Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of

ichthyology Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish ( Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish ( Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Oct ...

, including taxonomy and

fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, ...

biology.

Overall length

* Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish measured from the tip of the snout to the posterior end of the last vertebra or to the posterior end of the midlateral portion of the hypural plate. Simply put, this measurement excludes the length of the caudal (tail) fin. * Total length (TL) is the length of a fish measured from the tip of the snout to the tip of the longer lobe of the caudal fin, usually measured with the lobes compressed along the midline. It is a straight-line measure, not measured over the curve of the body. Standard length measurements are used with

Teleostei Teleostei (; Greek ''teleios'' "complete" + ''osteon'' "bone"), members of which are known as teleosts ), is, by far, the largest infraclass in the class Actinopterygii, the ray-finned fishes, containing 96% of all extant species of fish. Te ...

(most

bony fish Osteichthyes (), popularly referred to as the bony fish, is a diverse superclass of fish that have skeletons primarily composed of bone tissue. They can be contrasted with the Chondrichthyes, which have skeletons primarily composed of cartil ...

), while total length measurements are used with Myxini ( hagfish), Petromyzontiformes ( lampreys), and (usually) Elasmobranchii (

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

s and rays), as well as some other fishes. Total length measurements are used in slot limit and minimum landing size regulations. In addition, fishery biologists often use a third measure in fishes with forked tails: * Fork length (FL) is the length of a fish measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the middle caudal fin rays, and is used in fishes in which it is difficult to tell where the vertebral column ends.

Fin lengths and eye diameter

Other possible measurements include the lengths of various fins, the lengths of fin bases and the diameter of the eye. Grenadier basic external features

File:Black Drum Length vs. Age.png, File:Red Snapper Length vs Age.png,

References

External links

Diagram of fish measurements
- Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department {{DEFAULTSORT:Fish Measurement Ichthyology Fishkeeping Fish anatomy Fisheries science

Overall length

Fin lengths and eye diameter

See also

References

External links