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macrophage
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A large phagocytic cell.
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MAFMC
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Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.
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mesopelagic zone
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Also called the twilight zone of the ocean, this area from 200 m to 1,000 m in depth is bordered by the photic zone above and darkness below. It is in this zone where animals first begin to exhibit bioluminescence. Compare abyssopelagic zone and bathypelagic zone.
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MFMT
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Maximum fishing mortality threshold. The level or rate of fishing mortality that, if exceeded, will result in overfishing and jeopardize the capacity of a stock or stock complex to produce maximum sustainable yield on a continuing basis.
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milt
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The milky sperm of a male fish.
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MLLW
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Mean lower low water.
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morphology
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The form and structure of an organism, in particular its outside features.
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MSP
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Maximum spawning potential. See also SPR.
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MSST
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Minimum stock size threshold. The minimum size of the stock or stock complex that is required to produce maximum sustainable yield (MSY), below which the stock would be considered overfished. The threshold should equal whichever of the following is greater: half the MSY stock size or the minimum stock size at which rebuilding to the MSY level would be expected to occur within 10 years if the stock or stock were exploited at the maximum fishing mortality threshold.
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MSY
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Maximum sustainable yield. The largest long-term average catch or yield that can be taken from a stock or stock complex under prevailing ecological and environmental conditions.
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multivariate analysis
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A set of techniques used when variation in several variables must be studied simultaneously.
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