portant to the economy of Scotland and is a major source of employment in certain fishing ports. In the early 1990s about 628,400 metric tons of fish were caught annually. Marine fishes harvested include Atlantic mackerel, Atlantic herring, cod, haddock, European plaice (various flatfishes, including flounder), Atlantic salmon, whiting, common cockle, and Norway lobster. The principal freshwater fish caught is rainbow trout. Domestic fish production provides about three-quarters of Great Britain's needs .. The British fishing fleet consists of more than 12,000 vessels, the largest fleet in the European Union (EU). Manufacturing By virtue of the Industrial Revolution and the factory system initiated in the final quarter of the 18th century, Great Britain led the nations of the world in amount and value of manufactured products until the industrialization of the United States in the latter part of the 19th century. Principal factors in the industrial prominence of Britain were its early leadership in the wool trade, favorable climate, mineral wealth, development of shipping and naval control of the seas, acquisition of territorial possessions and colonial markets, much greater freedom from political and religious wars and persecutions than existed in continental Europe, and development of improved manufacturing methods and labor-saving machinery. The great influx of Flemish and Huguenot immigrants during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th and 17th centuries gave great impetus to the original wool industry and introduced new industries such as silk weaving, garment making, and the manufacture of hats, pottery, and cutlery. With the invention of mechanically powered machinery, the textile industry grew rapidly and has remained one of the most important industries of Great Britain. Two inventions-steam-powered mining machinery (1765) by James Watt and railroad locomotives (1815) by George Stephenson-were of major importance in the development of British coal and iron-ore resources and in the expansion of iron and steel manufacturing. Great Britain has remained one of the most highly industrialized countries of the world. In the early 1990s manufacturing and mining industries employed about 18 percent of the work force. In the same period the production figures were 16.2 million metric tons of crude steel, 1.3 million passenger cars, 122,200 metric tons of worsted and woolen yarn, and 142 million m (466 million ft) of woven cotton fabrics. Scotland and Northern Ireland were noted for their production of linen, and England had a large brewing industry. In terms of value, the leading branches of the manufacturing sector were food products, transportation equipment, non-electrical machinery, chemical products, and metals and metal products. The leading manufacturing regions were London and the metropolitan counties of Manchester, West Midlands and Liverpool. Other important industrial centers were Glasgow, southern Wales, and Be...
