TheFlemish Cap is an area of shallow waters in the northAtlantic Ocean centered roughly at 47° north, 45° west or about 563 km (350 miles) east ofSt. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
The shallow water is caused by a wideunderwater plateau covering an extended area of 42,000 km2 (12,000 square miles). Depths at the cap range from approximately 122 m (400 feet) to 700 m (2,300 feet).
The Flemish Cap is located within an area of transition between the cold waters of theLabrador Current and warmer waters influenced by theGulf Stream. The mixing of the warmer and colder waters over the plateau produces the characteristic clockwise circulation current over the cap.
The waters of the Flemish Cap are deeper and warmer than theGrand Banks of Newfoundland. The 58,000-square-kilometre area may have served as an important refuge for marine species during the lastice age.[1]
The Flemish Cap lies outsideCanada's 200 nautical mile (370 km)Exclusive Economic Zone established in 1977, and is therefore in international fishing waters.Overfishing became a serious issue in the latter 20th and early 21st centuries.Cod are particularly threatened here,[2] as areAmerican plaice,[3] and the numbers ofredfish have shown such significant decline as to be classified endangered.[4]
During the last decade of the 20th century and the beginning part of the 21st century, Canada made an effort to prevent overfishing in the region by use of provisions of the Coastal Fisheries Protection Act and the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement.
According to early written accounts dating back to 1607, the Flemish Cap's name is a reminder that fishermen fromFlanders were once active in the area.[5]
This area was referenced byWolfgang Petersen in his 2000 filmThe Perfect Storm as the final fishing grounds ofAndrea Gail, captained by Billy Tyne (George Clooney). Swordfish was their primary catch.
