West Coast Groundfish Observer Program Manual, Part2 - NOAA

I-beam - a steel beam shaped like an “I” in cross section
Intermediate - a gradually tapered section, generally of small mesh, between the back body of a trawl and the
codend.
Joint Venture - a cooperative fishing/processing effort between vessels of different nationalities
Knot - a measure of time multiplied by distance, equaling speed. One knot equals one nautical mile (6080
feet) in one hour.
L - O
Launcher - Hydraulic lift, usually located on the port side of a vessel, used to “launch” pots over the side of
the vessel and to adjust the angle of the pot when it is being emptied.
Lay - the direction in which the strands of a rope are twisted (right or left) or the degree of tightness with
which they are twisted (soft, medium, hard, etc.)
Lazaret - a storage place between the decks of a ship
Lee, Leeward - the side protected from the wind, opposite the “windward” side
Live Tanks - tanks or bins on factory trawler vessels where the catch is dumped prior to sorting or processing
Lobby - another name for a fish bin on a catcher/processor
Main Wires - the two large cables used to connect the trawl net to the vessel while fishing
Master - fishing master and/or captain
Mustang suit - Insulated and waterproof coveralls worn in the cold months while sampling on deck.
Net reel - a hydraulic drum on the deck on which the net and most of the rigging are wound
Otter trawl - the type of net gear used on stern trawlers
Otterboard - another name for a trawl door
OY - “Optimum Yield” - a range within which summed Total Allowable Catches must fall
P
Panel - Mesh netting attached to a square metal frame. Two large panels and four smaller panels are attached
to a heavy steel frame box to form the six sides of a pot.
Pelagic - midwater
Peritoneum - the lining of the gut cavity
Pew, Pew stick - a sharp-ended pole, which is used to skewer fish and toss them to another location
Pick/“Running the hook” - Hook connected to the end of the boom which is attached to the bridle and is
used to lift a pot onto the launcher as the pot is being retrieved.
Plotter - Electronic mapping device that displays the local area and the vessel’s position on it. The plotter
allows skippers to record the area of a string and also the number of pots in a string on a digital map display.
Pod - a school of marine mammals; such as seals, whales or dolphins
Population - The total of individuals occupying an area or making up a whole. When sampling aboard a
trawler, a population is defined as the catch from a single haul.
Porthole - a window in the hull or the outside bulkhead of a ship
Pot Tie - A short piece of line used to tie pots together when they are stacked on deck.
Predominant species - species that are the most abundant in the catch - not necessarily the target species
Presorting - the segregation and/or removal of any item(s) or organism(s) from the catch prior to the point
where an Observer is collecting a sample.
Prohibited species or prohibited species groups - Species whose allowable retention is zero. Salmon, Pacific
Halibut, and Dungeness crab are prohibited species.
Prohibited species sampling - the weight of groundfish catch sorted by the Observer to determine only the
numbers and weights of salmon, herring, halibut, king crab, and tanner crab present
PSC - “Prohibited Species Catch” - a harvest limit usually placed on halibut, salmon, crabs or other species
A-76
1/30/2004