From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpelagicpe‧lag‧ic /pəˈlædʒɪk/ adjective technical HBFTTWrelating to or living in the deep sea, far from shore pelagic fish
Examples from the Corpus
pelagic• Overfishing alone is responsible for the sorry state of the pelagic fish populations.• Larvae may immediately become bottom dwellers or pelagic for a short period to be broadcast over vast distances by ocean currents.• A pelagic habit and a delicate, gelatinous body account for their poor fossil record.• Were these organisms pelagic or benthic?• They became masters of the pelagic realm, possibly swimming in schools like their distant relatives the squids.• a pelagic shark• It has set a total quota for all pelagic species of just 60,000 tonnes for 1991.Origin pelagic (1600-1700) Latin pelagicus, from Greek, from pelagos “sea” 