Glossary

The ABC is a scientific calculation of the sustainable harvest level of a fishery and is used to set the upper limit of the annual total allowable catch. It is calculated by applying the estimated (or proxy) harvest rate that produces maximum sustainable yield to the estimated exploitable stock biomass (the portion of the fish population that can be harvested).

PFMC

Location where anglers complete fishing trips. Includes shore and boat return locations.

RecFIN

Survey of fishing trips at the locations where anglers complete trips.

RecFIN

A salmon with its adipose fin missing, signifying the fish has a coded-wire tag inserted in its head.

RecFIN

A fleshy, dorsal fin without rays, located toward the caudal fin. Found most notably in Salmonids.

RecFIN

Intercepting anglers or boats not in the assigned fishing mode of sampling for a sampling assignment when the assigned site is not productive.

RecFIN

Intercepting anglers or boats at a site not assigned to be sampled when the assigned site is not productive.

RecFIN

Founded in 1870, AFS is the leading source of fisheries and management information across North America and around the world.

AFS

Hypersensitivity reaction to foreign proteins or drugs, such as may occur when jabbed by spines on a fish.

RecFIN

A person catching fish or shellfish with no intent to sell, including people releasing the catch.

NOAA

Determination of whether a person is eligible (as an angler) to be interviewed by the sampler.

RecFIN

A list of licensed anglers used for sampling.

RecFIN

Based on contact information (ALD) provided on cover page of sport fishing license sale books. Designed to identify effort data needed to estimate total number of marine recreational fishing trips taken by license holders.

RecFIN

An appointment scheduled and issued to a sampler to collect data.

RecFIN

The specific six digit code used to identify all sample assignments issued.

RecFIN

Used to track individual sample assignments.

RecFIN

A commission, ratified by the states and approved by the U.S. Congress in 1942, serving as a deliberative body of the Atlantic coastal states, coordinating the conservation and management of 27 nearshore fish species.

ASMFC

An angler interview which cannot be obtained because of refusal or language barrier.

RecFIN

Used to analyze the effectiveness of bag limits. The number of occurrences of the count of a fish in an angler’s catch (bag). Few anglers have bags with counts of fish over a limit for that species.

RecFIN

The slope of elevated land adjoining the ocean or bay. Can be rock or an overhanging cliff, and may be reinforced by materials placed there by humans.

RecFIN

An expanse of pebble, sand, or rock along a shore of an ocean that is affected by tidal action.

RecFIN

Survey conducted on beach and bank site primarily for catch data.

RecFIN

The term “best-available science” comes from the second National Standard listed in the Magnuson-Stevens Act and is the informational standard mandated for decision making.

NOAA

In statistics, a biased sample is a statistical sample in which members of the statistical population are not equally likely to be chosen.

RecFIN

Interviews for man made and private/rental boat interviews sampled outside of the target mode for the site. These are used for catch rate information but not for effort estimates.

RecFIN

The set of administrative rules issued by an agency such as Title 14 issued by CFDG for the management of fish and wildlife resources in the state.

RecFIN

A state natural resource agency managing California’s diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend, for their ecological values and for their use and enjoyment by the public.

CDFW

The set of laws (statutes) enacted by the California State Legislature and signed by the Governor of California that governs the management of fish and wildlife resources in the state.

RecFIN

An integrated state and federally funded sampling program missioned to collect fishery-dependent data on California’s marine recreational fisheries, and to accurately estimate catch and effort in a time frame and on a scale that meets management needs. CRFS collects the data necessary to estimate catch and effort for California’s diverse recreational finfish fisheries which range from the California-Mexico border to the California-Oregon border extending over 1,100 miles of coast, and is surveyed at over 400 sampling sites.

CDFW

An expanded number based on a statistical sample with inference to the population.

RecFIN

The quantity of fish caught per unit of fishing effort, such as number of fish per angler day or pounds of released catch per boat hour.

RecFIN

A survey or census conducted by intercepting anglers upon completion of fishing to obtain catch and fishing effort information.

RecFIN

The terminal unpaired fin at the bottom rear end of the fish body, which may be forked.

RecFIN

Permit number assigned by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to each registered commercial passenger fishing vessel.

RecFIN

A complete accounting of the take of fish in a fishery.

RecFIN

A registration number issued by the California DMV to any owner of a sailboat over eight feet long or a boat/vessel with a motor (no matter the size) in order to legally operate it on state waterways.

CA DMV

Any vessel-for-hire engaged in recreational fishing and hired for a charter fee by an individual or group of individuals (for the exclusive use of that individual or group of individuals), which results in that vessel being unavailable for hire to anyone else during the period of the charter.

NOAA

Groups of sites sampled together for man-made beach/bank, and secondary (PR2) private/rental boat surveys.

RecFIN

A NOAA sponsored RDD survey of households in counties with access to marine waters.

RecFIN

Coded wire tags are small pieces of stainless steel wire that are injected into the snouts of juvenile salmon and steelhead. Each tag is etched with a binary code that identifies its release group.

RecFIN

Fishing in which the fish harvested, either whole or in part, are intended to enter commerce through sale, barter, or trade.

RecFIN

Commercially registered vessels that take recreational fishing passenger trips. Also known as Party and Charter boats.

RecFIN

A group of people tasked with certain duties to promote, manage, and conserve marine fisheries.

RecFIN

Fishery management council. A fisheries management body established by the Magnuson Stevens Act to manage fishery resources in designated regions of the United States. Membership varies in size depending on the number of states involved. There are either regional councils, including the Pacific Council.

RecFIN

A specific code for each county in a state. For sample sites, it is numeric. For angler residence it is character.

RecFIN

A head tag that is prepared for a salmon head voluntarily brought to the sampler.

RecFIN

A fishing boat in the PR1 survey for which a sequential number is given and specific data collected.

RecFIN

Non paying angler on a party/charter vessel. Also known as a pinhead.

RecFIN

Fish living on or near the bottom of the ocean. They are found on or near the continental shelf, continental slope or along the continental rise. They are not generally found in the deepest waters and are bottom feeders. The word demersal comes from the Latin demerger, which means to sink.

RecFIN

Fishing that is directed at a certain species or group of species. This applies to both sport fishing and commercial fishing.

RecFIN

Fish not retained by angler and returned to the ocean. Fish may be classified as released alive or dead. Location of catch, weight and lengths are obtained whenever possible.

RecFIN

The fate of a caught fish: cut up for bait, filleted, or taken home. Does not include discarded fish.

RecFIN

Each of the six geographical areas the CRFS project divides the state of California into for survey estimation purposes.

RecFIN

A person under water for a specific purpose using self-contained breathing apparatus (SCUBA), or freediving (holding breath).

RecFIN

A floating platform with land access used primarily for boat moorage, loading, or fishing.

RecFIN

Amount of time spent fishing.

RecFIN

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 provides a framework to conserve and protect endangered and threatened species and their habitats both domestically and abroad.

NOAA

The water and substrate within an area that is necessary for the spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity for a species.

NOAA

Estimates of discards can be made in a variety of ways, including samples from observers, anglers and logbook records. Fish (or parts of fish) can be discarded for a variety of reasons, such as being non-target species for the trip, and compliance with management regulations like minimum size limits or quotas.

PFMC

A measure of marine depth. One fathom is equal to six feet.

RecFIN

A service that allows you to transfer files to and from other computers. Anyone who has access to FTP can transfer publicly available files to his or her computer.

2011 The DAMA Dictionary of Data Management, 2nd Edition

Pertains to marine fish with fins for the purposes of trip eligibility. Does not include crustaceans and mollusks, which are designated as shellfish.

RecFIN

The Fish and Game Commission is a separate entity from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and has been involved in the management and wise use of California’s fish and wildlife resources since 1870. It is composed of up to five members, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The Legislature delegated to the Commission a variety of powers, some general in nature and some very specific. A major responsibility is the formulation of general policies for the conduct of the Department of Fish and Wildlife. It also has general regulatory powers function, under which it decides seasons, bag limits and methods of take for game animals and sport fish.

RecFIN

A legal form of CDFW regulations.

RecFIN

A plan, and its amendments, that contains measures for conserving and managing specific fisheries and fish stocks.

NOAA

The type of fishery and area being managed.

RecFIN

The method of access to the fisheries. The major modes are man-made structures (MM), beach/bank fishing (BB), party/charter boat fishing (PC), and private/rental boat fishing (PR).

RecFIN

The number of anglers or boats at a fishing site.

RecFIN

A measurement used frequently for fish length when the tail has a fork shape. Projected straight distance between the tip of the fish and the fork of the tail.

PFMC

Identifying a species by analyzing its genetic material (DNA).

RecFIN

A method of collecting and presenting data graphically by location or depth of fishing.

RecFIN

Groundfish are those that stay close to the ocean floor. There are 90+ species of groundfish managed through the policies of the PFMC’s Groundfish Management Plan, under the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and other Federal laws. The various species include rockfish, lingcod, greenlings and other species somewhat closely associated with the ocean bottom.

RecFIN

An advisory body to the Pacific Fishery Management council. It monitors groundfish fisheries, and prepares stock assessments and fishery impact analyses. It may also monitor catch rates and management impacts, analyze or recommend harvest limits, develop rebuilding plans, or conduct other tasks assigned by the Council (PFMC).

PFMC

An organization of the five states (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida), whose coastal waters are the Gulf of Mexico. This compact, authorized under Public Law 81-66, was signed by the representatives Alabama. It has as its principal objective the conservation, development, and full utilization of the fishery resources of the Gulf of Mexico, to provide food, employment, income, and recreation to the people of these United States.

GSMFC

A numerical harvest level that is a general objective, but not a quota. Attainment of a harvest guideline does not require management response, but it does prompt review of the fishery.

NOAA

An inventory tag that is attached to a salmon head, which has been collected because an adipose fin clip indicated the presence of a coded wire tag.

RecFIN

Regulatory changes that affect an ongoing fishery during its open season.

RecFIN

An angler who does not meet the criteria for eligibility to be interviewed for a fishery survey project.

RecFIN

A body of saltwater enclosed by land or barriers with a mouth that allows access to the ocean. e.g. San Francisco Bay, Morro Bay, Monterey Harbor, etc.

RecFIN

Encountering an angler or boat in the field to interview.

RecFIN

Include Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC), and Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC).

RecFIN

A narrow man-made structure that projects into the water from land to reduce wave action in a waterway or harbor.

RecFIN

Weekend or weekday. Legal holidays are considered weekend days.

RecFIN

An angular distance north or south of the equator. These measurements are parallel to the equator.

RecFIN

A sloping roadway. Vehicles towing boats on trailers back the trailers down to the water until the boat can float off the trailer.

RecFIN

A statistical method set to analyze catch for fish size limits. The number of occurrences of the count of a fish in a specific size range. Few fish are caught smaller than the minimum legal size for a species.

RecFIN

A log of each fishing trip is required by the CDFW to be completed and returned for each commercial passenger fishing trip. The log captures catch and effort information.

RecFIN

An angular distance east or west of the prime meridian (in England). These measurements are perpendicular to the equator from pole to pole.

RecFIN

The MSFCMA, also known as the Magnuson-Stevens Act, established the 200-mile fishery conservation zone, the regional fishery management council system, and other provisions of the United States marine fishery law.

PFMC

An assigned mode of fishing survey used by CRFS.

RecFIN

Man-made structure in the water where anglers may fish.

RecFIN

Prohibits the harvest or harassment of marine mammals, although permits for incidental take of marine mammals while commercial fishing may be issued subject to regulation.

NOAA

Any area of the marine environment that has been reserved by federal, state, territorial, tribal, or local laws or regulations to provide lasting protection for part or all of the natural and cultural resources therein.

NOAA

A national survey developed in 1979 by NOAA and conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service to estimate the impact of recreational fishing on marine resources.

RecFIN

A state-regional-federal partnership that develops, implements, and continually improves a national network of recreational fishing surveys to estimate total recreational catch. These estimates are combined with commercial catch data and biological research to help scientists and managers assess and maintain sustainable fish stocks.

NOAA

A boat, either in private boat surveys, fishing or not, that was observed at the site but not sampled.

RecFIN

A division of the U.S. Department of Commerce that is responsible for the management, conservation, and protection of offshore fisheries (and inland salmon). Also known as NOAA fisheries.

RecFIN

An agency focused on understanding and predicting changes in climate, weather, ocean, and coasts. It conserves and manages coastal and marine ecosystems and resources.

NOAA

An organization that provides scientific and public stewardship for national and international marine environmental and ecosystem data and information. A division of NOAA.

NOAA

NOAA Northwest Regional Office managing Habitat Conservation, Salmon Recovery, Sustainable Fisheries, Protected Resources and Hydropower Divisions.

RecFIN

Division 1 includes Fisheries Statistics. They collect data and coordinate information and research programs to support the science-based stewardship of the nation’s living marine resources. In addition to integrating and disseminating state and federal statistics about marine fisheries, they administer the surveys used to estimate recreational landings.

NOAA

Established in 1964 to study the sardine and tuna fisheries of the U.S. West Coast, they provide scientific information to support fisheries management and conserve protected species in the California Current, throughout the Pacific Ocean, and in the Southern Ocean off Antarctica.

NOAA

NOAA Southwest Regional Office managing Protected Resources, Habitat Conservation, and Sustainable Fisheries Divisions.

RecFIN

A boat in the CRFS PR1 survey that did not target finfish.

RecFIN

A coded-wire tag salmon head that cannot be removed for some reason.

RecFIN

This type of survey is conducted by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and evolved from a survey of ocean salmon boats to a survey of all ocean boats.

RecFIN

A Washington state program to determine recreational and commercial catch, effort, and salmon coded-wire tag estimates for ocean fisheries.

RecFIN

A wide bend or curve in a shoreline where wide unenclosed portions of the ocean is formed. Not a true bay. Also known as a bight. e.g. Santa Monica Bay, Monterey Bay, etc.

RecFIN

Interviews for party/charter and beach/bank interviews sampled outside of a regular assignment. Used for catch rate information.

RecFIN

The amount of fish that will provide the greatest overall benefit to the Nation, particularly with respect to food production and recreational opportunities, and taking into account the protection of marine ecosystems.

RecFIN

A state natural resource agency missioned to protect and enhance Oregon’s fish and wildlife and their habitats for use and enjoyment by present and future generations.

ODFW

Any stock or stock complex whose size is sufficiently small that a change in management practices is required to achieve an appropriate level and rate of rebuilding. The term generally describes any stock or stock complex determined to be below its overfished/rebuilding threshold.

PFMC

The Pacific Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional fishery management councils established by the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. They recommend fishery management measures in the Federal waters off Washington, Oregon, and California.

PFMC

Established in 1947 by consent of Congress, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) is an interstate compact agency that helps resource agencies and the fishing industry sustainably manage our valuable Pacific Ocean resources in a five-state region. Member states include California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska, each represented by three Commissioners.

PSMFC

Also known as CPFV. Commercially registered vessels that take recreational fishing passenger trips.

RecFIN

Fish living near the surface or in the water column of the ocean. Marine pelagic fish can be divided into coastal (inshore) fish and oceanic (offshore) fish. Coastal fish inhabit the relatively shallow and sunlit waters above the continental shelf, while oceanic fish inhabit the vast and deep waters beyond the continental shelf.

RecFIN

A motorboat, less than 16 feet, propelled by machinery which uses an outboard motor or inboard motor powering a water jet pump as its primary source of power, and is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling on it. (e.g. jet ski).

Oregon State Marine Board

A weekly VDTS telephone survey of 10-50% of all party/charter boats to determine number of trips taken in previous week and number of anglers on each trip. This survey was discontinued in 2011 in favor of obtaining trip information directly from PC vessel logbooks.

RecFIN

A man-made structure constructed with poles projecting from the bottom out of the water and covered with a platform on top so that waves may pass under the platform.

RecFIN

Non-paying angler on a party/charter vessel. Also referred to as a Deadhead.

RecFIN

Site effort check. A site visit for the purpose of estimating angler effort (number of anglers and boats).

RecFIN

Primary private boat survey for sites that compromise 90% of the catch of important (managed) species. CRFS conducted.

RecFIN

The private or rental boats that access the water from marinas, moorings and slips (not launch ramps).

RecFIN

A boat belonging to an individual not for rent or with paying passengers.

RecFIN

Private or rental boat mode of fishing.

RecFIN

Boat launch ramp. Roadway leading down into the water for the purpose of launching a boat from a trailer.

RecFIN

With no pattern. Occurring sporadically or intermittently in an unpredictable way.

RecFIN

A method of dialing telephone numbers used in the MRFSS household telephone survey to obtain participation and effort data, including information on proportion of fishing households in each county.

RecFIN

A method of selecting a sample from a population in such a way that every possible sample that could be selected has an equal probability of being selected.

RecFIN

Pursuit of fish for sport rather than for commercial or monetary purposes.

RecFIN

An area in the water where a living thing or their habitat is controlled. May be a place where fishing is not allowed so that fish can reproduce, grow and migrate from.

RecFIN

A denial on the part of the angler to be interviewed by the sampler, or to refuse a key item during the interview.

RecFIN

An area of interest. In CRFS, California is split in to two sub-regions; North and South. The split occurs at San Luis Obispo/Santa Barbara county line. This is based on historical fishery related differences.

RecFIN

A boat that is rented without crew or a guide.

RecFIN

Selection of an unbiased or random subset of individual observations to acquire some knowledge of a statistical population.

RecFIN

The SSC is made up of scientists from state and Federal agencies, academic institutions, and other sources. They review fishery management plans (FMPs), stock assessments, rebuilding plans, and other documents to ensure the Council (PFMC) is basing their decisions on the best available science.

PFMC

Secondary private boat survey for sites that make up 10% of the catch of important (managed) species. CRFS conducted.

RecFIN

Animals with shells such as clams, lobsters, squid and abalone (crustaceans and mollusks).

RecFIN

Fishing accessed on beaches, banks and man-made structures.

RecFIN

A visit to a fishing site to check for effort or CPFV boat status.

RecFIN

The numeric code used to store the location for a sample.

RecFIN

The code on the ASF, which indicates the status of the site visit and the reason for leaving the site.

RecFIN

The name of a fishing site, such as the name of a fishing pier or launch ramp.

RecFIN

A complete list of sites with names, codes and descriptions for some geographic area.

RecFIN

A commercial passenger fishing vessel which has a license to take no more than six paying passengers at a time.

RecFIN

An interview in which specialized interview procedures were designated.

RecFIN

The letter code which designates a special fishery interview.

RecFIN

A specific five-letter code or three-digit code used to record fish taxon on the survey forms.

RecFIN

A location on the water that has been issued a code to match a name so that map coordinates are automatically found in the database.

RecFIN

A non-angler coded on the angler form for the purpose of recording a person who was not interviewed.

RecFIN

A report that provides a summary of the most recent biological condition of a stock of fish and the economic and social condition of the recreational fishermen, commercial fishermen, and seafood processors who use the fish. The report provides information to the fishery management councils for determining harvest levels.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Established in 1996, SFA enacted numerous science, management, and conservation mandates. It recognized the importance of healthy habitat for commercial and recreational fisheries. Fish and other marine species depend on their habitat to survive and reproduce.

NOAA

A regular predictable pattern. Used in sampling when true randomness is not possible.

RecFIN

Any sample drawn from a list using a random start and a fixed sampling interval (e.g. every Nth boat). An efficient and functional equivalent to random sampling.

RecFIN

Fishing for the primary purpose of catching a particular species or species group (the target species).

RecFIN

A type of survey which utilized ALTS and APIS methods to make estimates for Shore Fishing and Inland Boats.

RecFIN

Regulations adopted by the California Fish and Game Commission, through their regulatory powers function, printed in the California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Natural Resources. Pertains to commercial fishing vessels.

RecFIN

For CRFS, an expanded number based on a statistical sample with the inference to the population for all modes combined.

RecFIN

A fishing contest for which participants register and compete.

RecFIN

Free of non-random effects that tend to move an estimate higher or lower in prediction of the true population.

RecFIN

Independent verification, generally by field sampling, of information received through telephone surveys.

RecFIN

A sample of CPFV activity based on checking sites for docked status and type of activity if not docked.

RecFIN

See Phone Charter Phone Survey (PCPS).

RecFIN

A unique seven digit code used by the Party Charter Phone Survey (PCPS) to identify a CPFV.

RecFIN

Normal hours of the day when people, in general, are active. Generally considered daylight hours.

RecFIN

A device which can detect the presence of a metallic object, such as an internal tag, when passed over the surface of the fish.

RecFIN

A state natural resource agency dedicated to preserving, protecting, and perpetuating the state’s fish, wildlife, and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities.

WDFW

A type of day of the week.

RecFIN

A type of day of the week. Legal holidays are considered weekend days.

RecFIN

A report made weekly containing sampling activity.

RecFIN

A fixed platform that originates on land and projects into a harbor, ocean, etc., so that vessels may be moored alongside.

RecFIN

Western Pacific Fisheries Information Network.

RecFIN