gravel outside of them to W. and NW.

West-Northwest Rips and the Flat Ground. These lie WNW from Briers
Island, extending offshore about 18 miles. On the eastern end of this
area, two parallel shoals, about 1½ miles across and having 50-fathom
depths between them, rise from the 100-fathom depths of water over the
muddy ground around them to reach 15 fathoms on the landward end of the
rips, deepening to 35 fathoms off the western part, where the two ridges
come together at about 9 miles distance from Briers Island, to carry on
to the westward over the Flat Ground, which extends to a distance of
about 18 miles from the island.

This Flat Ground, deepening gradually westward, averages to have 50
fathoms of water over a level, gravelly, and rocky bottom, to pitch down
suddenly, as do all other slopes of this piece of ground, to the
100-fathom depth, which prevails on all sides of The Rips. Currents are
very strong here, as elsewhere in these waters, so that trawls are set
only on the slack of the tides, beginning about one hour before and
remaining down until about one hour after these periods. Formerly this
was a good ground for the taking of large herring. In these days The
Rips furnish good cod and haddock fishing for the entire year, with hake
abundant at all times on the mud about them. In fact; virtually all the
ground from this point south to the Lurcher Shoal furnishes good fishing
for these species.

Boars Head Ground (also called Inner Ground). This parallels the coast
about 4 miles N. by NW from the Head, at Petit Passage, into St.
Marys Bay. This ground is about 4 miles long by 3 miles wide, having
depths from 55 to 65 fathoms over a hard bottom of broken ground. Cod
are most numerous here from April to July, inclusive; haddock from July