Glossary of Fishery Terms - N

N

• Natal - relating to birth, such as many salmon that return to their place of birth to spawn.

• Nearshore waters - relatively shallow inshore waters that do not extend beyond the continental shelf. See also sublittoral zone

• Neritic zone - the shallow pelagic zone over the continental shelf. See also nearshore waters.

• Nitrate - a water-soluble molecule made up of nitrogen and oxygen, commonly found in agricultural fertilizers, and therefore in land runoff. Too much nitrate concentration is can be toxic to marine life.

• Nursery - The part of a fish or animal habitat where the young grow up.

• Nutrient upwelling - Nutrient upwelling is the 'welling-up' of deeper water that is usually richer in nutrients than surface water.