请输入您要查询的英文单词:

 

单词 fish
释义

fish


fish

F0146000 (fĭsh)n. pl. fish or fish·es 1. Any of numerous cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates characteristically having fins, gills, and a streamlined body and including the bony fishes, such as catfishes and tunas, and the cartilaginous fishes, such as sharks and rays.2. Any of various jawless aquatic craniates, including the lampreys and hagfishes.3. The flesh of such animals used as food.4. Informal A person, especially one considered deficient in something: a poor fish.v. fished, fish·ing, fish·es v.intr.1. To catch or try to catch fish.2. To look for something by feeling one's way; grope: fished in both pockets for a coin.3. To seek something in a sly or indirect way: fish for compliments.v.tr.1. a. To catch or try to catch (fish).b. To catch or try to catch fish in: fish mountain streams.2. To catch or pull as if fishing: deftly fished the corn out of the boiling water.Phrasal Verb: fish out To deplete (a lake, for example) of fish by fishing.Idioms: fish or cut bait Informal To proceed with an activity or abandon it altogether. like a fish out of water Completely unfamiliar with one's surroundings or activity. neither fish nor fowl Having no specific characteristics; indefinite. other fish to fry Informal Other matters to attend to: He declined to come along to the movie, saying he had other fish to fry.
[Middle English, from Old English fisc.]

fish

(fɪʃ) n, pl fish or fishes1. (Animals) a. any of a large group of cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates having jaws, gills, and usually fins and a skin covered in scales: includes the sharks and rays (class Chondrichthyes: cartilaginous fishes) and the teleosts, lungfish, etc (class Osteichthyes: bony fishes)b. (in combination): fishpond. ichthyicichthyoidpiscine2. (Animals) any of various similar but jawless vertebrates, such as the hagfish and lamprey3. (Animals) (not in technical use) any of various aquatic invertebrates, such as the cuttlefish, jellyfish, and crayfish4. (Cookery) the flesh of fish used as food5. informal a person of little emotion or intelligence: a poor fish. 6. (Mechanical Engineering) short for fishplate7. (Firearms, Gunnery, Ordnance & Artillery) Also called: tin fish an informal word for torpedo18. a fine kettle of fish an awkward situation; mess9. drink like a fish to drink (esp alcohol) to excess10. have other fish to fry to have other activities to do, esp more important ones11. like a fish out of water out of one's usual place12. make fish of one and flesh of another Irish to discriminate unfairly between people13. neither fish, flesh, nor fowl neither this nor thatvb14. (Angling) (intr) to attempt to catch fish, as with a line and hook or with nets, traps, etc15. (Angling) (tr) to fish in (a particular area of water)16. to search (a body of water) for something or to search for something, esp in a body of water17. (foll by: for) to seek something indirectly: to fish for compliments. [Old English fisc; related to Old Norse fiskr, Gothic fiscs, Russian piskar, Latin piscis] ˈfishable adj ˈfishˌlike adj

FISH

(fɪʃ) n acronym for (Medicine) fluorescence in situ hybridization, a technique for detecting and locating gene mutations and chromosome abnormalities

fish

(fɪʃ)

n., pl. (esp. collectively) fish, (esp. for kinds or species) fish•es, n. 1. any of various cold-blooded, aquatic vertebrates having gills, commonly fins, and typically an elongated body covered with scales: includes three unrelated classes. Compare jawless fish, cartilaginous fish, bony fish. 2. (loosely) any of various other aquatic animals. 3. the flesh of fishes used as food. 4. Fishes, Pisces (def. 1). 5. Informal. a person: an odd fish; a poor fish. 6. Slang. a new prison inmate. 7. a long strip of wood, iron, etc., used to strengthen a mast, joint, etc. v.t. 8. to go fishing for: to fish trout. 9. to try to catch fish in (a stream, lake, etc.). 10. to draw as if fishing (often fol. by up or out): He fished a coin out of his pocket. 11. to reinforce (a mast or other spar) by fastening a spar, batten, metal bar, or the like, lengthwise over a weak place. v.i. 12. to catch or attempt to catch fish. 13. to search carefully: to fish through one's pockets. 14. to seek to obtain something indirectly or by artifice: fishing for a compliment. 15. to search for or attempt to catch onto something under water, in mud, etc.: to fish for mussels. Idioms: 1. fish in troubled waters, to take advantage of uncertain conditions for personal profit. 2. fish out of water, a person in a strange, uncomfortable environment. 3. neither fish nor fowl, having no specific character or conviction; neither one thing nor the other. 4. other fish to fry, other matters requiring attention. [before 900; Middle English fis(c)h, fyssh, Old English fisc; c. Old Saxon, Old High German fisc] fish′a•ble, adj.

Fish

(fɪʃ)

n. Hamilton, 1808–93, U.S. secretary of state 1869–77.

fish

(fĭsh) Plural fish or fishes Any of numerous cold-blooded vertebrate animals that live in water. Fish have gills for obtaining oxygen, a lateral line for sensing pressure changes in the water, and a vertical tail. Most fish are covered with scales and have limbs in the form of fins. See more at bony fish, cartilaginous fish, jawless fish.

Fish

See also biology; zoology
anadromousa term describing fish that migrate upriver to spawn.catadromousa term describing fish that migrate downriver to spawn.halieutics1. the activity of fishing.
2. a work on fishing. — halieutic, adj.
ichthyism, ichthyismusa toxic condition caused by toxic fish roe.ichthyolatrythe worship of fish or of fish-shaped idols.ichthyology1. the branch of zoology that studies fishes.
2. a zoological treatise on fish. — ichthyologist, n. — ichthyological, adj.
ichthyomancya form of divination involving the heads or entrails of fish.ichthyomaniaan abnormal love of fish.ichthyophagythe practice of eating or subsisting on fish. — ichthyophagist, n. — ichthyophagous, adj.ichthyophobia1. a ritual avoidance of fish, especially under the pressure of taboo.
2. an abnormal fear of fish.
ichthyosisa dermatologie condition in which the skin resembles fish scales. — ichthyotic, adj.ichthyotomythe anatomical structure of fishes and its study. — ichthyotomist, n.ichthyotomic, adj.piscarythe right of one person to fish in waters belonging to another. See also law.piscatologyRare. the art or science of fishing.piscatorian, piscatorialistan angler or fisherman.pisciculturethe breeding of fish, as a hobby or for scientific or commercial purposes. — pisciculturist, n.piscicultural, adj.planktology, planktonologythe branch of biology that studies plankton, especially as the sustenance of planktivorous fish.Waltonian1. a keen angler or fisherman, after Izaak Walton (1593-1683), English author of The Compleat Angler.
2. an admirer of the works of Izaak Walton. — Waltonian, adj.

fish

Fish can be a count noun or an uncount noun.

1. used as a count noun

A fish is a creature that lives in water and has a tail and fins.

...an islander who had just caught a fish.

In modern English, the plural of fish is fish, not 'fishes'.

My sister was singing happily because we'd caught so many fish.
2. used as an uncount noun

Fish is the flesh of a fish which you eat as food.

Fresh fish is expensive.

fish


Past participle: fished
Gerund: fishing
Imperative
fish
fish
Present
I fish
you fish
he/she/it fishes
we fish
you fish
they fish
Preterite
I fished
you fished
he/she/it fished
we fished
you fished
they fished
Present Continuous
I am fishing
you are fishing
he/she/it is fishing
we are fishing
you are fishing
they are fishing
Present Perfect
I have fished
you have fished
he/she/it has fished
we have fished
you have fished
they have fished
Past Continuous
I was fishing
you were fishing
he/she/it was fishing
we were fishing
you were fishing
they were fishing
Past Perfect
I had fished
you had fished
he/she/it had fished
we had fished
you had fished
they had fished
Future
I will fish
you will fish
he/she/it will fish
we will fish
you will fish
they will fish
Future Perfect
I will have fished
you will have fished
he/she/it will have fished
we will have fished
you will have fished
they will have fished
Future Continuous
I will be fishing
you will be fishing
he/she/it will be fishing
we will be fishing
you will be fishing
they will be fishing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been fishing
you have been fishing
he/she/it has been fishing
we have been fishing
you have been fishing
they have been fishing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been fishing
you will have been fishing
he/she/it will have been fishing
we will have been fishing
you will have been fishing
they will have been fishing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been fishing
you had been fishing
he/she/it had been fishing
we had been fishing
you had been fishing
they had been fishing
Conditional
I would fish
you would fish
he/she/it would fish
we would fish
you would fish
they would fish
Past Conditional
I would have fished
you would have fished
he/she/it would have fished
we would have fished
you would have fished
they would have fished
Thesaurus
Noun1.fish - any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gillsfish - any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills; "the shark is a large fish"; "in the living room there was a tank of colorful fish"bottom-dweller, bottom-feeder - a fish that lives and feeds on the bottom of a body of waterbottom lurkers - a fish that lurks on the bottom of a body of wateraquatic vertebrate - animal living wholly or chiefly in or on watercartilaginous fish, chondrichthian - fishes in which the skeleton may be calcified but not ossifiedfish scale - scale of the kind that covers the bodies of fishroe - eggs of female fishmilt - seminal fluid produced by male fishlateral line, lateral line organ - sense organs of fish and amphibians; believed to detect pressure changes in the waterfin - organ of locomotion and balance in fishes and some other aquatic animalscaudal fin, tail fin - the tail of fishes and some other aquatic vertebratesfishbone - a bone of a fishPisces - a group of vertebrates comprising both cartilaginous and bony fishes and sometimes including the jawless vertebrates; not used technicallyfingerling - a young or small fishgame fish, sport fish - any fish providing sport for the anglerfood fish - any fish used for food by human beingsrough fish - any fish useless for food or sport or even as baityoung fish - a fish that is youngmouthbreeder - any of various fishes that carry their eggs and their young in their mouthsspawner - a female fish at spawning timenorthern snakehead - a voracious freshwater fish that is native to northeastern China; can use fin to walk and can survive out of water for three days; a threat to American populations of fishbony fish - any fish of the class OsteichthyesA. testudineus, Anabas testudineus, climbing perch - a small perch of India whose gills are modified to allow it to breathe air; has spiny pectoral fins that enable it to travel on landshoal, school - a large group of fish; "a school of small glittering fish swam by"
2.fish - the flesh of fish used as food; "in Japan most fish is eaten raw"; "after the scare about foot-and-mouth disease a lot of people started eating fish instead of meat"; "they have a chef who specializes in fish"solid food, food - any solid substance (as opposed to liquid) that is used as a source of nourishment; "food and drink"panfish - any of numerous small food fishes; especially those caught with hook and line and not available on the marketstockfish - fish cured by being split and air-dried without saltanchovy - tiny fishes usually canned or salted; used for hors d'oeuvres or as seasoning in sauceseel - the fatty flesh of eel; an elongate fish found in fresh water in Europe and America; large eels are usually smoked or pickledgray mullet, grey mullet, mullet - highly valued lean flesh of marine or freshwater mulletalewife - flesh of shad-like fish abundant along the Atlantic coast or in coastal streamsschrod, scrod - flesh of young Atlantic cod weighing up to 2 pounds; also young haddock and pollock; often broiledhaddock - lean white flesh of fish similar to but smaller than cod; usually baked or poached or as fillets sauteed or friedhake - the lean flesh of a fish similar to codtrout - flesh of any of several primarily freshwater game and food fishesrock salmon - any of several coarse fishes (such as dogfish or wolffish) when used as foodsalmon - flesh of any of various marine or freshwater fish of the family Salmonidaeshad - bony flesh of herring-like fish usually caught during their migration to fresh water for spawning; especially of Atlantic coastsmelt - small cold-water silvery fish; migrate between salt and fresh water
3.Fish - (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in PiscesPiscesindividual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do"astrology, star divination - a pseudoscience claiming divination by the positions of the planets and sun and moon
4.fish - the twelfth sign of the zodiacFish - the twelfth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about February 19 to March 20Pisces, Pisces the Fishes
Verb1.fish - seek indirectlyfish - seek indirectly; "fish for compliments"anglelook for, search, seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the missing man in the entire county"
2.fish - catch or try to catch fish or shellfish; "I like to go fishing on weekends"crab - fish for crabseine - fish with a seine; catch fish with a seinescollop, scallop - fish for scallopsrail - fish with a handline over the rails of a boat; "They are railing for fresh fish"brail - haul fish aboard with brailsangle - fish with a hookshrimp - fish for shrimpnet fish - fish with netsshark - hunt sharktrawl - fish with trawlersstill-fish - fish with the line and bait resting still or stationary in the waterprawn - fish for prawnsgrab, take hold of, catch - take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of; "Catch the ball!"; "Grab the elevator door!"

fish

verb1. angle, net, cast, trawl He learnt to fish in the river Cam.2. look (for), search, delve, ferret, rummage, fossick (Austral. & N.Z.) He fished in his pocket for the key.fish for something seek, look for, angle for, try to get, hope for, hunt for, hint at, elicit, solicit, invite, search for She may be fishing for a compliment.fish something out pull out, produce, take out, extract, bring out, extricate, haul out, find She fished out a pair of his socks.Related words
adjectives piscine, ichthyoid, ichthyic
young fry, fingerling
collective nouns shoal, draught, haul, run, catch
habitation redd
like ichthyomania
see sharks, shellfish

Fish

Types of fish alewife, amberjack, anabantid, anabas, anableps, anchoveta, anchovy, angelfish, arapaima, archerfish, argentine, barbel, barracouta or (Austral.) hake, barracuda, barramunda, barramundi, bass, batfish, beluga, bib, pout, or whiting pout, bigeye, billfish, bitterling, black bass, blackfish, bleak, blenny, blindfish, bloodfin, blowfish, blue cod, rock cod, or (N.Z.) rawaru, pakirikiri, or patutuki, bluefish or snapper, bluegill, boarfish, bonefish, bonito, bowfin or dogfish, bream or (Austral.) brim, brill, brook trout or speckled trout, brown trout, buffalo fish, bullhead, bull trout, bully or (N.Z.) pakoko, titarakura, or toitoi, burbot, eelpout, or ling, butterfish, butterfish, greenbone, or (N.Z.) koaea or marari, butterfly fish, cabezon or cabezone, cabrilla, callop, candlefish or eulachon, capelin or caplin, carp, catfish, cavalla or cavally, cavefish, cero, characin or characid, chimaera, Chinook salmon, quinnat salmon, or king salmon, chub, chum, cichlid, cisco or lake herring, climbing fish or climbing perch, clingfish, coalfish or (Brit.) saithe or coley, cobia, cockabully, cod or codfish, coelacanth, coho or silver salmon, coley, conger, crappie, croaker, crucian, dab, dace, damselfish, danio, darter, dealfish, dentex, dollarfish, dorado, dory, dragonet, eel, eelpout, electric eel, fallfish, father lasher or short-spined sea scorpion, fighting fish or betta, filefish, flatfish, flathead, flounder, flying fish, flying gurnard, four-eyed fish, frogfish, garpike, garfish, or gar, geelbek, gemfish, gilthead, goby, goldeye, goldfish, goldsinny or goldfinny, gourami, grayling, greenling, grenadier or rat-tail, groper or grouper, grunion, grunt, gudgeon, guitarfish, gunnel, guppy, gurnard or gurnet, gwyniad, haddock, hagfish or hag, hairtail or (U.S.) cutlass fish, hake, halfbeak, halibut, herring, hogfish, horned pout or brown bullhead, horse mackerel, houndfish, houting, ice fish, jacksmelt, jewelfish, jewfish, John Dory, jurel, kahawai or Australian salmon, killifish, kingfish, kingklip (S. Afr.), kokanee, labyrinth fish, lampern or river lamprey, lamprey or lamper eel, lancet fish, lantern fish, largemouth bass, latimeria, leatherjacket, lemon sole, lepidosiren, ling, lingcod, lionfish, loach, louvar, luderick, lumpfish or lumpsucker, lungfish, mackerel or (colloquial) shiner, manta, manta ray, devilfish, or devil ray, marlin or spearfish, megrim, menhaden, milkfish, miller's thumb, minnow or (Scot.) baggie minnow, mirror carp, moki, molly, monkfish or (U.S.) goosefish, mooneye, moonfish, Moorish idol, moray, morwong, mudcat, mudfish, mudskipper, mullet, mulloway, muskellunge, maskalonge, maskanonge, or (informal) musky or muskie, nannygai or redfish, needlefish, numbfish, oarfish or king of the herrings, oldwife, opah, moonfish, or kingfish, orange chromide, orfe, ouananiche, paddlefish, panchax, pandora, paradise fish, parrotfish, perch, pickerel, pigfish or hogfish, pike, luce, or jackfish, pikeperch, pilchard, pilot fish, pinfish or sailor's choice, pipefish or needlefish, piranha or piraña, plaice, platy, pogge or armed bullhead, pollack or pollock, pollan, pomfret, pompano, porcupine fish or globefish, porgy or pogy, pout, powan or lake herring, puffer or globefish, pumpkinseed, Queensland lungfish, rabbitfish, rainbow trout, ray, red cod, redfin, redfish, red mullet or (U.S.) goatfish, red salmon, red snapper, remora, ribbonfish, roach, robalo, rock bass, rockfish or (formerly) rock salmon, rockling, rosefish, rudd, ruffe, ruff, or pope, runner, salmon, salmon trout, sand dab, sand eel, sand lance, or launce, sardine, sauger, saury or skipper, sawfish, scabbard fish, scad, scaldfish, scat, scorpion fish, sculpin (U.S. & Canad.), scup or northern porgy, sea bass, sea bream, sea horse, sea lamprey, sea perch, sea raven, sea robin, sea scorpion, sea snail or snailfish, sea trout, Sergeant Baker, sergeant major, shad, shanny, sheepshead, shiner, shovelnose, Siamese fighting fish, sild, silver belly (N.Z.), silverfish, silverside or silversides, skate, skelly, skipjack or skipjack tuna, sleeper or sleeper goby, smallmouth bass, smelt, smooth hound, snapper, snipefish or bellows fish, snoek, snook, sockeye or red salmon, sole, solenette, spadefish, Spanish mackerel, sprat, squeteague, squirrelfish, steelhead, sterlet, stickleback, stingray, stone bass or wreckfish, stonefish, stone roller, sturgeon, sucker, sunfish, surfperch or sea perch, surgeonfish, swordfish, swordtail, tailor, tarakihi or terakihi, tarpon, tarwhine, tautog or blackfish, tench, teraglin, tetra, thornback, threadfin, tilapia, tilefish, toadfish, topminnow, torsk or (U.S. & Canadian) cusk, trevally (Austral. & N.Z.), triggerfish, tripletail, trout, trunkfish, boxfish, or cowfish, tuna or tunny, turbot, vendace, wahoo, walleye, walleyed pike, or dory, weakfish, weever, whitebait, whitefish, whiting, wirrah, witch, wobbegong, wolffish or catfish, wrasse, yellow belly (Austral.), yellow jack, yellowtail, zanderExtinct fish ceratodus, ostracoderm, placoderm

fish

verbTo try to obtain something, usually by subtleness and cunning:angle, hint.
Translations
鱼鱼肉寻找捕鱼钓鱼

fish

(fiʃ) nounplurals fish (rare) ˈfishes1. a kind of creature that lives in water and breathes through gills. There are plenty of fish around the coast.2. its flesh eaten as food. Do you prefer meat or fish? 魚肉 鱼肉 verb1. to (try to) catch fish (in). She likes fishing; He fished the river all day. 捕魚 捕鱼2. (usually with for) to search for. She fished around in her handbag for a handkerchief. 尋找 寻找3. (usually with for) to try to get by indirect means. He is always fishing for compliments. 間接探聽 间接探听ˈfishy adjective1. of or like a fish. a fishy smell. 像魚的,腥臭的 象鱼的,腥臭的 2. odd or suspicious. There's something fishy about that man. 可疑的 可疑的ˈfishball noun mashed fish shaped into a ball and cooked. 魚丸子 鱼丸子ˈfisherman noun a person who fishes either as a job or as a hobby. 捕魚人 捕鱼人ˈfish farm noun an area of fresh water for breeding fish as a business. 養魚場 养鱼场fish farmer a person who breeds fish. 養魚人 养鱼人ˈfish hatchery noun a place for hatching fish eggs. 魚孵卵所 鱼类孵化场ˈfishing-line noun a fine strong thread, now usually made of nylon, used with a rod, hooks etc for catching fish. 釣絲 钓丝ˈfishing-rod noun a long thin flexible rod used with a fishing-line and hooks etc for catching fish. 釣竿 钓竿fish merchant a fishmonger. 魚販 鱼贩子ˈfishmonger noun1. a person who sells fish. 魚販 鱼贩子2. a shop that sells mainly fish. I must go down to the fishmonger. 魚店 鱼店feel like a fish out of water to feel uncomfortable or out of place in a situation. 感到不自在 感到不自在fish out to pull something out with some difficulty. At last he fished out the letter he was looking for. 掏出 掏出
The plural fish is never wrong, but sometimes fishes is used in talking about different individuals or species: How many fish did you catch? ; the fishes of the Indian Ocean ; the story of two little fishes .

fish

钓鱼zhCN, 鱼zhCN
  • Am I allowed to fish here? → 这儿准许钓鱼吗?
  • Can we fish here? → 我们能在这儿钓鱼吗?
  • I'll have the fish → 我要这种鱼
  • What fish dishes do you have? → 你们有哪些鱼类菜肴?
  • Is the fish fresh or frozen? → 鱼是新鲜的还是冷冻的
  • Is this cooked in fish stock? → 这是用鱼汤制作的吗?
  • I don't eat fish → 我不吃鱼
  • Could you prepare a meal without fish? → 烹饪时请不要加鱼

fish


fish

n. a stupid and inept person. (Derogatory.) The guy’s a fish. He can’t do anything right.
See:
  • (as) crooked as a barrel of fish hooks
  • a big fish
  • a big fish in a small pond
  • a cold fish
  • a different kettle of fish
  • a fish out of water
  • a fish story
  • a fish tale
  • a pretty kettle of fish
  • all is fish that comes to his net
  • an odd/a queer fish
  • another kettle of fish
  • as easy as shooting fish in a barrel
  • be a different kettle of fish
  • be a whole other kettle of fish
  • be another kettle of fish
  • be like a fish out of water
  • be neither fish nor fowl
  • better fish to fry
  • big fish
  • big fish in a small pond
  • bigger fish to fry
  • busy as a beaver
  • cold fish
  • cold fish, a
  • crooked as a barrel of fish hooks
  • cry stinking fish
  • different kettle of fish
  • drink like a fish
  • drink like a fish, to
  • fine kettle of fish
  • fish
  • fish (someone or something) out of (something)
  • fish around
  • fish eye
  • fish for
  • fish for (something)
  • fish for a compliment
  • fish for compliments
  • fish in troubled waters
  • Fish or cut bait
  • fish out
  • fish out of
  • fish out of water
  • fish out of water, a
  • fish story
  • fish story, a
  • fish tale
  • fish to fry
  • fish to fry, to have better/bigger/other
  • fish up
  • fish up out of
  • fish up out of (something)
  • fish-eating grin
  • fish-fight
  • fish-kiss
  • fishtail
  • flying fish
  • have bigger fish to fry
  • have other fish to fry
  • have other/bigger fish to fry
  • kettle of fish
  • kettle of fish, a fine/pretty
  • like a fish out of water
  • like shooting fish in a barrel
  • make fish of one and flesh of another
  • need (something) (about) as much a fish needs a bicycle
  • need (something) like a fish needs a bicycle
  • neither fish nor flesh
  • neither fish nor fowl
  • neither fish, flesh, nor fowl
  • neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring
  • not the only fish in the sea
  • odd fish
  • other fish to fry
  • pretty kettle of fish
  • queer fish
  • teach a man to fish
  • the cat would eat fish, but would not wet her feet
  • there are other (good) fish in the sea
  • there are plenty more fish in the sea
  • there are plenty of (other) fish in the sea
  • There are plenty of fish in the sea
  • there are plenty/lots more fish in the sea
  • What's that got to do with the price of fish?

fish


fish,

limbless aquatic vertebrate animal with fins and internal gills. Traditionally the living fish have been divided into three class: the primitive jawless fishes, or Agnatha; the cartilaginous (sharklike) fishes, or Chondrichthyes; and the bony fishes, or Osteichthyes. These groups, although quite different from one another anatomically, have certain common features related to their common evolutionary origins or to their aquatic way of life. Fish were the earliest vertebrates and presumably evolved from a group of aquatic lower chordates (see ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information.
); the terrestrial vertebrates evolved from fishes. More recent cladistic taxonomies, relying on evolutionary relationships determined through DNA studies, group the living fish into five classes, dividing the jawless fishes into Myxini (hagfish) and Petromyzontida (lampreys) and the bony fishes into Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish) and Sacropterygii (lobe-finned fish).

There are some 28,000 living species of fish, the vast majority of which are bony fishes. They range in size from the .31-in. (7.9-mm) Paedocypris that lives in tropical swamps in Sumatra to the 45-ft (14-m) whale shark. Many are brightly colored, and many have shapes and patterns that serve as camouflage. They are found in all marine, fresh, and brackish waters throughout the world and at all depths. Members of different species of fish tolerate water temperatures ranging from freezing to over 100&degF; (38&degC;). Most are confined either to saltwater or to freshwater, but some are physiologically adapted to moving from one to the other. A number of fishes that are born in freshwater spend their adult lives in the ocean, returning to their birthplace to spawn; the reverse of this migration occurs in some fishes born in the ocean. Many fishes stay in tightly organized groups, called schools; others are solitary and congregate only for feeding and spawning. Fish may be carnivorous, herbivorous, or omnivorous. Some fish are scavengers on lake or ocean bottoms. Fish are a major source of human food as well as of oil, fertilizer, and feed for domestic animals (see fishingfishing,
act of catching fish for consumption or display. Fishing—usually by hand, club, spear, net, and (at least as early as 23,000 years ago) by hook—was known to prehistoric people.
..... Click the link for more information.
).

A number of aquatic invertebrate animals and groups have common names that include the term fish (for example, crayfish and shellfish), but these do not resemble and are not related to true fishes. Furthermore, there are members of the terrestrial vertebrate classes, such as whaleswhale,
aquatic mammal of the order Cetacea, found in all oceans of the world. Members of this order vary greatly in size and include the largest animals that have ever lived. Cetaceans never leave the water, even to give birth.
..... Click the link for more information.
 and sea snakessea snake,
name for any of the venomous marine snakes of the family Hydrophidae, found in tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans. The sea snake's body is flattened laterally and its oarlike tail is used as a scull.
..... Click the link for more information.
, that have adopted an aquatic way of life; these may superficially resemble fishes and are sometimes erroneously called fishes, but they are air-breathers, and their anatomical structure reveals their relationship to land animals.

Characteristic Anatomical Features

A typical fish is torpedo-shaped, with a head containing a brain and sensory organs, a trunk with a muscular wall surrounding a cavity containing the internal organs, and a muscular post-anal tail. Most fish propel themselves through the water by weaving movements of their bodies and control their direction by means of the finsfin,
organ of locomotion characteristic of fish and consisting of thin tissue supported by cartilaginous or bony rays. In some fish, e.g., the eel, a single fin extends from the back, around the tail, and along the ventral surface.
..... Click the link for more information.
. All have skins covered with slimy glandular secretions that decrease friction with the water; in addition, nearly all have scalesscale,
in zoology, an outgrowth, either bony or horny, of the skin of an animal. The major component of the scales of fishes is bone, and they are formed directly in the skin membrane as the fish grows.
..... Click the link for more information.
, which together with the secretions form a nearly waterproof coating. All fishes have a lateral line system of sensory organs for detecting pressure changes in the water. All have water-breathing organs called gillsgills,
external respiratory organs of most aquatic animals. In fishes the gills are located in gill chambers at the rear of the mouth (pharynx). Water is taken in through the mouth, is forced through openings called gill slits, and then passes through the gill clefts, spaces
..... Click the link for more information.
 located in passages leading from the throat, or pharynx, to the exterior; a few fishes also have air-breathing lungs as an additional means of respiration. In all but the most primitive class, the gill passages are supported by skeletal structures called gill arches. Plankton-feeding fish have structures called gill rakers attached to the gill arches; these strain minute organisms from the water as it passes out of the pharynx. Fish breathe by taking water into the mouth and forcing it out through the gill passages; as the water passes over the thin-walled gills, dissolved oxygen diffuses into the gill capillaries and carbon dioxide diffuses out. The circulatory system is closed, and the heart is two-chambered; the blood is red. With few exceptions, fish are cold-blooded; that is, they cannot regulate their body temperature, which is the same as that of the environment.

Reproduction

Methods of reproduction are varied. Sharks have internal fertilization, and most give birth to live young. Those that lay eggs produce large ones with tough shells. Since embryonic development is well-protected in these fish, they produce a relatively small number of young, only seven or eight at a time in some species. A few of the bony fishes, including some aquarium species, are live bearers, but most lay small, unprotected eggs that are fertilized after deposition in water. In most marine species the eggs float freely in the currents, where they are eaten by other animals. An enormous number of eggs is therefore necessary to ensure the maturation of a few; in many species a female produces as many as 5 million eggs in one spawn. The eggs of most marine fishes contain oil droplets that buoy them up, while those of most freshwater fishes are heavy, with sticky surfaces that adhere to objects in the water. Most freshwater species build nests for the protection of the eggs, and in some the adults guard the nests.

Types of Fish

The Jawless Fishes

These primitive fishes lack jaws and the paired pelvic and pectoral fins characteristic of more advanced fishes. The two living types are the bloodsucking lampreys and the scavenging hagfisheshagfish,
primitive, jawless marine fish of the family Myxinidae, of worldwide distribution in cold and temperate waters. Its rudimentary skeleton, of cartilage rather than bone, has a braincase, but no jaw. The circular sucking mouth has rows of horny teeth.
..... Click the link for more information.
. Fishes of the extinct class Placodermi, the armored fishes, were the first vertebrates to develop jaws and paired fins. These fish had bony skeletons and were covered with bony armor.

The Cartilaginous Fishes

The cartilaginous fish (sharksshark,
member of a group of almost exclusively marine and predaceous fishes. There are about 250 species of sharks, ranging from the 2-ft (60-cm) pygmy shark to 50-ft (15-m) giants. They are found in all seas, but are most abundant in warm waters.
..... Click the link for more information.
, raysray,
extremely flat-bodied cartilaginous marine fish, related to the shark. The pectoral fins of most rays are developed into broad, flat, winglike appendages, attached all along the sides of the head; the animal swims by rippling movements of these wings.
..... Click the link for more information.
, and chimaeraschimaera
, cartilaginous marine fish, related to the sharks. Also called ratfishes, chimaeras are found in temperate oceans throughout the world, mostly in deep water. They have large heads, long, thin, ratlike tails, and large, fanlike pectoral fins.
..... Click the link for more information.
) are distinguished from the bony fish by their cartilage skeletons, by the absence of either a swim bladderswim bladder,
large, thin-walled sac in some fishes that may function in several ways, e.g., as a buoyant float, a sound producer and receptor, and a respiratory organ. The swim bladder, or air bladder, is located in the dorsal portion of the body cavity and is filled with gases.
..... Click the link for more information.
 or lungs, by the construction of their tail fins, and by the absence in most of a gill covering, or operculum. The skin of members of this group is covered with imbedded toothlike structures called denticles, giving it a rough, sandpapery quality. Sharks are almost exclusively marine in distribution.

The Bony Fishes

The bony fishes are distinguished from other living fishes by their bone skeletons and by the presence of either a swim bladder (which functions as a float) or, in a few fishes, lungs. The bony fishes are divided into two subclasses, the lobe-finned (or fleshy-finned) fish and the ray-finned fish. The latter group includes over 95% of all living fish species.

The earliest bony fishes were fleshy-finned; they gave rise to the amphibians (the first terrestrial vertebrates, or tetrapods). The only surviving fleshy-finned fishes are the lungfisheslungfish,
common name for any of a group of fish belonging to the families Ceratodontidae, Lepidosirenidae, and Protopteridae, found in the rivers of Australia, South America, and Africa, respectively.
..... Click the link for more information.
 and coelacanths (see lobefinlobefin,
common name for any of a group of lunged, fleshy-finned, bony fishes, also called crossopterygians, that were dominant in the Devonian period and may have given rise to amphibians.
..... Click the link for more information.
). These fishes retain some of the traits of ancestral bony fishes: fleshy fins with supporting bones (precursors of the limbs of land vertebrates), internal nostrils, and lungs.

Ray-finned fishes, now predominant in both fresh and marine waters, represent an advanced adaptation of the bony fishes to strictly aquatic conditions; they are the most highly successful and diverse of the fishes. In nearly all of these fishes the lung has evolved into a hydrostatic organ, the swim bladder. The fins in this group consist of a web of skin supported by horny rays. Each ray is moved by a set of muscles, giving the fin great flexibility. Most ray-finned fish have overlapping scales made of very thin layers of bone. Their skeletal structure is light but strong and most have excellent vision.

Bibliography

See W. S. Hoar and D. J. Randall, Fish Physiology (6 vol., 1969–71); J. E. Webb et al. ed., Guide to Living Fishes (1981); J. A. Long, The Rise of Fishes (2d ed., 2010).


Fish,

family long prominent in New York politics.

Nicholas Fish, 1758–1833, b. New York City. He studied law before serving ably as a major in a New York regiment throughout the American Revolution. A New York City alderman (1806–17), he was a leading Federalist and a close friend of Alexander Hamilton. He also served (1824–32) as chairman of the board of trustees of Columbia College, a post later held by his son, Hamilton Fish (1808–93), the most illustrious member of the clan (see separate articles for Hamilton FishFish, Hamilton,
1808–93, American statesman, b. New York City, grad. Columbia, 1827; son of Nicholas Fish (1758–1833). He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1830.
..... Click the link for more information.
, 1808–93, and for his youngest son, Stuyvesant FishFish, Stuyvesant
, 1851–1923, American railroad executive, b. New York City; son of Hamilton Fish (1808–93). He became (1877) a director of the Illinois Central RR, and as its president (1887–1907) he built the railroad into a large system.
..... Click the link for more information.
). Nicholas Fish, 1848–1902, b. New York City, was Hamilton's eldest son. He entered (1871) the U.S. diplomatic service and was minister to Belgium (1882–86).

A third son, Hamilton Fish, 1849–1936, b. Albany, N.Y., studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1873. He was a member of the New York state assembly (1874–96), serving as speaker in 1895–96, and was long Republican boss of Putnam co. On appointment by President Theodore Roosevelt, he was Assistant Treasurer of the United States in New York City (1903–8). He also served (1909–11) as a U.S. Representative.

The family's third Hamilton Fish, 1888–1991, son of the foregoing, b. Garrison, N.Y., was a football player at Harvard. A lawyer, Fish served in the New York state assembly (1914–16), distinguished himself in World War I as captain of an African-American infantry company, and from 1920 to 1945 was a U.S. Representative. A leading isolationist and vigorous anti-Communist, once accused of having connections with the Bundists and with other Axis supporters, he was opposed for renomination in 1944 by Gov. Thomas E. Dewey and other Republican leaders. Fish nevertheless won the primary but was defeated for reelection in November.

His son Hamilton Fish, 1926–96, b. Washington, D.C., continued the family's involvement in Republican politics. Admitted to the bar in 1957, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New York in 1968, where he consistently supported civil-rights legislation. He retired from Congress in 1995.

Used as a symbol representing Christ and belief in Christianity, the fish is seen in cross form in this late Roman mosaic. Fortean Picture Library.

Fish

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

If used as an acrostic, the Greek letters spelling out the word "fish" can form the phrase "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior." For this reason the fish became an early Christian symbol. It was a natural match. Some of the apostles were fishermen. Jesus told them he would make them "fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19). He fed the multitudes with five small loaves of bread and a couple of (probably pickled) fish, the caterer for the occasion being a generous little boy (John 6). The disciples' first meal together after the resurrection featured a fish course (John 21).

A simple two-line drawing of a fish began to appear in out-of-the-way places, serving as a sort of Christian calling card and secret symbol. Its presence, to the initiated, meant, "Christian was here." Gradually the symbol worked its way into art and is still a popular motif on stained-glass windows, paintings, and bumper stickers.

Fish

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

The fish (or fishes) is a popular name for the sign Pisces.

Fish

 

an aquatic vertebrate that has inconstant body temperature, breathes by means of gills, and has nonpentadactyl limbs usually in the form of fins. There are two classes: Cyclostomata and Pisces.

The class Pisces includes seven subclasses: Acanthodii, Arthrodira, Pterichthyes, Elasmobranchii, Holocephali, Dipnoi, and Teleostomi. The first three subclasses comprise only fossil forms, whereas the remaining four include both fossil and extant forms. A number of paleontologists regard Pisces as a superclass, which they divide into seven classes. Some ichthyologists divide Pisces into two classes: Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fishes) and Osteichthyes (bony fishes).

There are approximately 25,000 species of fishes, of which about 20,000 are extant. Approximately 1,400 species are encountered in the USSR.

Structure. The gills of fishes are of ectodermal origin, and the skeleton is bony or cartilaginous. In most Elasmobranchii and Acipenseridae an unsegmented notochord is retained. The vertebrae are biconcave (amphicoelous); only in the Lepisostei-formes are they biconvex (opisthocoelous). The vertebrae range in number from 16 (ocean sunfish) to more than 400 (oarfish). The skull of bony fishes consists of a large number of bones. The upper jaw usually articulates freely with the cranium (am-phistylic or hyostylic skull); only in a few fishes, for example, the Chimaeriformes and Dipnoi, is the upper jaw fused with the cranium (autostylic skull).

In most fishes the extremities are in the form of paired fins; some fishes lack extremities entirely. In some species the extremities are converted into suckers for attachment to a substrate (lumpsuckers, gobies, some catfishes) or into a copulatory organ (in males of Elasmobranchii and Phallostethoidei). Fishes also usually have unpaired dorsal and anal fins, which serve as stabilizers and, less commonly, as organs of locomotion (for example, the anal fin of the electric eel). In males of Cyprinodontiformes part of the anal fin serves as a copulatory organ. The caudal fin varies in shape: it may be homocercal, with asymmetry expressed only in the skeleton (in most bony fishes); diphycercal, with symmetry expressed both externally and internally (in Dipnoi); or heterocercal, with the skeleton penetrating the upper lobe of the fin (sharks and sturgeons). The caudal fin, as a rule, serves as a rudder and helps in producing forward motion.

The wavelike flexions of the body usually play a principal role in forward motion. Body shape varies greatly—it may be ribbonlike (oarfish, cutlass fish), snakelike (eels), spherical (some boxfishes), or greatly flattened (rays). Most fishes are spindle-shaped or have a slightly laterally compressed streamlined shape. All fishes have a symmetrical body; only adult flounders, which swim on their side, have both eyes on the same side of the head.

Fishes are covered with scales, spines, and bony plates, or they are naked (for example, the catfish). Scales may be placoid—in the form of cutaneous teeth (sharks and rays), ganoid—rhombic (fossil lungfishes and the longnose gar), cycloid—in the form of a thin smooth-edged plate (Salmonidae and Cyprinidae), or ctenoid—in the form of thin plates with spines on the outer edge (most Perciformes).

Many fishes have highly developed cutaneous gland cells that secrete mucus. In some deepwater fishes organs of illumination develop in the skin.

The coloration of fishes is very diverse. Species that inhabit open waters usually are bluish or greenish above; the abdomen and the sides are silvery. Fishes that dwell among thickets or rocks usually have transverse stripes or spots to make them less conspicuous. A black longitudinal stripe or a spot on the side of the body helps schooling fishes to keep the school intact. The coloration of a fish may change somewhat—for example, to blend in with the bottom over which it is swimming at a particular time.

Fishes have developed senses of olfaction, touch, hearing, and sight. There also are lateral line organs, which enable the animals to perceive water fluctuations. Vision in fishes is more short-focused than in terrestrial vertebrates. Fishes are able to distinguish colors in the water. In some deep-sea and cave fishes the eyes are reduced, but, at the same time, the other sense organs are highly developed. Fishes can perceive sounds, including those of infrasonic frequencies. They sometimes emit, especially during the mating period, clearly audible sounds by means of the swim bladder (some Sciaenidae) or by movement of the fins (Bagridae) or gill covers (some tropical Perciformes).

The brain is usually well developed. In Elasmobranchii the forebrain and cerebellum are particularly well developed, and the olfactory lobes are also very large. In most bony fishes the forebrain is small, whereas the midbrain and cerebellum are relatively large. There are no more than ten pairs of cranial nerves.

The principal organs of respiration in adult fishes are the gills. In larvae the circulatory network, which develops in the yolk sac and in the fin fold, serves for respiration. The larvae of Dipnoi and some other fishes have external gills. Many fishes that live under unfavorable conditions develop supplementary organs that serve for respiration of atmospheric air. Examples of such organs include the “lung” of dipnoans; the epibranchial organ in the snakehead, Macropodus, and anabas; and the pouchlike organ in the catfish Heteropneustes fossilis. The heart is bicameral. Only in the Dipnoi, which have “pulmonary” respiration, is the atrium partially divided by a septum.

In freshwater fishes and sharks the cavity fluids are hypertonic in relation to surrounding waters; hypertonicity is achieved by means of mineral salts and urea (sharks). Hypotonicity is characteristic of marine bony fishes. The kidneys are located beneath the spine, and in most species they are mesonephric. There is usually a separate stomach. Many fishes have special outgrowths known as pyloric limbs behind the stomach. A protuberance of the intestine forms the lungs of the Dipnoi and the swim bladder. In some fishes (Salmonidae, Cyprinidae), the swim bladder is joined by a duct to the intestine; in others (perches), it is not. The swim bladder is a hydrostatic organ, although in some fishes it has supplementary functions (respiratory organ, resonator). The digestive glands include the liver and the pancreas; the latter is sometimes part of the liver. The length of the intestine varies greatly. In sharks, sturgeons, and some other fishes the absorptive surface of the intestine is enlarged through the development of a fold, or spiral valve, in the duodenum. Most fishes have separate anal and urogenital openings. Sharks and the Dipnoi have a cloaca.

Fishes show a great diversity of size. The smallest fish is the goby Pandaka pygmaea, which measures 1 cm in length and which inhabits the Philippine Islands. The largest fish is the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), which reaches a length of 15 m.

Distribution. The richest fish life is encountered in the coastal waters of the western tropical zone of the Pacific Ocean. The region supports an abundance of perch, herring, eel, flounder, and other species. The fish life of the pelagic zone—that is, open waters far from land—includes herrings, anchovies, flying fishes, mackerels, swordfishes, sailfishes, tunas, and sharks. Deep-sea fish life is rather monotonous: it includes ancient deep-sea groups (Lophiidae, Myctophidae, Ceratioides, Macrouridae) and secondarily deep-sea groups (some Zoarcidae, Cottidae). Arctic and boreal waters are inhabited mainly by Cottidae, some flounders, Zoarcidae, Gadidae, and Osmeridae. Fishes of the superfamily Notothenioidei are most typical of antarctic waters, where they constitute more than 75 percent of the fish species.

Salmonidae are richly represented in arctic and boreal fresh-waters of Europe, Asia, and North America. Cyprinidae constitute a substantial part of the fish fauna in the temperate and low latitudes of Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. The northern hemisphere has an abundance of sturgeons, Esoci-formes, and perches. North American freshwaters are characterized by longnose gars, the bowfin, sunfishes, and suckers. (Two species of suckers are found in East Asia.) The South American lungfish (one of the three extant Dipnoi genera) and electric eels are found only in the waters of South America. Also numerous in South America are characins, catfishes, and some perches. The following fishes are indigenous to African waters: dipnoan protopteruses, polypterids, Pantodontidae, and Mormyridae. Also numerous in Africa are characins, cyprinids, silurids, and some perches. The freshwaters of Australia are inhabited mainly by marine fishes that secondarily adapted to freshwater living; typical freshwater fishes are the Australian lungfish and Scleropages.

Reproduction. Most fishes deposit eggs (roe). A number of species are viviparous, including many sharks, cyprodonts (for example, the mosquito fish), the Baikal oil-fish, and the North Sea perch. Fertilization usually occurs in the water, but in fishes having a copulatory organ fertilization is internal. Fecundity varies from several eggs (some sharks and rays) to 300 million eggs (ocean sunfish). In most fishes the sexes are separate, but among some, such as sea perch, hermaphroditism occurs. Sexual dimorphism is often evident. The females are usually larger than the males, sometimes by several times (for example, in deep-sea Ceratioides). Only in those species in which the males participate in parental care (catfishes, Pseudogobio) are the females smaller than the males. Some fishes attain sexual maturity in the first year of life (mosquito fish, some gobies); others, such as the beluga, reach sexual maturity at 12 to 20 years. Most fishes reproduce several times in a lifetime. However, some deposit roe only once, dying shortly afterward (Far Eastern salmon).

Spawning may occur in the spring (roach, ide, pike, cod), summer (crucian carp, tench, Leucaspius delineatus), autumn (whitefish, European salmon), or winter (burbot, Eleginus). In some fishes all the eggs are deposited at the same time (sturgeons, whitefish, roach); other fishes are marked by fractional spawning. Some fishes lay their eggs in open waters, where they develop in a floating state (cod, almost all flounder, most herrings, mackerel, Amur silver carp, Pelecus cultratus). Many fishes produce sticky eggs, depositing them on plants (carp, crucian carp) or rocks (gobies, vimba). Some species dig nests in the bottom (dog salmon, pink salmon).

The eggs vary in structure as a result of conditions of development. Eggs that develop under conditions unfavorable for respiration are usually brightly colored, owing to the formation of “respiratory” carotenoid pigments. Pelagic eggs, that is, those that swim in open waters, usually have a greatly enlarged membrane or perivitelline space to ensure better flotation. Many fishes protect their eggs. The incubation period lasts from several hours (many tropical fishes) to three or four months (some Salmonidae). The larvae, which usually have a yolk sac when they hatch, feed on the yolk reserves in the first days of life.

Fishes grow throughout their entire lives. As a result of uneven growth, the scales and bones develop annual layers, from which the age of a fish may be determined. The longevity of fishes is from one (some gobies) to 100 years (beluga).

Feeding habits. Fishes feed on a variety of substances. The young of most species feed on small planktonic organisms, protozoans, rotifers, and crustaceans. Adult fishes include both predators and fishes that feed on. benthic invertebrates (benthos), pelagic invertebrates (plankton), and plants. There are parasitic fishes: for example, the American catfish Stegophilus parasitizes other fishes, and some fierasfers are parasites of invertebrates.

The feeding habits of a fish are often related to the animal’s structure and behavior. Predators generally have strong teeth, a large stomach, and a short intestine. Some chase their prey (salmon, pike perch, barracuda), others lie in wait and ambush their prey (pike perch, Cottidae), and others lure and seize their prey (angler). Most predators orient themselves mainly by means of vision; usually their perception of water fluctuations is also well developed.

Fishes that serve as prey for other fishes develop various defensive adaptations, such as spines on the fins (ruff, stickleback) or on the gill covers (ocean perch, Cottidae). Some fishes have poison glands at the base of their spines. Among the fishes that inhabit the waters of the USSR, the lesser weever (Trachinus vipera) has the most toxic secretions. The venom of the stone-fish, which inhabits waters of the Malay Archipelago, may be lethal to man.

Fishes that feed on benthic invertebrates (wolffish, wrasses, rays, roach, bream) have powerful maxillary or pharyngeal teeth, which are adapted for crushing hard shells and carapaces. Many bottom-feeding fishes (carp, bream, tench, mullet) dig for food, sometimes to depths of 10–15 cm. They locate food by means of their tactile organs and external taste organs. Some fish species have taste buds on the ends of the snout, on the rays of the pectoral fins, on the antennae, or on some other part of the body. Fishes that feed on plankton usually have adaptations for filtering, such as long gill rakers. Such fishes find food with their organs of sight or with their lateral line organs (herrings, sardines, anchovies). Herbivorous fishes have very long intestines and poorly developed stomachs. Often the lower lip is pointed and adapted for scraping vegetation off a substrate (Chondrostoma, Varicorhinus). Some fishes feed throughout the year, but in most species feeding ceases during reproduction and wintering. Some fishes feed most intensively in the summer (most cyprinids, pike perch, catfish), and others in the winter (burbot, whitefish, muksun, Ob’ whitefish). Fishes that detect food by sight feed in sunlit waters; those that feed by touch and taste eat in darkness.

Migration. Many fishes do not make distant journeys but live permanently in the same region. However, some make considerable migrations (seeMIGRATION, ANIMAL). Migratory fishes enter rivers from the sea or seas from rivers for spawning.

Wintering. Although wintering far from characterizes all fishes, fishes in many temperate latitudes experience a sharp decrease in activity, a slowing down of metabolism, and cessation of feeding during the winter. Fishes often gather in large schools for wintering. Some tropical fishes aestivate during drought (Protopterus).

Fossils. Fossil fishes evidently appeared in freshwaters during the Silurian and in seas during the Devonian. Silurian deposits are characterized by ancient cyclostomes. The Devonian experienced the flowering and extinction of Ostracodermi and the appearance of the class Pisces. The majority of extant groups of fishes appeared in the Cretaceous period.

Significance. Fishes are of great value to man. The flesh of most species is used as food, as is the roe of many. The skin of some fishes is used in the manufacture of various articles. Fat melted down from the liver and other internal organs of some species, such as cod, is rich in vitamins; it is used for medicinal and industrial purposes. Feed meal and fertilizers are manufactured from fishes.

In some regions certain species of fishes (mosquito fish) are beneficial, since they eat the larvae of mosquitoes that are carriers of malaria. Herbivorous fishes are used to purify bodies of water (canals, ponds).

Fish culture is widespread. To increase fish production it is necessary to keep toxic substances out of the water. Reproduction of fish reserves must be ensured during the construction of hydroengineering structures. The exploitation of fish must be pursued in a rational manner, and a complex of conservation measures must be taken. In seas and inland bodies of water, it is necessary to implement measures to intensify the reproductive process. A number of carp breeds have been developed by selection. Many fish species are raised in aquariums to complement interior decors.

The flesh, skin, and roe of some fishes are poisonous. The insufficiently cooked roe of Schizothorax are poisonous.

The branch of zoology that deals with fishes is called ichthyology.

REFERENCES

Soldatov, V. K. Promyslovaia ikhtiologiia, parts 1–2. Moscow-Leningrad, 1934–38.
Shmidt, P. Iu. Migratsii ryb, 2nd ed. Moscow-Leningrad, 1947.
Suvorov, E. K. Osnovy ikhtiologii. Moscow, 1948.
Berg, L. S. Ryby presnykh vod SSSR i sopredel’nykh stran, 4th ed., parts 1–3. Moscow-Leningrad, 1948–49.
Berg, L. S. Sistema ryboobraznykh i ryb nyne zhivushchikh i iskopaemykh, 2nd ed. Moscow-Leningrad, 1955. (Trudy Zoologicheskogo instituta AN SSSR, vol. 20.)
Promyslovye ryby SSSR: Opisanie ryb [text to an atlas of color illustrations of fish]. Moscow, 1949.
Ocherkipo obshchim voprosam ikhtiologii. Moscow-Leningrad, 1953.
Puchkov, N. V. Fiziologiia ryb. Moscow, 1954.
Lindberg, G. U. Opredelitel’ i kharakteristika semeistv ryb mirovoi fauny. Leningrad, 1971.
Zhizn’ zhivotnykh, vol. 4, part 1. Moscow, 1971.
Nikol’skii, G. V. Chastnaia ikhtiologiia, 3rd ed. Moscow, 1971.
Nikol’skii, G. V. Ekologiia ryb, 3rd ed. Moscow, 1974.
Stroganov, N. S. Ekologicheskaiafiziologiia ryb, vol. 1. Moscow, 1962.
Normann, J. R. A History of Fishes. London, 1963.
Moy-Thomas, J. A. Palaeozoic Fishes, 2nd ed. London, 1971.
Cărăusu, S. I. Tratat de ichtiologie. [Bucharest] 1952.
Lagler, K. F., J. E. Bardach, and R. R. Miller. Ichthyology. New York, 1962.
Marshall, N. B. The Life of Fishes. London, 1965.
Fish Physiology, vols. 1–6. Edited by W. S. Hoar and D. J. Randall. New York-London, 1969–71.

G. V. NIKOL’SKII

What does it mean when you dream about fish?

Large bodies of water often symbolize the unconscious, so any sea creature can represent a message from the unconscious or “diving” into the unconscious. Completely at home in the ocean, fish are the best-equipped creatures for exploring its depths, and are thus positive symbols for anyone engaged in therapy or self transformation. The activity of fishing can indicate a quest, particularly for nourishment, and it can indicate an exploration of the unconscious. Fish can also be sexual symbols and, because of their association with Christianity, can be Christ symbols.

fish

[fish] (petroleum engineering) An object in the wellbore that must be removed before drilling or workover operations can be continued. (vertebrate zoology) The common name for the cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates belonging to the groups Cyclostomata, Chondrichthyes, and Osteichthyes.

FISH

[fish or ¦ef¦ī¦es′āch] (genetics) fluorescent in situ hybridization

fish

Greek acronym for Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour. [Christian Symbolism: Child, 210]See: Christ

fish

signifies fecundity. [Mexican Folklore: Binder, 17]See: Fertility

fish

1. any of a large group of cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates having jaws, gills, and usually fins and a skin covered in scales: includes the sharks and rays (class Chondrichthyes: cartilaginous fishes) and the teleosts, lungfish, etc. (class Osteichthyes: bony fishes) 2. any of various similar but jawless vertebrates, such as the hagfish and lamprey 3. any of various aquatic invertebrates, such as the cuttlefish, jellyfish, and crayfish 4. short for fishplate
http://recipe-fish-seafood.com
http://fishing.about.com/cs/fishrecipes
www.fish4fun.com/seafoodrecipes.htm

fish

(Adelaide University, Australia) 1. Another metasyntactic variable. See foo. Derived originally from the MontyPython skit in the middle of "The Meaning of Life" entitled"Find the Fish".

2. microfiche. A microfiche file cabinet may bereferred to as a "fish tank".

Fish

(dreams)Some people believe that when you dream about fish you will soon find out that you or someone you know is pregnant (water of the womb). Others believe that if you see fish in your dreams, it is a forecast for sickness and poor health. In Christianity, Christ is at times represented by the fish symbol (spirituality). These water dwelling animals may represent messages from our unconscious and indicate to us how well we navigate through our emotional waters. They could symbolize body and soul nourishment and navigation through the unknown depths of our psyche.
LegalSeefishing

FISH


FISH

An abbreviation for "first in, still here." The term is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the first in, first out accounting method. It refers to a company that keeps its inventory for a long time, often because of poor sales. Ultimately, this may render inventory obsolete. A company dealing with FISH may be in or near financial trouble.

FISH


AcronymDefinition
FISHFluorescence In Situ Hybridization (genetics test)
FISHFluoreszenz-in-Situ Hybridisierung (nucleic acids)
FISHFederazione Italiana per il Superamento dell Handicap
FISHFlash Internal Semiconductor Harddrive
FISHFirst In Still Here
FISHFriends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery
FISHFriends in Service Helping
FISHFighting in Someone's House (NATO/British Army)
FISHFresh Ideas Start Here
FISHForensic Information System for Handwriting
FISHForensic Information Scanning Hub (criminal investigation software)
FISHFellowship in Someone's Home
FISHFibonacci Shrinking Generator (cryptography)
FISHFellowship in School Hours
FISHForget It Stuff Happens (polite form)
FISHFirst I Seek Him (Maranatha Academy)
FISHFriends in Service for Him
FISHFoundation for Science and the Handicapped, Inc.
FISHFish Information Services Haddington
FISHFoundation for Indian Scientific Heritage (India)
FISHFree Info on Student Health
FISHFamilies Invested Support Health
FISHFortified Irish Small House

fish


Related to fish: Fluorescent in situ hybridization
  • all
  • verb
  • noun
  • phrase

Synonyms for fish

verb angle

Synonyms

  • angle
  • net
  • cast
  • trawl

verb look (for)

Synonyms

  • look (for)
  • search
  • delve
  • ferret
  • rummage
  • fossick

phrase fish for something

Synonyms

  • seek
  • look for
  • angle for
  • try to get
  • hope for
  • hunt for
  • hint at
  • elicit
  • solicit
  • invite
  • search for

phrase fish something out

Synonyms

  • pull out
  • produce
  • take out
  • extract
  • bring out
  • extricate
  • haul out
  • find

Synonyms for fish

verb to try to obtain something, usually by subtleness and cunning

Synonyms

  • angle
  • hint

Words related to fish

noun any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills

Related Words

  • bottom-dweller
  • bottom-feeder
  • bottom lurkers
  • aquatic vertebrate
  • cartilaginous fish
  • chondrichthian
  • fish scale
  • roe
  • milt
  • lateral line
  • lateral line organ
  • fin
  • caudal fin
  • tail fin
  • fishbone
  • Pisces
  • fingerling
  • game fish
  • sport fish
  • food fish
  • rough fish
  • young fish
  • mouthbreeder
  • spawner
  • northern snakehead
  • bony fish
  • A. testudineus
  • Anabas testudineus
  • climbing perch
  • shoal
  • school

noun the flesh of fish used as food

Related Words

  • solid food
  • food
  • panfish
  • stockfish
  • anchovy
  • eel
  • gray mullet
  • grey mullet
  • mullet
  • alewife
  • schrod
  • scrod
  • haddock
  • hake
  • trout
  • rock salmon
  • salmon
  • shad
  • smelt

noun (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Pisces

Synonyms

  • Pisces

Related Words

  • individual
  • mortal
  • person
  • somebody
  • someone
  • soul
  • astrology
  • star divination

noun the twelfth sign of the zodiac

Synonyms

  • Pisces
  • Pisces the Fishes

verb seek indirectly

Synonyms

  • angle

Related Words

  • look for
  • search
  • seek

verb catch or try to catch fish or shellfish

Related Words

  • crab
  • seine
  • scollop
  • scallop
  • rail
  • brail
  • angle
  • shrimp
  • net fish
  • shark
  • trawl
  • still-fish
  • prawn
  • grab
  • take hold of
  • catch
随便看

 

英语词典包含2567994条英英释义在线翻译词条,基本涵盖了全部常用单词的英英翻译及用法,是英语学习的有利工具。

 

Copyright © 2004-2022 Newdu.com All Rights Reserved
更新时间:2024/12/24 10:39:57