PLAICE 



length about 18 inches 



WHITING 



length about 2 feet 



of Scotland, then cross over to Norway, where they are often 

 harpooned or continue down into the North Sea. Why do they 

 take the long way round to Norway instead of using the EngUsh 

 Channel? One explanation is that these migrations have been going 

 on since the days, more than 10,000 years ago, when the British 

 Isles were hnked to the continent and there was no English Channel. 

 The tunny may still be following the traditional route, though a 

 short cut has been possible for thousands of years. Another ex- 

 planation is that this is the way the plankton drifts, carried by the 

 Gulf Stream, or North Atlantic Current, which curls round the 

 north of Scotland and does not flow up the EngUsh Channel. 



In general, our knowledge of the migrations of fishes has been 

 accumulated slowly, as the result of meticulous, planned observa- 

 tion. In some cases, however, we have learned much through 

 accident. For example, "accidental tagging" has taught us a lot 

 about the tunny's habits. As these fish move from one part of the 

 sea to another, fishermen tempt them with baited hooks that vary 

 in different localities. Sometimes a fish may bite and escape with 

 the hook still in its mouth. When it is later caught, the type of 

 hook can be identified and so the tunny's travels can be plotted. 

 One tunny that had been harpooned off Norway fescaped with the 

 head of the harpoon still buried in its flesh. It was later caught off 

 Tunis in the Mediterranean. 



The principal food fishes of Europe and 

 North America are shown here: 

 SARDINE: closcly related to the herring 

 and nearly as important commercially, 

 sardines are caught mainly in the eastern 

 Atlantic and Mediterranean. Plaice: these 

 flatfish are bottom dwellers related to the 

 European flounder and the American summer 

 flounder. As they mature, one eye migrates 

 to the right side of the head. TunnY: 

 these fish are found mainly in warm seas. 

 Among them is the tuna, the popular game 

 fish weighing up to 1000 pounds. Tunny are 

 a particularly important food source in 

 Spain and Portugal. Whiting: like haddock 

 and hake, the whiting is a member of the 

 cod family and is distinguished by its 

 delicate flavor. Herring: an important 

 food fish throughout most of the world, 

 herring are found in cold waters and live 

 fairly near the shore. They are represented 

 by about 200 different species. 



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