The Conundrum of the Stock Concept—Are Nature and Nurture Definable in Fishery Science?

The definition of the word stock, as applied in fishery science, is presented in general and in precise forms. The general definition is a species group, or population, of fish that maintains and sustains itself over time in a definable area. In a more precise manner, stock (genotypic) is defined as a population of fish maintaining and sustaining Castle–Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. If a genetic basis is not available for stock characterization, then a phenotypic stock definition has to be recognized as a population of fish maintaining characteristics which are expressed in one or more ways, depending on the type or nature of environment of domicile.