NORTH ATLANTIC FISHING GROUNDS 11 



tucket Shoals, shallow and dangerous, with strong flood 

 tides running to the northeast and ebb tides to the south- 

 west. The Shoals include Davis Shoal, 13 miles from 

 Sankaty Head Light, Fishing Rip, 29 miles to the south- 

 east, and Phelp's Bank, 38 miles to the southeast of 

 the Light. An extension of this shoal three degrees to 

 the E.N.E. forms the famous George's Bank. Along 

 the east and south coasts of Nantucket there are grounds 

 within two miles of the shore which are fished on for cod 

 and bluefish. The principal fishing grounds in Nantucket 

 Sound are Bishop and Clark's Ledge, South West Ground, 

 Off Hyannis, Off Cotuit, and Mutton Shoal Ground west of 

 Nantucket. 



The region off Vineyard Sound and Gay Head furnishes 

 excellent grounds for sea bass, tautog and lobsters. The 

 first two kinds are found in less frequent numbers in Buz- 

 zards Bay. Cod are caught on Brown's Ledge, west from 

 Gay Head, on Southwest Ledge, 13 miles S.W. by W. 

 from Gay Head, and on Cox's Ledge, ten miles farther 

 out and in the vicinity of No Man's Land. 



Near Block Island are cod and haddock grounds at 

 Shark's Ledge, which lies about nine miles to the south- 

 east, the South West Ledge, and the North Ground be- 

 tween the island and the mainland. On these grounds, 

 as well as those of No Man's Land, important catches of 

 mackerel are made in their season. 



GULF OF MAINE. 



The Gulf of Maine is rectangular in shape, 215 miles 

 in length from Cape Cod to Cape Sable, with an average 

 width of 80 miles. It is of the greatest importance to the 

 fisheries, being unsurpassed in America for the abundance 

 and variety of the catch of fish as well as for its proximity to 

 Gloucester, Boston, Provincetown, Portland and other fish- 



