatched salmonids have fully absorbed their yolk-sac, they emerge from the gravel and begin their stream life, or migrate downstream to lakes or estuaries. Endangered Species Act (ESA) - A 1973 act of congress that mandated that endangered and threatened species of fish, wildlife, and plants be protected and restored. Escapement - The number of adult fish returning to a stream that escape mortality from harvest and natural attrition, and comprise a spawning population. Escapement goal - A predetermined biologically derived number of salmonids that are not harvested and will be the parent spawners for a wild or hatchery stock of fish. Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) - NMFS definition of a distinct population segment that is smallest biological unit that will be considered to be a " species" under the Endangered Species Act. A population will be is considered to be an ESU if 1) it is substantially reproductively isolated from other conspecific population units, and 2) it represents an important component in the evolutionary legacy of the species. Exploitation rate - The proportion of a returning run or total population of salmonids that is taken by fisheries. Extinct stock - A stock of fish that is no longer present in its original range, or as a distinct stock elsewhere. Individuals of the same species may be observed in very low numbers, consistent with straying from other stocks. Extirpation - The elimination of a species from a particular area. Fingerling - Juvenile salmonids up to nine months of age and generally two to four inches in total length (also called parr). Fishery - The process of attempting to catch fish, which then may be retained or released. Fitness - The relative ability of an individual (or population) to survive and reproduce in a given environment. The 'fit' of an organism to its environment. Floodplain - The part of a river valley composed of unconsolidated river deposits that periodically floods. Sediment is deposited on the floodplain during floods and through the lateral migration of the river channel across the floodplain. The 100-year floodplain refers to that area of a river valley that is inundated during a large-magnitude flood occurring, on average, once every one hundred years. Fork length (FL) - A fish length measurement from the tip of the nose to the fork of the tail fin. Fry - Young salmonids that have emerged from the gravel and are up to one month of age or any cultured salmonid from hatching through fourteen days after the being of feeding. Gear limits - Restrictions placed on sport or commercial fishing gear, which are used to control the take of fish. Gene - A specific unit of genetic material (DNA) that encodes the information for a single genetic trait. Genetic diversity - All of the genetic variation within a group. The genetic diversity of a species includes both genetic differences between individuals in a breeding population (=within-stock diversity) and genetic differences among different breeding populations (=among-stock diversity). Genetic drift - The random fluctuation of allele frequencies in a population resulting from the sampling of gametes to produce a finite number of individuals in the next generation. Gene flow - The rate of entry of non-native genes into a population, measured as the proportion of the alleles at a locus in a generation that originated from outside of the population. Can be thought of as the genetically successful stray rate into a population. See also stray rate and homing rate. Gene pool - The total variety and proportions of alleles within a population. Genetic risk - The probability of an action or inaction having a negative impact on the genetic character of a population or species. Genetic Stock Identification (GSI) - A method that can be used to characterize populations of organisms based on the genetic profiles of individuals. The GSI process consists of a series of steps: (1) collect selected tissues from a representative sample of individuals from the population(s) under investigation; (2) develop genetic profiles for the individuals in each population by conducting starch-gel electrophoresis and histo-chemical staining using tissue extracts; (3) characterize each population by aggregating the individual genetic profiles and computing allele frequency distributions; and (4) conduct statistical tests using the allele counts characterizing each population to identify significantly different populations. Genome - The total genetic composition of an individual. The complete genetic information possessed by an organism. Geomorphic processes - Landform-modifying processes such as erosion, mass-wasting, and streamflow. Glide - A part of a river containing a smooth flow of water with an unbroken surface. Gradient - The amount of vertical drop a stream experiences over a given distance. Habitat - An area that supplies food, water, shelter, and space necessary for a particular animal's existence. Harvest - Fish that are caught and retained in a fishery (consumptive harvest). Harvest rate - The proportion of the available numbers of salmonids that is taken by fisheries in a specific time period. Hatchery fish - A fish that has spent some part of its life-cycle in an artificial environment and whose parents were spawned in an artificial environment. Hatchery stock (population) - A stock that depends on spawning, incubation, hatching or rearing in a hatchery or other artificial propagation facility (synonymous with cultured stock). Hatchery production - The spawning, incubation, hatching, or rearing of fish in a hatchery or other artificial production facility (e.g., spawning channels, egg incubation boxes, or pens). Headwaters - The upper reaches of a stream or stream system. Healthy stock - A stock of fish experiencing production levels consistent with its available habitat and within the natural variations in survival for the stock. This does not imply that the habitat itself is necessarily "healthy." Homing rate - Of all the fish from a population that successfully return to spawn, the homing rate is the proportion that return to spawn in the same population in which their parents spawned. See also stray rate and gene flow. Hybridization - The interbreeding of fish from two or more different stocks or species. Imprinting - A juvenile fish rearing and release process applied in an artificial propagation program to promote recognition, and high fidelity, of returning adult fish to the watershed of release.. Inbreeding - The mating of related individuals. Incidental harvest - The capture and retention of species other than those a fishery is primarily opened to target/take. It can also refer to marked fish of the same species. Incubation - A salmon life stage prior to egg hatching during which embryos are developing in the gravel where they were spawned. After hatching young chum salmon remain in the gravel until their yolk-sacs are fully absorbed, then emerge and migrate to estuaries. Independent tributary - A small stream flowing directly into marine waters. Kokanee - The freshwater form of the sockeye salmon. Kokanee spend their entire life history in freshwater, and in some lakes are known as silver trout. Lacustrine - Referring to a lake environment. Large woody debris (LWD) - Logs, limbs, or root wads 4 inches or larger in diameter, delivered to river and stream channels from streamside forests (in the riparian or upslope areas) or from upstream areas. LWD provides streambed stability and habitat complexity. LWD recruitment refers to the process whereby streamside forests supply wood to the stream channel to replenish what is lost by decay or downstream transport. Life history - The events that make up the life cycle of an animal including migration, spawning, incubation, and rearing. There is typically a diversity of life history patterns both within and between populations. Life history can refer to one such pattern, or collectively refer to a stylized description of the 'typical' life history of a population. Locally adapted population - A population whose members have genetically based characteristics that increase their fitness in their local environment compared individuals that lack these characteristics. Management Unit - A stock or group of stocks which are aggregated for the purposes of achieving a desired spawning escapement objective. Maximum Sustained Yield (MSY) - The maximum number of fish from a stock or management unit that can be harvested on a sustained basis, measured as the number of fish that would enter freshwater to spawn in the absence of fishing after accounting for natural mortality. Migration - The seasonal movement of an animal from one area to another. Mitigation - An action intended to reduce the adverse impact of a specific project or development. Mixed-stock fisheries - Any fishery that catches fish from more than one stock. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) - A branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce whose responsibilities include administration of the endangered species act for anadromous and marine fish. Native population - See Native stock. Native species - A species of fish indigenous to Washington State. Native stock - An indigenous stock of fish that has not been substantially impacted by genetic interactions with non-native stocks or by other factors, and is still present in all or part of its original range. In limited cases, a native population may also exist outside of its original range (e.g. in a captive broodstock program). Natural fish - A fish that has spent essentially all of its life-cycle in the wild and whose parents spawned in the wild. Synonymous with wild fish and with natural origin recruit (NOR). Natural Origin Recruit (NOR) - See Natural fish. Natural population - See Native stock. Natural Return Rate (NRR) - The number of native, naturally produced fish spawning in on generation divided by the total number of naturally spawning fish (hatchery plus naturally -produced fish) in the previous generation. Natural spawners (NS) - See Natural fish. Net pen - A fish-rearing enclosure used in lakes and marine areas. Non-native stock (population) - A stock (population) that has become established outside of its original range. Non-target population - Any natural populations that is not intended to be integrated with a particular artificial propagation program. North of Falcon (NOF) - An annual pre-season salmon management process for fisheries occurring between Cape Falcon (Oregon) and the Canadian border. Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) - Created in 1974 by treaty Indian tribes in western Washington, the commission's role is to assist the tribes in conducting orderly and biologically sound fisheries. Off-channel area - Any relatively calm portion of a stream outside of the main flow. Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) - A pattern of climate and ocean condition regimes occurring in the north Pacific Ocean (associated with the Aleutian low pressure system) that results in shifts in sea surface temperatures and plankton abundance on a decades long time scale. Pacific Salmon Commission (PSC) - The Pacific Salmon Commission is the bilateral commission with responsibility for administering the PST. Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST) - The Pacific Salmon Treaty, signed between the U.S. and Canada in 1985, governs salmon interceptions by each country. Peak flows - Extremely high winter-time flows which can cause excessive streambed scour and damage or destroy salmon eggs incubating in the gravel. Peak flows can become more severe as a result of an increase in impervious surfaces and a reduction of hydrologic maturity, both of which increase the rate of water delivery to stream channels. Pink salmon - An anadromous salmonid of the genus Oncorhynchus and species gorbuscha. Also known as humpy or humpback salmon. Pool - A relatively deep, still section in a stream. Population - Synonymous with the term stock. Population Viability Analysis (PVA) - A statistical analysis that provides an estimate of the probability that a population will become extinct over a specific time frame. Presmolts - A term used for sockeye juveniles during late winter, typically 1 to 3 months before their migration to marine waters. Pre-terminal fishing (management) area - Marine waters where specific stocks (or groups of stocks) are mixed with fish returning to other regions. Productivity - A measure of a biological system's ability to supply organisms with energy and resources to feed, grow, and survive. Puget Sound Salmon Management Plan (PSSMP) - A state/tribal salmon management plan for the Puget Sound region adopted in 1985 as a part of U.S. v. Washington. Re-colonization - The reestablishment of a salmonid stock in a habitat that the species previously occupied. Recovery project - Artificial production projects primarily designed to aid in the recovery, conservation or reintroduction of particular natural population(s). Recruits - The total numbers of fish of a specific stock available at a particular stage of their life history. Redd - A spawning site for a pair of salmon, where eggs are buried in stream gravels for incubation and hatching. Regional fisheries enhancement group - One of 12 regional fisheries enhancement (volunteer) groups funded under recreational and commercial salmon license fees, allowed to do habitat enhancement projects plus rear and release salmon into state waters under the direction of WDFW. Remote Site Incubator (RSI) - A lightweight, dark colored plastic barrel incubator that employs plastic substrate (hatching medium), and can be sized to accommodate 5,000 to 125,000 eggs per incubator. They are used mainly for incubating chum salmon eggs. Resident fish - A life history type in which all life stages (e.g. spawning, rearing, growth, maturation) occur in small headwater streams, often upstream from impassable physical barriers. Riffle - A shallow gravel area of a stream that is characterized by increased velocities and gradients, and is the predominate stream area used by salmon for spawning. Riparian - Referring to the transition area between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The riparian zone includes the channel migration zone and the vegetation directly adjacent. to the water body, that influence channel habitat through alteration of microclimate or input of LWD. River mile (RM) - A statute mile measured along the center line of a river. River mile measurements start at the stream mouth (RM 0.0).. Riverine - Referring to the entire river network, including tributaries, side channels, sloughs, intermittent streams, etc. Riverine sockeye - Small populations of sockeye salmon that spawn and rear in some rivers systems that have no available lake for rearing. Run - The sum of stocks of a single salmonid species which migrates to a particular region, river, or stream of origin at a particular season. Run Reconstruction - A post season accounting of all salmon escaping and harvested from individual stocks or management areas. Salmon and Steelhead Stock Inventory (SASSI) - A cooperative program by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Washington Treaty Indian Tribes to inventory and rate the status of salmon and steelhead stocks on a recurring basis. The 1993 SASSI identified salmonid stocks and their status with information on stock origin and history and provided descriptions of the factors which affect stock status. The inventory process is no longer confined to just salmon and steelhead, and now encompasses several additional salmonid species. Future inventories will be titled Salmonid Stock Inventory (SaSI) to accommodate the inclusion of anadromous trout species. Salmonid - Any member of the taxonomic family Salmonidae, which includes all species of salmon, trout, char, whitefish, and grayling. Selective fishery - A fishery that allows the release of non-targeted fish stocks/runs, including unmarked fish of the same species. Self-sustaining population - A population of salmonids that exists in sufficient numbers to replace itself through time without supplementation with hatchery fish. It does not necessarily produce surplus fish for harvest. Smolt - A juvenile anadromous salmonid which is undergoing the physiological and behavioral changes required to migrate from fresh water to salt water. Sockeye salmon - An anadromous salmonid of the genus Oncorhynchus and species nerka. Also known as red or blueback salmon. (see Kokanee) Stray - An individual that breeds in a population other than that of its parents. Stray rate - The proportion of a population that consists of strays. Stock - The fish spawning in a particular lake or stream(s) at a particular season, which to a substantial degree do not interbreed with any group spawning in a different place, or in the same place at a different season. Stock origin - The genetic history of a stock. Stock status - The current condition of a stock, which may be based on escapement, run-size, survival, or fitness level. Substrate - The material which comprises a stream bottom. Subtidal zone - Shallow-water areas below mean low water. Supplementation - The use of artificial propagation to maintain or increase natural production while maintaining the long-term fitness of the target population, and keeping the ecological and genetic impacts to non-target populations within specified biological limits. Targeted fishery - A harvest strategy designed to catch a specific group of fish. Terminal fishing (management) area - Marine waters near the ultimate freshwater destination of specific salmonid stocks (or groups of stocks) where they have separated from fish returning to other regions. Trend - The directional change over time in a series of data. Tributary - A smaller stream which flows into a larger stream. Unknown stock - A stock for which there is insufficient information to identify stock origin or stock status with confidence. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) - A branch of the federal Department of Interior whose responsibilities include administration of the endangered species act as it affects non-anadromous fish and steelhead, wildlife and plants. U.S. Forest Service (USFS) - A branch of the Department of Agriculture. U.S. v. Washington - A 1974 Federal Court Decision that affirmed the fishing rights of western Washington Treaty Indians Tribes. Commonly referred to as the "Boldt Decision". Viable population - A population that maintains its vigor and its potential for evolutionary change. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) - Created by the merger of the Washington Department of Fisheries (WDF) and the Washington Department of Wildlife (WDW) in 1994. Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) - Watershed-based planning unit, defined by the Washington State Department of Ecology. WRIAs are determined by drainages and common water bodies. Watershed - The physical area drained by a single river or stream, physically separated from other watersheds by ridge top boundaries. Western Washington Treaty Indian Tribes (WWTIT) - Indian tribes located west of the Cascade Crest that have been recognized by the United States government, with usual and accustomed fishing grounds, and whose fishing rights were reserved under a treaty and have been affirmed by a federal court. Wild stock - A stock that is sustained by natural spawning and rearing in the natural habitat, regardless of parentage (includes native). Within-stock
diversity - The overall genetic variability among individuals
of a single population or stock.
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