NORTH SEA FISHERIES 41 



is the shallow Barentz Sea. Larger than 

 the Mediterranean, the ocean bed is a 

 plateau connecting Spitzbergen with Nor- 

 way. This sea, considering its latitude, has 

 a relatively mild climate in the autumn. 

 It is then invaded by the European 

 Stream which raises the temperature of 

 the water, and with the disappearance of 

 the ice there is a great entry of fish, 

 especially plaice, cod, and haddock. In 

 late autumn the stream of warmer water 

 ceases, and with the re-entry of Arctic 

 water the region is icebound and fishing is 

 made impossible. It is in the Barentz 

 and Greenland seas that future extensions 

 of our fishery will develop when the nearer 

 grounds are fully exploited. 



In these areas there are thousands of 

 different species of fish, each species con- 

 taining millions of individuals, and each of 

 these individuals capable of reproducing 

 itself in millions. The cod-fish, turbot, 

 conger, haddock, plaice, and hake spawn 

 each 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 of eggs 

 annually ; other fish, such as the sole, hali- 

 but, and mackerel each produce anything 

 from 100,000 to 1,000,000. So stupendous 



