Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Fishing Vessels and Fisheries Management glossary (page 3)

The fishing-vessel and management vocabulary: STCW-F and ILO C188 safety requirements, the RFMO-managed species (Atlantic bluefin under ICCAT), abnormal-catch reporting, above-deck processing, and the gear, quota, and vessel-type terms. Grounds each term in the fisheries-management measure or the fishing-vessel operation it belongs to.

596 defined terms.

Showing 96 on this page (page 3 of 3).

S

Shark Finning Ban: Prohibition on at sea removal of shark fins and discard of carcasses, in force under EU Regulation 605/2013 and many RFMOs.
Shooting (Trawl): Phase of operation in which the net, sweeps, and doors are paid out astern.
Shrimp Trawler: Vessel towing fine mesh otter or twin rigged trawls for penaeid or pandalid shrimp.
SIMP: NOAA Seafood Import Monitoring Program covering specified at risk species imported into the US.
Skipjack Tuna: Major commercial tuna species, Katsuwonus pelamis.
Slurry Ice: Liquid suspension of small ice crystals used to cool pelagic catch quickly.
Small Scale Fisheries: Sector covered by FAO SSF Voluntary Guidelines endorsed in 2014.
Smolt Carrier (Aquaculture): Well boat transporting juvenile salmon from hatchery to sea cage farm, distinct from capture fishing vessels.
Snurrevod: Danish name for the anchor seine, the original gear of Danish seiners.
Sole: Solea solea, the principal target of Dutch and English beam trawlers in the North Sea.
Southern bluefin tuna: *Thunnus maccoyii*, managed by CCSBT.
Spanish Distant Water Fleet: Tuna purse seine, longline, and freezer trawler fleets operating worldwide under EU and ICCAT rules.
Spawning Stock Biomass (SSB): Biomass of mature individuals in a stock.
SPRFMO: South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation.
Squid Jigger: Vessel deploying multiple automatic jigging machines, prominent in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Taiwanese fleets.
Stability Booklet (Fishing Vessel): Approved document required under the Torremolinos Protocol and the Cape Town Agreement.
Standard Vessel Type Code (FAO): Alphanumeric code for fishing vessel types used in FAO statistics.
State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA): FAO biennial report on capture fisheries and aquaculture.
STCW-F 1995: STCW for Fishing Vessel Personnel.
STCW-F 2022 Revision (IMO): IMO comprehensive revision of STCW-F adopted in 2022, addressing modern fishing vessel operations.
Stem Stern Trawler: Vessel with the trawl hauled over the stern, the dominant modern configuration.
Stern Ramp (Stern Trawler): Sloped opening at the stern allowing the trawl to be hauled aboard.
Stern Trawler: Vessel rigged to haul the trawl over the stern, the most common modern configuration.
Stock Assessment: Quantitative evaluation of fish population status.
Stock Status: Classification of a stock as underfished, fully fished, overfished, or rebuilding.
Stowage Plan (Fish Hold): Layout of cartons, totes, or bulk catch in the hold for stability and discharge planning.
Subsidies (Fisheries): Government support to the sector, the subject of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies adopted in 2022.
Sustainable Fisheries Act (US 1996): Amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Act introducing essential fish habitat and bycatch provisions.
Sweeps (Trawl): Wires between the bridles and the wing ends of the trawl, used to extend the herding swept area.
Swordfish: *Xiphias gladius*, large pelagic billfish.

T

TAC: Total Allowable Catch.
Tagged Vessel List (RFMO): Roster of vessels authorized to fish in an RFMO area, such as the ICCAT Record of Vessels.
Tally Sheet (Carrier Vessel): Document recording cartons and species transshipped from fishing vessel to carrier under RFMO observer supervision.
Tariff Quota (Fishery Products): WTO based import quota at preferential tariff levels.
TASCA (Tasmanian Seafoods): Australian abalone industry company, included to distinguish from RFMO captures.
Test Hook (Longline): First baited hook hauled to assess catch condition before retrieval of the full set.
Tickler Chain: Chain dragged ahead of the ground rope or beam trawl to stimulate flatfish.
Tonnage (GT, Fishing Vessel): Gross tonnage measured under the 1969 Tonnage Convention, applied to fishing vessels of 24 meters and above.
Top Fishing Nations: Per FAO SOFIA, principal capture producers include China, Indonesia, India, Peru, Russia, and the United States.
Torremolinos Convention (1977): Original IMO convention on the safety of fishing vessels, never entered into force.
Torremolinos Protocol (1993): Protocol updating the 1977 Convention, superseded by the 2012 Cape Town Agreement.
Total Catch Quota (RFMO): Aggregate limit set by an RFMO for a stock under its mandate.
Trammel Net: Three layer gillnet with inner panel of small mesh between two outer panels of larger mesh.
Trans-Boundary Stock: Stock occurring in the EEZs of two or more states, managed under bilateral or coastal state arrangements.
Transferable Days (Effort Management): Reassignable allocations of days at sea between vessels.
Transshipment (RFMO): Transfer of catch from a fishing vessel to a carrier, regulated by RFMO observer programs.
Trap Fishery: Capture using fixed traps such as pots, fyke nets, and pound nets.
Trap Line: Series of pots connected by a ground line, deployed by lobster and crab vessels.
Trawl Door: Otter board that shears outward to spread the trawl mouth horizontally.
Trawl Hauler: Hydraulic device used to retrieve the warps and net on a trawler.
Trawl Net: Funnel shaped net towed through the water by one or more vessels.
Trawl Sonar: Acoustic sensor providing live data on trawl geometry and catch entry.
Trolling Vessel: Vessel deploying multiple baited lines for salmon, tuna, or pelagic species along defined tracks.
Tropical Tuna: Skipjack, yellowfin, and bigeye managed by ICCAT, IATTC, IOTC, and WCPFC under tropical tuna measures.
Tuna Longliner: Pelagic longliner targeting bluefin, bigeye, yellowfin, and albacore tuna in all three oceans.
Tuna Purse Seiner: Vessel rigged with a large purse seine and skiff to encircle tuna schools, including super-seiners of about 1,800 to 2,500 metric tons hold capacity.
Twin Otter Trawler: Vessel towing two otter trawls with three or four warps and three or four doors.
Twin Rig Beam Trawler: Vessel towing two beam trawls from outrigger booms, standard in the Dutch fleet.
Type Approval (Fishing Vessel Equipment): Certification of equipment such as life rafts and immersion suits to recognized standards.

U

UN Fish Stocks Agreement (1995): Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of UNCLOS relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, in force from 11 December 2001.
UNCLOS Part V (EEZ): Provisions of the 1982 Convention establishing the regime of the Exclusive Economic Zone for fisheries.
UNCLOS Part VII (High Seas): Provisions of the 1982 Convention on high seas freedoms including fishing.
Underfished Stock: Stock status classification used by FAO SOFIA indicating biomass above reference points.
Unique Vessel Identifier (UVI): Permanent identifier such as the IMO Ship Identification Number used in the FAO Global Record.
Unloading Declaration: Statement of species and quantities discharged at port, required under EU Regulation 1224/2009.
Unregulated Fishing: Fishing in areas or for stocks where no measures apply, the U of IUU.
Unreported Fishing: Fishing not reported, or misreported, to relevant authorities, the second U of IUU.
US American Fisheries Act (1998): US law restructuring the Bering Sea pollock fishery into shoreside, mothership, and catcher processor sectors with cooperatives.
US Coast Guard Fishing Vessel Safety Examination: Voluntary or mandatory inspection program for US commercial fishing vessels under 46 CFR Part 28.
US National Standard 1 (NS1): Magnuson-Stevens Act standard requiring fishery management plans to prevent overfishing while achieving optimum yield.

V

Vessel Class (Cape Town Agreement): Categorization by length, with key thresholds at 24 meters, 45 meters, and 60 meters.
Vessel Monitoring Centre (VMC): Flag state center receiving VMS position reports from fishing vessels.
Vessel Monitoring System (VMS): Satellite tracking of fishing vessels.
Vessel Plan Approval (Fishing Vessel): Classification society approval of plans before construction begins.
VHF Radio (Fishing Vessel): Marine VHF set required by SOLAS Chapter IV for larger vessels and by national rules for smaller fishing vessels.
Vigo Port: Major Spanish fishing port and headquarters of the European Fisheries Control Agency.
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.
Watch Schedule (Fishing Vessel): Roster of crew duty periods, regulated by ILO C188 hours of rest provisions.
WCPFC: Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.
WCPFC Convention Area: Western and central Pacific waters covered by the Honolulu Convention.
WCPFC Record of Fishing Vessels: Authorized vessel list maintained by WCPFC for tuna fisheries in the convention area.
Well Boat: Aquaculture service vessel with refrigerated and oxygenated wells used to transport live salmon and other farmed fish.
West African Sardinella Fishery: Purse seine fishery off Mauritania, Senegal, and Gambia targeting Sardinella aurita and Sardinella maderensis.
WGNSSK (ICES): Working Group for the Assessment of Demersal Stocks in the North Sea and Skagerrak.
WGWIDE (ICES): Working Group on Widely Distributed Stocks, assessing mackerel, blue whiting, and Atlanto Scandian herring.
Wheelhouse Console (Fishing Vessel): Integrated bridge layout combining navigation, fishing electronics, and winch controls.
Whitefish: Industry term for cod, haddock, pollock, hake, and similar lean demersal species.
Wing End (Trawl): Lateral termination of the trawl mouth where the bridle attaches.
Work in Fishing Convention (ILO C188 2007): ILO Convention adopted in 2007 and in force from 16 November 2017 covering working conditions on fishing vessels.
WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies (2022): Agreement adopted at MC12 prohibiting subsidies to IUU fishing and to overfished stocks.

X

Xiphias gladius: Swordfish.

Y

Yellowfin tuna: *Thunnus albacares*, widespread tropical and subtropical tuna.

Z

Zero Discharge (Fish Processing): Operational goal on factory trawlers to retain or use all parts of the catch, encouraged by FAO Code of Conduct Article 8.4.
Zone Attachment Principle: Principle in some coastal state agreements assigning a share of a shared stock based on its presence within the EEZ.
Zoning (Fisheries Management): Spatial allocation of fishing areas to gear types or fleet sectors under national plans.