Bled Out - Cutting an artery behind the gills while fish is still alive. This improves quality and shelf life of product. 

Blocks - Frozen Compressed slabs of fish fillets, usually without skin or bone. Good raw material fro breading or further processing 

Boned - All major bones removed but some pin bones may remain 

Boneless - All bones removed including pin bones 

Brine Frozen - Product is immersed in a salt and water brine during the freezing process protecting it from dehydration. 

Butterflied - A fish fillet or shrimp that has been split Candling - Process of placing fillets on a backlit translucent table to detect the presence of any parasites 

Catch Weight - Natural pieces of fillets are not exact weight and can range in size causing it to be a catch weight item versus exact weight 

Cello Pack - Fish Fillets which have been wrapped together in cellophane. Often referred to as by the count. A 1-3 count cello wrap cod means there are between 1 to 3 pieces per wrap.  This would equate to an 8oz average per piece. The higher the count, the smaller the average fillet weighs.  

Clipper - Typically referring to Mahi, Sword or Tuna and means frozen at sea.  

Cluster or section - A form of crab which includes a group of legs and a claw still all attached to the shoulder. 

CN Label - Child Nutrition Label, meaning that the ingredient label has all the necessary information to satisfy dietary requirements for a school lunch or child feeding program 

Counts - Number of pieces per lb. i.e., 16/20 count meant that there are an average of 18 pieces per lb. The higher the count the smaller the individual pieces. 

Deep Skinned - Removing the skin and the fat layer underneath on oily species of fish in order to produce a milder flavor and better shelf life. 

Deveined - Remove the sand vein (intestine) from the tail section of a shrimp or lobster tail. 

Dressed - Whole Fish that are gutted, scaled and which the gills have been removed. 

Dry Pack - A process which can apply to almost any seafood meaning that no chemicals have been used in its processing 

FAS - Frozen at Sea Fillet - A portion of flesh taken from either side of the fish cut away clean from the central bones. Large bones, fins and belly flap are removed. 

Finger or Soldier Pack - A term used for layer pack shrimp meaning they are all hand packed side by side like little soldiers in a row. 

Fletch - A fillet cut from a large flatfish like Halibut and then further divided into boneless portions. 

Glazed - Indicates product has been Dipped in water After freezing. This ensures product will resist freezer burn but also adds weight to the finished product. 

Green Headless - Raw, Headless Shell On Shrimp. Does not indicate the color of the shrimp.  

HACCP - Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. A food safety program requiring all parties involved in the manufacturing process of an item to document all control points where a possible hazard might exist to the wholesomeness of the product.  

H&G - Headed & Gutted 

IQF - Individually Quick Frozen 

J Cut - A fillet which has been cut to remove both the pin bones and the nape. 

Layer pack or Shatter pack - Frozen Fish Fillets are separated by sheets of plastic inside a master box. They may overlap and sometimes have to be dropped to break loose or shattered apart. 

Loins - Central Thick Part of a large fish fillet. These loins are typically cut into steaks and are typically from Tuna, Shark and Swordfish. 

Merus - The whole leg meat taken from a crab leg. 

Minced - Pieces of fish left over from filleting or trimming that are sieved to remove any bones. They are then further processed to make blocks, squares or sticks.  

Molting - The process where a shellfish will shed its shell to continue to grow. 

Nape - The front and thinnest part of a fillet around the belly. 

Net Weight - Weight of the product without packing material or glaze. 

Ocean Run - A term which can refer to random weights and sizes. i.e., an Ocean Run crab cluster can vary in size. Usually packed aboard a processor vessel. 

One Cut - refers to a natural fish fillet which has been cut (usually diagonally) to reduce its size. A 24 oz natural fillet may be cut down once to produce two 12 oz fillets which are  a more desirable or usable size. 

Pasteurized - To heat product sufficiently to kill most bacteria but not enough to cook the product. 

P&D - Peeled & Deveined 

Pin bones - A strip of small bones found along the midline of many fillets, can be removed by either J or V cutting the fillet 

Prawn - In the U.S. a term sometimes used to describe a large shrimp but is really the correct term for freshwater shrimp. 

PTO - Peeled, Tail On Shrimp 

PUD - Peeled Undeveined 

PUFI - Packed Under Federal Inspection 

Round - Whole Ungutted fish or shrimp that has been peeled but not split or deveined. 

Sashimi - #1 Japanese style raw fish cut into various forms 

Scrod - Size designation for Cod or Haddock meaning small. There is a misconception that this is actually a species of fish sometimes spelled Schrod.  

Snap N Eat - Crab Legs that have been scored through the shell so they can be easily cracked by hand. 

Steak - A cross section cut of a fish loin containing a section of the center bone. Typically refers to Shark, Swordfish and Tuna. 

STP - Sodium Tripoly Phosphate. Used on fish and shrimp to retain moisture. 

Surimi - Imitation Seafood products typically in the form of Logs, Flakes and Salad Style. Usually made from Pollock fillets using sugar and egg whites as a binder. 

Sushi - Japanese style raw Seafood- comes in several different forms including rolls and thinly sliced fillets. 

V-Cut -  Similar to a J Cut which removes the pin bones but leaves most of the nape. 

Vein - Intestinal tract on the shrimp. Usually removed (Deveining) to improve appearance and texture. 

Yield -The useable percent of total weight from a fish or shellfish.