INTRODUCTION. 13 



sands lying in the immediate vicinity of the coast, are 



enumerated.* 



FISHERIES. 



No account of the Fish Fauna of a county can 

 be satisfactory without reference to the various seats 

 of its Fisheries, the methods pursued by the fisher- 

 men, and the species captured or sought in the different 

 districts. In enumerating these, I purpose to begin 

 with what is probably the best known, as well as the 

 oldest shrimping. The fishermen of Leigh have 

 long carried on an extremely active and remunerative 

 trade in shrimps, for which they trawl in the mouth of 

 the Thames. Of late years, however, they have been 

 forced to go much farther out to sea than they were 

 wont to do, in consequence of the great increase of 

 impurities in the water, and the disturbance caused by 

 the passing up and down of large numbers of steam- 

 ships bound to and from the Port of London. 

 Another section of the Leigh fishermen spends many 

 weeks and months trawling for fish in the North Sea, 

 forwarding the produce of their toils from the various 



* The Committee appointed by the British Association " for the purpose of 

 considering the question of accurately defining the term ' British,' as applied to 

 the marine fauna and flora of our islands " have reported that the " British 

 Marine Area " may be conveniently subdivided into a shallow-water and a deep- 

 water district. The loo-fathom contour line is a natural boundary line for the 

 former off the north and west coasts of the British Islands ; on the south and east 

 the only boundary is the half-way line between Great Britain and the Continent ; 

 this should include the Dogger Bank. The above district may be termed the 

 ' British Marine Shallow-water District." The " Deep-water District " of 100 to 

 1,000 fathoms only occurs off the north and west coasts, and consequently does 

 not concern our Essex recorders. 



