Glossary: Maryland Horseshoe Crabs

Anadromous:

Marine species that spawn in fresh or estuarine waters and migrate to ocean waters..

Arthropod:

An invertebrate animal with jointed legs and a segmented body. Shell casing is periodically shed as animal grows.

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC):

Established in 1942, is a coast-wide organization that manages marine resources in non-Federal waters (i.e., State waters, 0-3 miles offshore).

Benthic:

Plants and animals living in or on the bottom of aquatic environments.

Catadromous:

Marine species which spawn in the open ocean and migrate to fresh or estuarine waters.

Catch:

The act of landing fish. A fish in this category may be caught and released. In other words, a fish in this category does not have to be permanently removed (killed) from the population.

De Minimus criteria:

A criteria granted to individual states by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. States that qualify under this criteria are exempt from a significant contribution to the coastwide conservation program because the commercial landings of the target species during the preceeding year was less than 0.1% of the total coast-wide landings of that same year.

Embryo:

The early development stage of an egg after fertilization.

Estuarine:

Pertaining to an estuary, an area open or adjacent to the sea, typically at the mouth of a river, subject to tidal movement.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ):

Federal waters from 3 to 200 nautical miles off shore. These waters are regulated by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Extinction:

The complete disappearance of a species. An example is the passenger pigeon.

Fertilization:

Reproduction by the union of an egg and sperm to form a new organism.

Fisheries Management Plan (FMP):

a plan for managing a species-specific fishery to provide sustained harvest levels over time.

Fossil:

An impression or the actual remains of an animal or plant preserved in rock.

Fyke Net:

A fishing gear type used to catch marine resources. The net is a cylindrical shaped enlarged by a series of hoops as frames with one or two wings and a leader to guide fish into the net,

Habitat:

The part of the environment in which an organism lives, reproduces and feeds.

Harvest:

The act of landing a fish and keeping it. The fish is never returned to the water.

Hemispheric:

The act of migrating back and forth between the northern and southern hemispheres of the globe.

Intertidal:

Area between high and low tide waterlines.

Invertebrate:

An animal without a backbone.

Juvenile:

A young animal that has not reached sexual maturity.

Landings:

The act of removing fish from the water for commercial or recreational purposes.

Life Cycle:

The development of an organism through a series of stages or phases.

Overfishing:

A rate or level of fishing that harms the capacity of a fishery to producce a sustainable catch on a continuing basis.

Pound Net:

A fishing gear type used to catch marine resources. The net consists of straight net wall extending shoreward to a netted enclosure.

Quota's:

The amount of horseshoe crabs, by pounds or quantity, allocated to each state for harvesting during the commercial fishing year.

Reference Period Landings:

The commercial bait harvests of horseshoe crabs between 1995-1997.

Regulation:

A principle, law, or rule designed to control or govern the behavior of individuals or groups.

Spawning:

A reproductive strategy whereby eggs are produced, deposited and or fertilized.

Subtidal:

Area below the low tide waterlines.

Superabundance:

Exceedingly abundant or excessive.

Tidal Flats:

Coastal mud or sand flats that are submerged during high tides.

Trawling:

To catch a marine species by means of a trawl net (A type of commercial fishing gear).