ABSTRACT
Georges Bank is rich in marine resources; in fact, it is possibly the richest area of any size in all of the temperate and high latitudes of the world's oceans. It is also a highly complex oceanographic area from the standpoint of water movements and the interrelations of the biological system with physical oceanographic processes. The early enterprise of New England and Canadian fishermen in the nineteenth century established the importance of Georges Bank as a fishing ground. Strong tidal mixing on Georges Bank ensures a rapid rate of return to the surface layer, and the shallow central part of the bank is ideal for maintaining a high rate of production of phytoplankton and a rapid cycling of the whole system. Nutrient regeneration is far less successful in the deeper waters of the bank, therefore seriously reducing plant production.
