|
The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a group of underwater plateaus southeast of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. These areas are relatively shallow, ranging from in depth. The cold Labrador Current mixes with the warm waters of the Gulf Stream here. The mixing of these waters and the shape of the ocean bottom lifts nutrients to the surface. These conditions helped to create one of the richest fishing grounds in the world. Fish species include Atlantic cod, sword fish, haddock, and capelin. Shellfish include scallop and lobster. The area also supports large colonies of seabirds such as northern gannets, shearwaters, and sea ducks and various sea mammals such as seals, dolphins, and whales. In addition to the effects on nutrients, the mixing of the cold and warm currents often causes fog in the area. It is also noted for its proximity to the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'', and thus the launching point of ''Titanic'' shipwreck expeditions. ==History== The Grand Banks were extensively glaciated during the last glacial maximum. By approximately 13,000 years ago, the majority of the ice had melted, leaving the Grand Banks exposed as several islands extending for hundreds of kilometers. It is believed that rising sea levels submerged these around 8,000 years ago. While there is no archaeological evidence for a European presence near the Grand Banks between the short-lived Greenland Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows in CE 1000 and John Cabot's transatlantic crossing in 1497, there is some evidence that voyagers from Portugal,〔SILVA, A. J. M. (2015), The fable of the cod and the promised sea. About portuguese traditions of bacalhau, in BARATA, F. T- and ROCHA, J. M. (eds.), Heritages and Memories from the Sea, Proceedings of the 1st International Conference of the UNESCO Chair in Intangible Heritage and Traditional Know-How: Linking Heritage, 14–16 January 2015. University of Evora, Évora, pp. 130-143. (PDF version )〕 the Basque Region and England (especially those from Bristol)〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/early_ex.html )〕 and others preceded Cabot. In the 15th century some texts refer to a land called ''Bacalao'', the land of the codfish, which is possibly Newfoundland. Within a few years of Cabot's voyage the existence of fishing grounds on the Grand Banks became generally known in Europe. Ships from France and Portugal were first to fish there, followed by those from Spain while ships from England were scarce in the early years.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/16fishery.html )〕 These fish stocks were also important for the early economies of eastern Canada and New England. On 18 November 1929, a major earthquake (known as the 1929 Grand Banks earthquake) on the southwestern part of the Grand Banks bordering the Laurentian Channel caused an underwater landslide which resulted in extensive damage to transatlantic cables and generated a rare Atlantic tsunami that struck the south coast of Newfoundland and eastern Cape Breton Island, claiming 28 lives in the Burin Peninsula. Technological advances in fishing such as large factory ships and sonar, as well as geopolitical disputes over territorial sea and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) boundaries, have led to overfishing and a serious decline in the fish stocks of the Grand Banks from around 1990. Canada's EEZ currently occupies the majority of the Grand Banks except for the lucrative "nose" (eastern extremity, near the Flemish Cap) and "tail" (southern extremity) of the fishing bank. The 1783 Treaty of Paris gave the United States shared rights to fish in these waters, but that section of the Treaty is no longer in force. The French territory Saint Pierre and Miquelon Exclusive Economic Zone occupies a pin-shaped section at the west edge of the Grand Banks, with the 22 km radius head of the pin surrounding the islands and the needle heading south for 348 km. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Grand Banks of Newfoundland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|