Watersheds
Glossary

ADEC	Alaska Department Environmental Conservation
ADF&G	Alaska Department of Fish and Game
ADNR	Alaska Department of Natural Resources
Alevin	Larval salmonid hatchling with yolk sac still attached. Alevin reside in the redd (nest) until the yolk sac is absorbed and they emerge from the gravel.
Anadromous	Fish which migrate from the sea, where they grow and mature, into freshwater where they spawn.
Anadromous Waters Catalog and Atlas	Listing of "various rivers, lakes and streams or parts of them" of the state that are important for the spawning, rearing or migration of anadromous fishes.
Buffer	Area of vegetation that is maintained around a water body to protect against impacts from the uplands and provide cover for animals that live in the riparian area
Cover	Anything that provides protection or refuge from predators or adverse conditions
Debris	Miscellaneous scattered or accumulated material; may originate from natural or human source
Deposition	Settlement of materials out of the water column and onto the stream bottom
Diversity	Numbers of different plants or animals in a community
Ecology	Study of living organisms in their environment
Ecosystem	A community including plants, animals, microorganisms and their non-living environment which interacts with each other
EPA	U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Fry	Immature life stage of fish. Emergent fry leave the salmonid redd (nest) and become free-swimming. Salmonid fry may rear in freshwater for one to three (occasionally more) years.
Habitat	Place where a plant or an animal lives which provides life functions, including reproduction, food, escape, and migration.
Large organic/ woody debris	Relatively large piece of stable, woody material that intrudes into a water body; complex or irregular woody debris is better for fish.
Marine Nutrients	Organisms accumulate and store nutrients as they grow. Anadromous fish feed on marine organisms, store the nutrients from marine foods in their body, and release the nutrients in freshwater after they spawn.
Passage (for fish)	Movement by fish upstream or downstream at all flow levels, that is not prevented by water velocity and/or physical blockage(s).
Reach	A specified homogeneous length of a stream.
Redd	Pit-like nest dug in the gravel of a stream bottom by a female fish where eggs are laid, fertilized by the male and re-covered with gravel.
Riparian	Of, on, or relating to the banks of a natural course of water; area or zone that is between the aquatic and upland areas; may be periodically flooded.
Riprap	Layer of large material - usually rock - placed on a bank to protect it; or, the material itself.
Salmonid	Fish family that includes salmon, trout, whitefish and grayling.
Sediment	Material weathered from rocks or decomposition of organic material and transported by water or air; or, deposited from water or air or accumulated on a substrate.
Smolt	Salmonid migratory life stage that transforms the freshwater rearing life stage for survival in saltwater.
Substrate	Material on the bottom of a water body.
Thalweg	Longitudinal line along a stream bottom that follows the deepest part of the channel.
Watershed	A watershed is an entire region (or "basin"), which drains into a river or river system. A watershed typically includes several sub-basins with components from the mountains to the sea: glaciers, tributaries, lakes, wetlands, and estuaries.
Wetland	Area that may be flooded periodically; usually, with soil or vegetation characteristics different from adjoining non-flooded areas

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If you would like more information concerning Watersheds, please email DFG.DSF.StreambankRehab@alaska.gov.