Glossary

Asymmetrical
not symmetrical
Barbels
a whisker-like sensor that protrudes from the mouth area of a sturgeon and is used to sense food in murky water
Bedrock
consolidated rock beneath the surface of the earth
Benthic
associated with the bottom of a water body
Boulders
large rocks with grain size greater than ten inches in diameter
Cartilage
connective tissues without blood vessels
Caviar
ripe sturgeon eggs which are processed and salted to be eaten as a spread or used as a garnish
Cobble
rocks with a grain size between 2.5 to 10 inches
Confluence
where two or more bodies of water meet
Cordwood
wood pile
Drainage Basin
an area of land where all water drains into a central water body
Externally
on the outside of the sturgeon body
Fingerling
small fish under one year of age
Foraging habitat
areas in which a fish searches for food
Fry
young fish which have absorbed their yolk sac, during the larvae stage, and begin hunting for food
Genetics
the science of heredity and variation in living organisms
Habitat
an area where plants and animals live
Headwaters
the source of a river or stream
Heterocercal tail
shark-like asymmetrical tail
Incubation
the process of keeping eggs in a favorable condition for hatching
Index Fishing Program
program of annual netting used to estimate fish population size
Irrigation
diversion of waterway to water agricultural crops
Isinglass
a sticky substance that is made from swim bladders of fish
Larva (sac fry)
the first mobile stage of life after hatching
Mainstem
the main channel of a river
Mortality
death
Pectoral fins
located directly behind the gill covers (operculum) on both sides of the sturgeon
Prehistoric
before written historic records
Recaptured
to find and capture the same fish consecutive times
Recruitment
addition of new fish to a population, usually through natural reproduction or stocking
Sac Fry (larva)
newly hatched fish that have not yet absorbed their yolk sac
Scutes
small, bony plates on the outside of the sturgeon that is for protection
Spawning
behavior and actions of male and female animals for the purposes of reproduction
Spurs
projection from the scutes of young sturgeon to deter predators
Stocking
release of fish into the wild
Sucker mouth
tube-like mouth which sucks prey into their jaw
Tagged
external identification, such as a wire or flag which indicates previously captured strugeon
Waterway
a stream or river which sturgeon may inhabit
Water velocity
the speed at which the river or stream is flowing
Yolk sac
a small sac attached to the larvae that provides nutrients needed to survive and grow