fishery

noun fish·ery \ ˈfi-shə-rē \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

Definition of fishery

plural fisheries

1 : the occupation, industry, or season of taking fish or other sea animals (such as sponges, shrimp, or seals) : fishing

2 : a place for catching fish or taking other sea animals

3 : a fishing establishment; also : its fishermen

4 : the legal right to take fish at a particular place or in particular waters

5 : the technology of fishery —usually used in plural

See fishery defined for English-language learners

See fishery defined for kids

Recent Examples of fishery from the Web

That could hurt fisheries workers in Alaska and lobster harvesters in Maine.

— david pan, USA TODAY, "China's tariffs will hit farm states hard, spare service-heavy states," 10 July 2018
Thanks to quotas aimed at maintaining fishery sustainability, New York’s harvest—which centers largely on Long Island—fell from 60 million pounds annually in the mid-1990s to 30 million in 2016.

— WSJ, "New York Couple Happy as Clams Selling Fish," 2 July 2018
Removing exotic species such as grass carp, armored catfish and tilapia can be helpful to a fishery.

— shannon tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Boat ramps a gateway to fun or frustration," 28 June 2018
Pruitt made the decision after receiving public comments about the mine, and said he was concerned about the possible risks of mining to the Bristol Bay salmon fishery.

— alex demarban, Anchorage Daily News, "Bob Gillam donates $250,000 to Trump fund after EPA backed Pebble limits," 19 June 2018
Hippo poop is piling up in Tanzania’s freshwater fisheries—which is bad news for biodiversity, and deleterious for the dinnerplate.

— jason g. goldman, Scientific American, "Hippo Dung Fouls Up Freshwater Fisheries," 14 June 2018
Peter Aarrestad, head of DEEP’s inland fisheries division, said of the problem of dealing with bird predation at the hatcheries.

— gregory b. hladky, courant.com, "Hatcheries Try Guns, Nets, Noise To Protect Fish From Invading Birds," 21 May 2018
The group that was cited included Frederick J. Moore III, a former chief of the Passamaquoddy tribe in Maine, which has negotiated with their state authorities to gain access to elver fisheries.

— corey kilgannon, New York Times, "Indians in the Hamptons Stake Claim to a Tiny Eel With a Big Payday," 1 Feb. 2018
The explosion and its aftermath killed eleven people, shut down fisheries, and decimated coastal and marine ecosystems, including deep water corals, which were found dead or dying miles from the well.

— joanna klein, New York Times, "This Coral Must Die," 25 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fishery.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of fishery

1528

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

FISHERY Defined for English Language Learners

fishery

noun

Definition of fishery for English Language Learners

: a part of the ocean where fish and other sea creatures are caught
: a business that catches and sells fish

FISHERY Defined for Kids

fishery

noun fish·ery \ ˈfi-shə-rē \

Definition of fishery for Students

plural fisheries

1 : the business of catching, processing, and selling fish

2 : a place for catching fish

saltwater fisheries

Learn More about fishery

See words that rhyme with fishery Spanish Central: Translation of fishery Nglish: Translation of fishery for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fishery for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fishery

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up fishery? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

fishery

Definition of fishery

Recent Examples of fishery from the Web

First Known Use of fishery

FISHERY Defined for English Language Learners

fishery

Definition of fishery for English Language Learners

FISHERY Defined for Kids

fishery

Definition of fishery for Students

Learn More about fishery

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

festinate

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 7/20

An Explanation of Why We (Sometimes) Truncate Definitions

'Kayfabe': It's Illusive and Elusive

Words We're Watching: 'Laze'

Ask the Editors

Ghost Word

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

Test Your Emoji Exceptionalism

Obscure Shapes

True or False?

Word Winder's CrossWinder

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 7/20

Trending: Giuliani: Secret Recordings 'Powerful Exculpatory Evidence'

5 Words for Clumsy People

Test Your Emoji Exceptionalism

Ghost Word

fishery

Definition of fishery

Recent Examples of fishery from the Web

First Known Use of fishery

FISHERY Defined for English Language Learners

fishery

Definition of fishery for English Language Learners

FISHERY Defined for Kids

fishery

Definition of fishery for Students

Learn More about fishery

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 7/20

Trending: Giuliani: Secret Recordings 'Powerful Exculpatory Evidence'

5 Words for Clumsy People

Test Your Emoji Exceptionalism

Ghost Word