The most important fishing grounds of the world are found in the regions where
- warm and cold atmospheric currents meet
- rivers drain out large amounts of fresh water into the sea
- warm and cold oceanic currents meet
- continental shelf is undulating
Explanation
Option (c) is correct
- Fishing grounds are most productive in regions where warm and cold oceanic currents meet. These areas are rich in nutrients due to:
- Upwelling: Cold currents bring nutrients from the deep sea to the surface.
- Mixing: The convergence of warm and cold currents enhances the availability of nutrients, supporting the growth of phytoplankton, which forms the base of the marine food chain.
- Examples of such regions include:
- The Grand Banks off Newfoundland (meeting of the Gulf Stream and Labrador Current).
- The zone where the Peru cold current meets the warm equatorial ocean waters is an important fishing zone.
- The continental shelves around the islands of Japan are rich in plankton, due to the meeting of the warm Kuroshio and the cold Oyashio currents and provide excellent breeding grounds for all kinds of fish.
