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 100-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.