[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z] Adipose Fin A fleshy fin on the back between the dorsal and tail fin. Alevin This is a newborn salmon which still has its yolk sac attached to its stomach to use as food. Algal mats Dense patches of algae that form and grow, covering much surface area of a lake or other body of water. Angler A person who fishes with a hook and a line as a hobby or sport. Bioaccumulation When contaminants build up in the tissue of animals. Biologist A person who studies the physical life of animals and plants. Boulder A large rock, about the size of a basketball. Brass spinners A brass fishing lure that spins. Used for trolling and sports fishing. Bull kelp A variety of coarse brown seaweed found in rocky tidal zones along the Pacific Coast. This seaweed clings to rocks and has a strong cylinder shaped stem which thickens near the bulb top, keeping the seaweed afloat. Buoy An anchored float. Cascade Similar to a waterfall, but usually less steep. It has a broken water surface and continues for long segments. Cobble Rocks, about the size of grapefruits or tennis balls. Collectors Small invertebrates that eat leaf matter and organic debris. Complexing Wood, rocks, and vegetation that add variations to a stream channel. For example, boulders that change the water flow patterns and offer fish shelter are said to add complexity. Contracting When the salmon's stomach becomes smaller in size. Conditioned As an example, in the story of Spring the chinook salmon, if she was so used to spending her days catching food that even when she was not hungry anymore, she would still automatically react to food that was near her. Spring would be called "conditioned" to react to food near her. Contaminants Things that pollute or infect; ie. pollute the water. Corkline The top line on the outer edge of a fishing net that has cork floats along it. It helps keep the net floating in an upright position and is found on gill and seine nets. Curing Preserving (meat or fruit) by salting and drying. Depth sounder A devise that shows the shape of the sea bottom and what is between a boat and the bottom of the sea. It uses sound waves to detect the fish below. Dorsal The top part of the salmon. Embryo A salmon in its first growing stages before it is born out of its egg. Enhancement When the salmon population is increased by using hatcheries, incubation boxes, and spawning channels. Escapement When mature salmon successfully pass through the fisheries, and return to their rivers of origin to spawn. Estuaries The tidal mouth of a river. Eulachon Oil An oil made by boiling eulachon (a small fish similar in appearance to a herring) to extract the valued oil. Eulachon oil is used by many First Nations peoples to flavour foods, and as a dietary supplement. This oil was a highly valued trade item among First Nations peoples in British Columbia. Eulachon are also known as candle fish because they could be fitted with a wick and would burn like a candle, due to their oily nature. Fecal Colliforms Bacteria that come from animal feces. Feces Biological waste excreted from an organism. Fiberglass Glass in a fibrous form used to make various products, such as the hull, deck, or cabin of a boat. Fingerlings A young salmon fry that is about the size of an adult's baby finger. Float block A type of buoy that is attached to the end of a fishing line to mark the line, so that when a fish is caught on it, and the line is let loose, the line and the fish can be found again. Fry The second stage in a salmon's freshwater life. A salmon is a fry until it smolts before it reaches the ocean. Fry develop vertical parr markings about halfway through their fresh water life. Gaff A long barbed fishing spear, with a hook for landing large fish. Gill nets Nets used in gillnetting. Gillnetting is a fishing method that works by stringing a net out across a water source, in the ocean, or across estuaries of rivers near or in the mouth of a river, blocking the salmon's path. Gill nets are also used upstream in large rivers like the Skeena. The salmon swim into the net but are unable to go through because the mesh is too small. When they try to back out their gill covers get snagged in the netting, capturing them. Gradient The angle of the land which the stream is flowing down. Habitat The arrangement of food, water, shelter or cover, and space suitable to animals' needs. Hand gurdie A mechanical devise used to reel in or control the fishing lines on a troller. Handliner A person who fishes by using a line and hook, often held in the hand or tied to a paddle as a boat moved through the water. Harpoon A barbed spear with rope attached to it which is used mostly in the hunting of large fish or whales. Hatchery A human-made habitat for hatching eggs of salmon. Herring rake A piece of wood, often cedar, that has a handle at one end, and a flattened head at the other with needles embedded in it like a comb. This fishing tool was used to catch herring by making a downward stroke in the water that would impale the herring on the rake. Herring are soft-finned, narrow-bodied food fish of the north Atlantic. Hydraulic gurdie A gurdie that is operated and powered by means of water. Hypothesis An unproved educated guess (or supposition) which tries to explain a set of observations. Imprints Environmental factors that the salmon senses and remembers when it returns to its rearing grounds. Industrialization The "development" of an area by large, industrial, profit-based companies. Ingenious Very smart or clever. Interrelationships Connections between different organisms. For instance, when changes to one organism affect other organisms that depend on it. "Iron Chink" Also known as the Smith Butchering Machine, an Iron Chink is a machine used in canneries to clean the fish. This machine removes the head, fins, and tail of the fish, as well as cleaning and gutting it. Juvenile A young animal that has not yet reached adulthood. Kelper A small fishing boat lacking much of the gear found on larger troll boats. It can be towed by a trailer and usually fishes in areas that are rocky, close to shore, kelp ridden, and have strong currents. Large Woody Debris Large pieces of wood in a stream that will not easily get washed away, with a diameter of at least 10cm and a length of at least 2m. Larvae The young of certain insects and invertebrates. Leadline A heavy lead-weighted rope that is found along the bottom edge of a fish net. It is used to weigh down the bottom of the net. It is this line which is pulled up into the boat or closed shut in order to bring in the catch . Migration When salmon leave their stream of origin and swim into the sea, moving northward and westward, feeding as they go. They then return to their home stream to spawn. Nettle fibres Fibres that are made from the nettles of the stinging nettle plant. The nettles are processed into a type of two-stranded thread which was used to make nets by First Nations peoples of the British Columbia coast because of its strength. Nutrification and Nutrient Loading When higher than normal levels of nutrients enter a system. Off-channel Habitat Fish habitat that is not in the stream channel. It is often only wet for part of the year. Off-channel habitat offers refuge for young salmon. Olfactory Sense of smell Piecework Work done and paid for "by the piece" (i.e. by what is accomplished on each "piece", rather than pay by the hour). Potlatches Celebrations that involve feasting, gift giving, dancing, etc., which are held by many Pacific Coast First Nations peoples. Potlatches are usually held in the winter months. Potlatches were traditionally a means of passing on inheritances and ceremonial wealth to the next generation. They were usually given in honour of a particular person, or for a specific event. Power rollers Rollers on seine-tables located at the stern of the boat. These rollers aid in the hauling in and setting of the purse seine nets. Pureric Block A type of power block invented by Mario Puretic. This power driven block hauls a line and net up to the large gallows boom of a seine boat. Redd The female salmon digs a nest in which she releases her eggs at spawning time. The nest is called a redd. Reef netting A method of fishing for salmon, mostly used by First Nations peoples. A net is set out in a narrow reef passage so that it is in the path of migrating salmon. The salmon swim over the net into the main area. Once enough salmon are in the net the fishermen raise the lead line, trapping the salmon. The salmon are then brailed out, using a hand net called a brail. Restoration Repairing something back to its original state; for example, a stream or salmon habitat. See Creekside News. Riparian An area of land spanning from a stream's edge to roughly 30-60 meters away. Ritual A ceremonial act or action. For example: throwing the salmon bones back into the sea is a ritual performed when the first salmon is eaten each season, according to the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nation of BC. More information. Riffle A broken water surface. Usually caused by a rocky stream bottom, and/or a stream's gradient. Root Wad A tree stump with its large ball of tangled roots still attached. Sediment See siltation. Soil and organic material that gets washed into a stream. Seine A large weighted fishing net. A seiner is a boat that uses a seine net. Shaft The long handle of a harpoon, spear, or lance. Siltation When large amounts of silt and dirt get washed into a stream, making it difficult for salmon to see and breathe. Sinker Stone A stone used as a weight for sinking a fishing line or net. Slate A dense fine-grained rock that splits into thin layers. Smokehouse A building that is used to cure fish by using heat and smoke to dry the meat. Spawn When salmon return to their home stream or river, and the female salmon makes a nest, lays eggs in it, and the male salmon fertilizes the eggs. Both salmon die a few days after fertilization. Spoons Metal pieces used on fishing lines as a lure. Stability When something is secure and not going to wash away, fall down, or lose its strength, it has stability. Stream technician Someone who surveys, studies, or works with streams. Substrate The rocks and soils that make up the bottom of a stream. Supernatural Something beyond what we know as reality. Spiritual. Susceptibility How exposed or vulnerable something is. Sustainability Something (like a project) has sustainability if it develops and/or uses our resources in a way that means they will never run out. Swamp See "wetland" Tributary A stream of water that connects to a larger stream or creek. Trolling A fishing method which uses a hook and line dragged through the water to catch fish. It can be used with or without a lure and is usually used to catch Coho or Chinook. Tyee boat A light-weight rowboat made of cedar, or more recently fibreglass, that is easy to row. It was designed by E.P. Painter of Campbell River for Tyee fishing, and is used extensively by Tyee Club members of Campbell River. Water Cleanliness How clean water is. For fish, clean water is free of pollutants, visibly clear, and has adequate oxygen levels. Watershed An area of land within the drainage pattern of all the connected rivers, streams, and tributaries in the area. A watershed can apply to any scale (i.e. large rivers, or small creeks.) Weir A fence-like structure made of a row of wooden stakes that have latticework woven in-between them. It would be constructed in an estuary, stream, or shallow river, allowing water to flow through it, but stopping the salmon that would try to swim upstream to spawn. The salmon would then be easily speared, netted, or guided into nearby traps. Wetland An area of land that is submerged, or partially submerged, under water for at least part of the year. Wetland plants will be dominant. Winches Mechanical devices used to pull, turn, or lift heavy things. Used to haul in fishing lines on trollers, seiners and other fishing boats. Also known as gurdies. Yearling A salmon that is about one year old and may be ready to swim out to sea. Yolk Sack An orange or yellow sac that contains all the nutrition that a newly hatched salmon alevin needs to survive for several weeks. It is attached to the young salmon's belly. Top of page.