38 THE SEA FISHERIES 



Among these are the Borkum, Ameland, Terschelling, Vlieland 

 Texel, Bnelle, West Kapelle. Maas and Hinder grounds. In the 

 central portion lie the Brown ridges, Black bank, and the Winter- 

 ton grounds, while in the north-west we have the Leman Bank 

 In this area the bottom consists generaUy of fine sand and shells 

 except m the deeper portions to the north where mud replaces the 

 sand. Plaice is the important fish in this area. Soles and turbot 

 are also important, the remainder of the catch consisting of haddock, 

 cod, whiting and dabs. 



The fourth " B " area is the seaward continuation of the eastern 

 grounds, with which it forms the so-called small plaice area. The 

 south-west portion is part of the oyster grounds, the bottom com- 

 posed of sand and mud with a depth of 22 fathoms. This is sur- 

 rounded with rough rocky ground. 



The Heligoland grounds lie to the south-east, and in succession 

 to the northward are the Amrum, Sylt and Horn Riffs. The general 

 nature of the bottom is fine sand interspersed with patches of shells 

 and gravel. The fifth " B " area is a small one lying off the North 

 Danish coast between the little Fisher Bank and the mainland of 

 Jutland. In the centre lies the Jutland Bank and in the north the 

 Holmen Ground. In the south are the Bovbjerg and Ringkjobing 

 grounds. The bottom is mainly sand, except on the Jutland Bank, 

 where rough ground is met with. Small haddock are the chief 

 constituent of the catches here, other fish being cod, plaice, turbots, 

 skate, whiting and cat-fish. 



The " C " areas (40 to 60 metres) comprise 25,300 sq. miles, and 

 they make up the remainder of the southern North Sea. The first 

 section is made up of an irregularly shaped area lying off the east 

 coasts of England and Scotland. There are three portions joined 

 by narrow channels. The first part is the Moray Firth containing 

 Smith Bank, the second is the area off the Firth of Forth, and the 

 third is off Flamborough Head. This last is the most important to 

 the English fishermen. It consists of a body off the Yorkshire 

 coast, and two long arms embracing the western part of the Dogger. 

 Haddock is the predominant species, the other fish being cod, plaice, 

 whiting, skates, lemon soles, monks, ling, dabs, gurnards and cat-fish. 



The second " C" area lies between the Dogger and the " B " 

 areas off the Danish coast. It extends in the north-east to the 

 Skagerrack, enclosing the Little Fisher Bank. South of this is a 

 large tract known as the East (or Upper and Lower) mud. This 

 area also sends out two long arms encircling the eastern part of the 

 Dogger. In the main area lies Clay Deep, The northernmost arm 

 is known as " the Lower Edge of the Dogger." The arm running 

 south-west includes the Great Silver Pit, a most important ground. 



