The most important fishing grounds of the world are found in the regions where:

Answer: (c) Warm and cold oceanic currents meet

Where warm and cold ocean currents mix, oxygen is replenished. This helps plankton grow, and plankton is the primary food of fish. So the world's best fishing grounds lie in these mixing zones.

• ✓ (c) Mixing of warm and cold oceanic currents replenishes oxygen and favours plankton growth. Fish gather where plankton is abundant, for example off Newfoundland, where the warm Gulf Stream meets the cold Labrador Current.
• ✗ (a) Atmospheric currents are winds. They do not create the plankton-rich water that supports fish populations.
• ✗ (b) River freshwater can add nutrients locally. It is not the main reason for the world's major fishing grounds, which are tied to current mixing zones.
• ✗ (d) A broad continental shelf helps fishing, but an undulating shelf is not the key factor. The decisive factor is the meeting of warm and cold currents.

Remember · The world's best fishing grounds lie where warm and cold ocean currents mix, because plankton thrives there. Examples are Newfoundland (Grand Banks) and the NW Pacific near Japan.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 13 (practise this chapter)

Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2013, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). · Report an error