32 THE OCEANOGRAPHY OF THE NORTH-WESTERN OCEAN [PART I 



In former times fishing was practically confined to the narrow strip 

 of water within a few miles of the coast, and then gradually 

 extended so as to include the North and Irish Seas. Then with 

 the increasing demand for fish caused by the natural growth of the 

 population, and by the increasing facility of transport, the fishing 

 area was extended. As formerly, while yet no doubts were 

 entertained as to our naval supremacy, the territorial limits of 

 England extended over the seas to the coasts of the enemy's 

 countries, so now at a time when we are still the predominant 

 fishing nation of the world, we call the shallow water off the coasts 

 of Iceland, Russia, Norway, Denmark, Holland, France and the 

 Peninsula the " British Fishing Grounds." British steam fishing 

 vessels now exploit the coasts of Iceland in the west, the White 

 Sea in the east, and the coast of Morocco in the south. Only a 

 very few years ago trawling was confined to the sea which was not 

 more than 100 metres in depth, but now the trawl is used in water 

 which is more than double that depth, and in a few more years we 

 may expect a further extension of the area within which fishing 

 may profitably be carried on. 



Now round the coasts of this extensive region the sea and the 

 sea bottom present very variable physical and biological features. 

 Fringing the land is a narrow strip of sea bottom which is bared 

 twice a day by the ebb and flow of the tides. The area of the 

 foreshore varies according to the nature of the coast and the depth 

 of the contiguous sea. Off the coast of some parts of England it 

 is very extensive and hundreds of square miles of sea bottom are 

 twice in every 24 hours laid bare and again covered. Morecambe 

 Bay off the coast of Lancashire, for instance, is such an evanescent 

 sheet of water. The foreshore is the haunt of a host of creatures 

 which form an abundant material for the fishermen. Gregarious 

 moUusca and Crustacea abound there, and at the time of high 

 water innumerable shoals of fishes find their food in the shell-fish 

 which are the characteristic fauna of the shore between tide marks. 

 Outside the foreshore again is the zone of territorial waters — the 

 sea within a line drawn three miles from low- water marks. This 

 is the traditional fishing ground. Passing out from the foreshore 

 the sea bottom in some parts slopes very gradually out into deep 

 water. Off the coast of Lancashire the contour line of 20 metres 



