Length of a fish measured as the distance between the tip of the lower jaw and the point of the fork or ‘V’ of the tail. Commonly used to record the length of commercial fish with bills (for example, Swordfish) because it is little affected by damage to the tail fin (cf. Total length) and bill. Fork length is measured flat, from point to point, using a measuring board or callipers, not by stretching a tape along the body surface, which would result in a longer measurement for full-bodied fish like tuna.
