Quantity of liquid a fish needs to stay alive (4)
I believe the answer is:
gill
'quantity' is the definition.
(gill is a kind of quantity)
I don't understand the remainder of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for gill that I've seen before include "Fish's breathing apparatus" , "Small liquid measure" , "Respiratory organ of fish" , "Organ for breathing under water" , "Eric ---, sculptor; breathing organ" .)