from Understandin Fisheries Management

Species - A group of similar organisms that can freely interbreed.
Population - A group of individuals of the same species living in a certain area.
Stock - A harvested or managed unit of fish.
Fish Stocks
A species may have several populations. Ideally each fish population would be managed separately;
however, this is rarely practical and fishery biologists often refer to stocks rather than populations.
For example, Spanish mackerel occur from Maine to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. For purposes
of management in the U.S., Spanish mackerel are divided into two stocks. Fish from one stock
migrate from Florida northward along the east coast of the United States and the others migrate from
Florida into the Gulf of Mexico. The two stocks may represent one or several populations of the same
species. However, current knowledge about harvesting patterns and migration patterns dictates that
they be managed as two stocks.
Sometimes more than one species is included in a stock because they are harvested together as
though they are one species. In other cases, different species may be managed together for convenience

Absolute Abundance - the total number of fish in a population, usually an estimate

Acceptable Biological Catch ABC The range of allowable catch for a species determined by scientific advisors. The Annual Total Allowable Catch is derived from this

Age frequency ot age structure- the percentages of each age in a population

Allocation - distribution of fishery share to different groups - commercial- recreational

Anadromous - fish that migrate from salt water to fresh to spawn

Angler in fisheries definition is a fishermen who catches fish with no intent to sell

Annual mortality - number of fish who die from all causes- natural and fishing

Artisanal fishery - commercial fishing using traditional or small scale methods