Grand Banks
Grand Banks, a fishing area in the Atlantic Ocean off the southeastern coast of Newfoundland, Canada. It consists of several separate banks (shallow parts of the continental shelf)—Grand, Green, and St. Pierre. Combined, the banks are about 400 miles (640 km) long and 300 miles (480 km) wide. Depths generally vary from about 100 to 300 feet (30 to 90 m). For centuries the banks were a major commercial fishery, especially for cod, because environmental conditions made it an area where fish flourished. However, during the early 1990's, after decades of overfishing, the fish stocks of the banks were in danger of being destroyed.