Fish at its Best

There are times of the year when every fish is at its best, and for this reason we have compiled what we think is the most complete list of the fish available in the UK, showing at a glance when to enjoy each one at its very best.

The war years gave a temporary relief to the North Sea fisheries, but to-day, seemingly due to over-fishing, North Sea fish becomes more and more scarce. The deep-sea boats, however, continue in their endeavours in these far-off grounds to bring in large catches, in order to meet the tremendous demands which have been built up for fish around the world.

It is not generally realised that the seasons and oppor­tunities for catching the different varieties of fish are of outstanding importance. There is a cod season in the spring of the year, there is a plaice season in the early summer, there is a herring season operative all along the coast with regularity from April to October.

The weather also plays a most important part in the fishing industry and in the availability of fish for feeding the people. Obviously, the gales of the winter, more especially in the northern waters, make fishing impossible for many days, and bring about the inevitable shortage of landings which so affects the market.

The following calendar of fish denotes when each fish is at its best and in greatest abundance, which should be the time when it is cheapest to buy.

This calendar should not be confused with actual fishing seasons.