adjective
- having spawned and become thin and weak (used of fish)
Usage: archaic; fishing
Examples
- The shotten herring were of little value at market.
- After spawning season, the shotten fish appeared gaunt and depleted.
- Fishermen avoided the shotten salmon, preferring those that hadn’t yet spawned.
- The old cookbook warned against using shotten fish for the recipe.
- Shotten mackerel were typically sold at reduced prices.