Glossary of Terms

Use this glossary and the one provided to you in the literature book "Yukon Chinook" to develop a glossary which compliments your children's book.

Alevin-newly hatched salmon; the yolk sacks are still attached

Anadromous-A fish that spends part of its life in fresh water and part of its life in salt water

Anterior-The front part of the fish - contains the head and the

Caudal fin-The fin located at the hind end of the fish

Chinook-The largest species of the Pacific salmon, also commonly called "King."

Chorion-The outer skin of the egg

Adults-weigh about 22 pounds (10 kg) and are generally36 inches (91 cm) long. Some chinook can

exceed 100 pounds.

Dorsal fin-The fin or finlike parts on the back of the salmon

Estuary-The inlet of the sea (the place where the ocean and the river meet)

Fry-Young salmon who can swim and catch their own food

Gill-The part of the body of a fish by which it breathes in water. Oxygen passes in and carbon dioxide passes out through the thin membranous walls of the gill

Hatchery-A place for hatching eggs of fish and allowing them a place to grow until they are better able to survive on their own in the ocean

Imprinting-The process through which young fry "memorize" details about their home streams. As adult spawners, they use this knowledge to find their way back

King-The name given to the chinook salmon because it is the largest species of salmon in the world.

Milt-The milky sperm the male salmon releases to fertilize the

Parr-A baby salmon with large dark spots on their sides for camouflage. Salmon parr usually live in freshwater for 1 to 2 years

Parr marks-Black spots running down the sides of fry (or parr) which help to camouflage the salmon.

Posterior-The back part of the fish, mainly the tail which allows it to swim

Redd-A salmon nest, dug out of the gravel in the stream bed by the adult female

Scales-Thin, small, overlapping plates which protect the salmon's body. Scales grow in regular concentric patterns and can be used to determine the age and life history of a salmon

Smolt-Young salmon, migrating downstream from freshwater to saltwater. When parr become smolts, they lose their spots and turn silvery

Spawn-To bring forth a new generation of salmon by digging nests in the stream bed and depositing fertilized eggs into them

Swim bladder-A sac inside the salmon's body by which the fish can control buoyancy

Ventral-Having to do with the belly part of the fish's body

Yolk sac-An external pouch containing nutrients for the growing alevin. When the yolk sac is used up, the alevin is said to be "buttoned- up" and enters the fry stage