Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Commercial Fisheries, Trawler Fleets and Seafood Processors glossary

Vocabulary of commercial fishing and seafood production: target species and their stocks, trawler gear such as the aft trawl gantry and acoustic deterrent devices, the FAO Port State Measures Agreement against IUU fishing, MSC certification, and the harvesting companies, krill and tuna fleets and processors that supply the global seafood trade.

200 defined terms.

A

Abalone: Marine gastropod of the genus Haliotis, farmed commercially in China, South Africa, Australia and Chile, with China supplying over 90% of world output.
Acoustic Deterrent Device (ADD): Underwater sound device to reduce marine mammal bycatch or interactions.
Aft Trawl Gantry: Steel A-frame or H-frame structure at the stern of a trawler used to suspend the trawl doors and net during shooting and hauling.
Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA): FAO treaty adopted in 2009 and entered into force in 2016, requiring foreign-flagged fishing vessels to seek authorization before entering port to prevent landing of IUU catch.
Aker BioMarine: Norwegian krill harvesting and ingredients company headquartered in Oslo, operating the MSC-certified Antarctic krill fleet including the FV Antarctic Sea and FV Saga Sea.
Alaska Pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus): Whitefish species accounting for roughly 1.4 million tonnes of US landings per year from the Bering Sea, processed into surimi, fillet blocks and fish sticks.
Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI): State-funded generic marketing body for Alaska seafood, headquartered in Juneau and operating offices in Tokyo, Madrid and Shanghai.
Albacore (Thunnus alalunga): Temperate tuna species targeted by trolling and longline fleets in the North Pacific, South Pacific and North Atlantic, the primary canned "white meat" tuna in the United States.
Alfa Laval separator: Centrifugal purifier widely used to clean system oil of water and insoluble contaminants in marine diesel installations.
Allowable Biological Catch (ABC): NOAA Fisheries scientific reference point that caps the maximum harvest a stock can sustain, used to set Annual Catch Limits under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
American Albacore Fishing Association (AAFA): California-based cooperative whose Pacific troll-caught albacore fishery has held MSC certification since 2007.
American Seafoods Company: Seattle-based catcher-processor operator running six factory trawlers in the Bering Sea pollock fishery, owned since 2017 by a consortium including Bregal Partners.
Anchoveta (Engraulis ringens): Peruvian anchovy, the world's largest single-species fishery, with landings of 4 to 7 million tonnes per year directed almost entirely to fishmeal and fish oil.
Annual Catch Limit (ACL): Annual quantity of fish allowed to be removed from a stock.
Antarctic Krill (Euphausia superba): Pelagic crustacean fished under CCAMLR rules in FAO Area 48, with a precautionary catch limit of 620,000 tonnes per year split among four subareas.
Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC): Independent certification body founded in 2010 by WWF and IDH, operating standards for salmon, shrimp, tilapia, pangasius, seabass and seabream.
Aquafeed: Feed used in aquaculture, often containing fishmeal and fish oil.
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus): ICCAT-managed highly migratory species with separate eastern and western stocks, the eastern stock having recovered sufficiently to lift quota to 40,570 tonnes for 2024.
Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua): Iconic whitefish historically fished on the Grand Banks and Barents Sea, currently MSC-certified in the Barents and Norwegian Sea fisheries.
Atlantic Sapphire: Land-based Atlantic salmon RAS operator in Homestead, Florida, with target annual production of 90,000 tonnes once Phase 2 completes.
Austevoll Seafood ASA: Bergen-listed parent of Leroy Seafood Group and Pelagia, with major pelagic operations in Norway, Chile, Peru and the United Kingdom.
Avanti Feeds: Indian shrimp feed producer (joint venture with Thai Union) supplying roughly 50% of the Indian vannamei feed market.

B

Bacalao: Salt-cured cod, principally produced in Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands and consumed in Portugal, Brazil, Spain and Italy.
Bait Boat (Pole and Line): Tuna vessel using live bait and barbless hooks, dominant in the Maldives, Indonesia, Azores and Bay of Biscay, considered a low-bycatch method.
Bakkafrost P/F: Faroese salmon farmer listed in Oslo, the largest salmon producer in the Faroe Islands with around 70,000 tonnes harvested per year and ownership of The Scottish Salmon Company.
Ballan Wrasse (Labrus bergylta): Cleaner fish used in Norwegian and Scottish salmon farms to control sea lice, both wild-caught and farmed by Mowi and Otter Ferry Seafish.
Baltic Cod: Two stocks (eastern and western) under ICES advice, the eastern stock under EU emergency closure since 2019 due to recruitment collapse.
Banana Prawn (Penaeus merguiensis): Tropical penaeid trawled in the Northern Prawn Fishery of Australia (NPF), MSC-certified since 2012.
Barents Sea Cod: Northeast Arctic cod stock jointly managed by Norway and Russia and assessed by the ICES AFWG working group.
Beam Trawl: Fishing net held open by a rigid beam.
Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP): Certification scheme operated by the Global Seafood Alliance covering hatcheries, farms, feed mills and processing plants on a star-rating system.
BioMar Group: Danish aquafeed producer owned by Schouw and Co, with mills in Norway, Chile, Scotland, Costa Rica, Turkey, Spain and China.
Bird-Scaring Lines (Tori Lines): Streamer lines deployed on longliners to reduce albatross and petrel bycatch, mandatory in all CCAMLR and ICCAT pelagic longline fisheries.
Blue Whiting (Micromesistius poutassou): Pelagic gadid fished by Faroese, Norwegian, Russian, Icelandic and EU vessels, principally for fishmeal and fish oil with a 2024 TAC of 1.529 million tonnes.
Bluefin Tuna Ranching: Capture of juvenile bluefin tuna in purse seines and grow-out in offshore cages, practiced in the Mediterranean, Mexico and Australia.
Brailer: Large dip net used to scoop tuna from a purse seine bunt into the chilled wells of the catcher vessel or a carrier.
Bridle: Two-leg rope or chain attached to a single point.
Bumble Bee Foods: California-based canned tuna and salmon brand owned since 2020 by Taiwan's FCF Co., previously held by Lion Capital.
Bunt: Middle part of a square sail.
By-Catch: Unintended catch of non-target species during fishing.

C

Cape Town Agreement 2012: IMO treaty on the safety of fishing vessels of 24 m and over, requiring ratification by 22 states with at least 3,600 qualifying vessels to enter into force, still pending as of 2026.
Capelin (Mallotus villosus): Small pelagic forage species fished by Iceland, Norway, Russia and Canada, with the Barents Sea fishery reopened in 2024 with a 196,000-tonne quota.
Cargill EWOS: Salmon and trout feed brand owned by Cargill since 2015, with major plants at Bergneset (Norway), Westfield (Scotland) and Coronel (Chile).
Catcher Processor: Vessel that catches and processes fish onboard, also referred to as a factory trawler.
CCAMLR: Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.
Cermaq Group AS: Salmon farmer headquartered in Oslo and owned by Mitsubishi Corporation since 2014, operating in Norway, Chile and Canada with around 200,000 tonnes harvested annually.
Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF): Thai conglomerate ranking as the world's largest shrimp feed producer and a major integrated shrimp processor exporting to over 40 countries.
Chilean Sea Bass: Market name for Dissostichus eleginoides (Patagonian toothfish).
Cleaner Fish: Wrasse and lumpfish used as biological sea lice control in Atlantic salmon cages.
Cod End: Rear bag of a trawl net where catch accumulates, often fitted with a codend cover for selectivity trials.
Cooke Aquaculture Inc: New Brunswick-based privately held salmon, sea bass, sea bream and trout farmer, owner of True North Seafood, Wanchese Fish Company and Omega Protein.

D

Days-at-Sea (DAS): Effort control regime used in the US Northeast Multispecies fishery and historically in the EU western waters cod recovery plan.
Demersal Trawl: Bottom trawl designed for groundfish, usually rigged with rockhopper, bobbin, or rubber disc ground gear.
Discards: Portion of catch returned to the sea, often dead.
Distant Water Fishing (DWF): Fishing outside a fleet's home EEZ, dominated by China (around 2,700 vessels), Taiwan, Spain, South Korea and Japan.
Dolphin-Safe Tuna: Earth Island Institute label requiring that no purse-seine sets be made on dolphin schools and observer coverage of all sets, distinct from MSC certification.
Dover Sole (Solea solea): Premium flatfish targeted by Belgian, Dutch, French and UK beam trawlers in the North Sea and Bay of Biscay.
Dredge: Towed bottom gear with a rigid frame and bag, used for scallops, oysters, and mussels.

E

Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO): Region east of 150 deg W; key tuna fishery area managed by IATTC.
EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone): 200 nautical mile zone defined by UNCLOS within which the coastal state has sovereign rights over living resources.
European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA): EU body based in Vigo coordinating member-state fisheries control.
European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF): EU funding instrument 2021-2027 of EUR 6.108 billion.

F

Factory Trawler: Stern trawler with onboard processing.
FAD (Fish Aggregating Device): Floating object used to concentrate pelagic fish.
Faroe Islands Pelagic Fleet: Roughly 8 modern pelagic trawlers based in Fuglafjordur and Klaksvik.
Fillet Yield: Mass of fillet produced as a percentage of round-weight fish, typically 50 to 60% for Atlantic salmon and 30 to 40% for cod.
Fish oil: Oil extracted from oily fish such as anchoveta and menhaden.
Fishery Improvement Project (FIP): Multi-stakeholder effort to improve a fishery toward MSC certification.
Fishmeal: Powdered ingredient produced from forage fish.
Flag of convenience: Flag of a state with open registration policy.
Floats: Trawl headrope buoyancy elements, typically aluminium or hard plastic spheres rated to 200 to 1,000 metres.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): UN agency in Rome with statutory responsibility for global fisheries and aquaculture statistics.
Foot Rope (Footrope): Bottom edge of a trawl, weighted with chain, bobbins or rock-hopper discs.
Forage Fish: Small pelagic fish such as anchovies and sardines, key to marine food webs.
Frabelle Fishing Corporation: Philippine tuna purse seine and processing operator based in General Santos City.
Friend of the Sea: Sustainability certification scheme launched in 2008 by Paolo Bray of the Dolphin-Safe project.
Frozen-at-Sea (FAS): Fish frozen onboard within hours of capture, the standard product form from Bering Sea pollock and Barents Sea cod factory trawlers.
FV Atlantic Star: Largest UK-flagged pelagic trawler at 144 m LOA, built 2014 by Karstensen Shipyard for Lunar Fishing Company.

G

General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM): RFMO established by Agreement under FAO Article XIV in 1949, headquartered in Rome.
Ghost Gear: Lost or abandoned fishing gear.
Gillnet: Vertical panel of net that captures fish by entanglement around the gills.
Global Salmon Initiative (GSI): CEO-led coalition of 8 leading farmed salmon producers committed to ASC certification.
Grand Banks: Atlantic fishing grounds off Newfoundland, central to cod history.
Greenland Halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides): Deep-water flatfish targeted by Greenland, Faroese, Icelandic, Russian and Spanish longliners and trawlers.
Grieg Seafood ASA: Norwegian salmon farmer headquartered in Bergen with operations in Norway and Canada and an annual harvest of about 75,000 tonnes.

H

Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus): North Atlantic gadid, with major MSC-certified stocks in the North Sea, Faroe Plateau and Barents Sea.
Hake: Members of the genera *Merluccius* and *Urophycis*, important demersal fishery resources.
Halibut, Atlantic (Hippoglossus hippoglossus): Long-lived flatfish, with the Norwegian, Canadian and US fisheries small but high-value.
Halibut, Pacific (Hippoglossus stenolepis): Managed by the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC).
Hampidjan Group: Icelandic trawl-twine and rope manufacturer, supplier of Dyneema twine used in many of the world's largest pelagic trawls.
Hatchery: Land-based facility producing fry, smolt, post-larvae or spat for grow-out.
Herring: *Clupea harengus* (Atlantic) and *Clupea pallasii* (Pacific), key forage fishes.
High Liner Foods: Halifax, Nova Scotia-based North American frozen seafood processor.

I

IATTC: Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission.
ICCAT: International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.
IFFO RS: Former name of MarinTrust, the responsible-sourcing standard for marine ingredients.
Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ): Tradable fishing quota allocated to individuals or vessels.
International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF): Partnership of tuna companies, scientists, and WWF promoting science based tuna management.
IOTC: Indian Ocean Tuna Commission.
IUU Fishing: Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

J

Jack Mackerel (Trachurus murphyi): South Pacific pelagic species managed by SPRFMO, with a 2024 TAC of around 950,000 tonnes.
Joint Norwegian-Russian Fisheries Commission: Bilateral body setting TACs for the Barents Sea cod, haddock, capelin and Greenland halibut stocks since 1976.
Jumbo Squid (Dosidicus gigas): Humboldt squid, the principal target of the Peruvian, Chilean and Mexican artisanal jigger fleets.

K

Karstensen Shipyard: Danish builder of large pelagic trawlers in Skagen, Denmark and Gdynia, Poland.
Krill Trawler: Specialized continuous-trawl vessel used by Aker BioMarine, CNFC and Rimfrost for Antarctic krill.

L

Landing Obligation (EU): Article 15 of the Common Fisheries Policy requiring all catches of quota species to be landed and counted against quota.
Leadline: Pre-electronic depth-measurement tool consisting of a marked rope and weighted lead, occasionally still carried for backup checks.
Leroy Seafood Group: Bergen-listed integrated Norwegian seafood group.
Longline: Fishing line with many baited hooks.
Lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus): Cleaner fish farmed at over 30 million per year for sea lice control in salmon farms.

M

Mackerel (Scomber scombrus): Atlantic mackerel, with the Northeast Atlantic stock subject to a long-running quota allocation dispute.
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act: US federal fisheries law of 1976 reauthorized in 2006 establishing the regional fishery management council system.
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC): NGO that certifies sustainable wild-capture fisheries.
MarinTrust: Certification standard for fishmeal and fish oil factories.
Maruha Nichiro Corporation: Tokyo-listed Japanese seafood group, the world's largest seafood company by sales.
Mid-Water Trawl: Pelagic trawl operated above the seabed for schooling species, towed singly or in pairs.
Mowi ASA (formerly Marine Harvest): Oslo-listed Atlantic salmon farmer, the world's largest by harvest volume at around 470,000 tonnes per year.

N

NAFO: Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization.
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS / NOAA Fisheries): US federal agency under NOAA administering the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
NEAFC: North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission.
Net Drum: Hydraulic drum at the stern of a trawler used to store and shoot the trawl net.
Newfoundland Cod Moratorium: July 2 1992 closure of the Northern Cod fishery.
Nippon Suisan Kaisha (Nissui): Major Japanese fisheries company operating in trawling, tuna, and aquaculture.
Non-entangling FAD (NEFAD): FAD design without netting panels to prevent shark and turtle entanglement.
Norges Sildesalgslag: Norwegian Fishermen's Sales Organization for pelagic fish, the world's largest pelagic auction.
North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC): US Council managing Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska fisheries.
Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF): Australian Commonwealth fishery off northern Australia, MSC-certified since 2012.
Norwegian Seafood Council (Sjomatradet): State-owned generic marketing body based in Tromso.

O

Observer Coverage: Proportion of fishing trips with a scientific or compliance observer onboard, set by RFMO measures.
Omega Protein: Houston-based menhaden processor, the largest US reduction fishery operator.
Otter Board (Trawl Door): Hydrodynamic foil that holds the wings of a demersal trawl open.

P

Pacific Andes International Holdings: Hong Kong-listed seafood group (now in financial restructuring).
Pangasius (P. hypophthalmus): Vietnamese striped catfish farmed in Mekong Delta ponds.
Patagonian toothfish: *Dissostichus eleginoides*, Southern Ocean fishery species sold as Chilean sea bass.
Pelagia AS: Joint venture of Austevoll Seafood and Leroy operating around 13 pelagic fish meal and fish oil plants.
Pelagic Freezer-Trawler Association (PFA): Brussels-based body representing nine European companies operating around 22 freezer trawlers.
Peruvian Anchovy Season: Two seasons annually set by IMARPE and Produce based on biomass and recruitment surveys.
Pesquera Diamante S.A.: Peruvian pelagic fishing group, second-largest anchovy and fishmeal producer in Peru.
PNA Vessel Day Scheme (VDS): Parties to the Nauru Agreement scheme allocating purse-seine days in the western and central Pacific.
Pole-and-Line Tuna: See Bait Boat.
Pots and Traps: Static baited gear for crab, lobster, whelk, octopus and hagfish.
Purse Seine: Encircling net closed at the bottom by a draw line.

Q

Quay-Side Auction: Display auction at landing port.
Quota Hopping: Practice of registering vessels in another EU member state to access its quota.

R

Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): Salmonid farmed extensively in Chile, Iran, Turkey, Peru, Norway and Finland.
Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS): Land-based closed-containment system reusing 95 to 99% of water.
Reefer container: Refrigerated container with integral plant.
Refrigerated Sea Water (RSW): Chilled seawater used to preserve pelagic catch in dedicated tanks on purse seiners and pelagic trawlers.
Royal Greenland A/S: Greenland government-owned coldwater shrimp processor, the world's largest cold-water prawn supplier.
Russian Fishery Company (RFC): Vladivostok-based pollock and herring catcher-processor operator.

S

Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria): Black cod targeted by US, Canadian and Russian longline and pot fleets.
Salmar ASA: Trondheim-listed Norwegian salmon farmer with around 240,000 tonnes harvested per year.
Salmon Lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis): Caligid copepod parasite, the principal biological constraint on Atlantic salmon farming.
Sandeel (Ammodytes spp.): Small pelagic species fished by Denmark, Norway, the UK and Sweden in the North Sea for fishmeal and oil.
Sardine (Sardina pilchardus): European pilchard, key target of Portuguese, Spanish, French and Moroccan purse seiners.
Sea Lice Counts: Mandatory weekly fish counts on Norwegian, Scottish and Chilean salmon farms.
SEAFISH (UK): UK Sea Fish Industry Authority, NDPB funded by levy on first sale of seafood.
Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP): US NOAA program in force since 2018 requiring catch traceability for 13 priority imported species.
Seafood Watch: Monterey Bay Aquarium consumer guide rating seafood Green, Yellow or Red.
Sernapesca: Chilean National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service.
Simrad Kongsberg: Norwegian supplier of fishing sonars, trawl monitoring and bridge electronics dominant on industrial fishing vessels.
Skipjack Tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis): Most-caught tuna globally at around 2.8 million tonnes per year, the basis of canned light meat tuna.
Skretting: Stavanger-based aquafeed producer owned by Nutreco, present in 18 countries and the world's largest salmon feed supplier.
Smolt: Juvenile salmon physiologically ready for transfer to seawater, typically 70 to 200 g body weight.
Snow Crab (Chionoecetes opilio): Cold-water crab targeted by Canadian, Norwegian, Russian and US pot fleets.
SPRFMO: South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation.
Squid Jigger: Vessel deploying multiple automatic jigging machines, prominent in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Taiwanese fleets.
STCW-F (1995 / 2022 amendments): IMO Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel.
Stern Trawler: Vessel rigged to haul the trawl over the stern, the most common modern configuration.
Surimi: Washed and stabilized fish mince, principally produced from Alaska pollock and Pacific whiting.
Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP): NGO supporting buyer-led FIPs and AIPs, headquartered in Honolulu.
Swordfish (Xiphias gladius): Highly migratory pelagic managed by ICCAT, IOTC, IATTC and WCPFC.

T

Tassal Group: Tasmanian Atlantic salmon farmer, acquired by Cooke Inc in 2022.
Thai Union Group: Bangkok-listed canned and chilled tuna and shrimp giant, owner of Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Mareblu and King Oscar.
Thyboron Trawldoor: Danish trawl door manufacturer dominant in pelagic and demersal trawling.
Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): Cichlid farmed extensively in China, Egypt, Indonesia, Brazil and Philippines, with global production above 6 million tonnes.
Total Allowable Catch (TAC): Maximum quantity of a stock that may be caught in a defined period.
Trident Seafoods Corporation: Seattle-based privately held vertically integrated US fishing and processing major.
Tuna Longliner: Pelagic longliner targeting bluefin, bigeye, yellowfin, and albacore tuna in all three oceans.
Tuna Purse Seiner (Super Seiner): 1,200 to 2,300 GT vessel with 600 to 2,400 m purse seine.

U

UK Fisheries Act 2020: UK primary statute post-Brexit setting eight fisheries objectives.
United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA, 1995): Implementing agreement under UNCLOS for straddling and highly migratory fish stocks.

V

Vannamei Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei): Pacific whiteleg shrimp, accounting for around 80% of farmed shrimp globally.
Vessel Day Scheme (VDS): See PNA VDS.
Vessel Monitoring System (VMS): Satellite tracking of fishing vessels.
Vinh Hoan Corporation: Vietnamese pangasius processor based in Dong Thap, the largest single producer.
Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem (VME): Habitat type protected under UN GA Resolutions 61/105 and 64/72 from significant adverse impacts of bottom fishing.

W

Warp: Move a vessel by hauling on lines secured to fixed points.
WCPFC: Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.
Wellboat: Live fish carrier with circulating seawater used to transport salmon smolts.
Wholesale Fish Market: City auction-and-distribution market with Tsukiji-Toyosu, Mercabarna, Mercamadrid, Rungis and New Fulton as leading examples.

X

X Band Marine Radar: A short to medium range marine radar widely used on commercial and autonomous vessels for navigation and collision avoidance.
Xiphias gladius: Swordfish.

Y

Yamaha Outboard: Dominant outboard engine brand on Philippine, Indonesian and Pacific Island artisanal fishing bancas.
Yellowfin Sole (Limanda aspera): Bering Sea flatfish, second-largest US groundfish fishery by volume after pollock.
Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares): Tropical tuna, with the Indian Ocean stock subject to IOTC Resolution 23/02 catch limit reductions.

Z

Zander (Sander lucioperca): European pikeperch, freshwater species farmed in RAS facilities.
Zeebrugge Fish Auction: Belgian fish market, principal landing port for the Belgian beam-trawl fleet.
Zero Discard: Operational philosophy under the EU Landing Obligation.
Zinc Anode: Sacrificial anode for cathodic protection.