CHARACTERISTICS OF VALUABLE MARINE FISHES 59 



of the deep sea are of no value. With respect to abundance of 

 supply and usefulness and palatability as part of a regular diet 

 two families of bottom fishes surpass all the rest : these are the 

 cod family and the flat-fish family. These families are developed 

 more in the north temperate region than in any other part of 

 the world. Moreover there is no region in the world in whicii 

 within the north temperate region there is such a vast extent of 

 fishing grounds less than eighty fathoms in depth, or less than 

 two hundred fathoms, as in the neighbourhood of the British 

 Islands. It may be safely said that there is no place in the 

 world from which such a valuable and constant supply of fresh 

 sea-fish is brought to market as from the North Sea. On the 

 east coast of America the suitable ground is so limited, and the 

 produce of such fishing of so little value, that the beam-trawl 

 is not used at all, the name trawl being applied by American 

 fishermen to the long-line. On that coast neither the sole nor 

 the turbot are found, and the other flat-fishes representing plaice 

 and lemon-soles are not equal to these in value. 



In the beam-trawl fishery of Britain the principal products 

 are haddock, plaice, soles, turbot, and brill, although a good many 

 cod, hake, and ling are caught ; whiting also are of some im- 

 portance. Other families which contribute to the produce are 

 skates and rays, gurnards, sea breams, and red mullet, also the 

 angler and cat-fish, and to a certain extent the conger. In the 

 line fishing the larger fish and those living in rather deeper water 

 are taken, namely cod, ling, halibut, turbot, and brill, but plaice 

 and soles to an insignificant extent ; skate are also taken. 



Of the surface fishes caught in drift-net and seine the great 

 majority belong to the herring family, namely, herrings, pilchards, 

 and sprats. The gar-fish and saury-pike are of no great im- 

 portance, being taken only occasionally for a brief season, and not 

 affording a large or continued supply. The mackerel, belonging 

 to quite a different order of fishes, is the only other species of 

 surface fish of great commercial importance. 



We may next consider the particular geographical limits of 

 the more important species within the seas surrounding the 

 British Islands. These seas may be said to form an area of 

 transition between the home of the southern or Mediterranean 

 species and that of the northern or Arctic forms. Thus the 

 plaice, cod, and herring are more numerous and of finer quality 



