What is the Continental Shelf?

The continental shelf is a geological feature referring to the portion of the continent that is submerged in ocean water from the coastline out to the shelf break. (on the other side of the shelf break is the continental slope) The width of the shelf varies from being practically non-existent to hundreds of miles wide. In fishing, the continental shelf is often used as a qualifier to describe where someone is, in the ocean. So even though the shelf is all about the bottom, it can be used to describe where someone is at fishing near the surface of the water.

The area of the ocean above the continental shelf is very productive compared to the rest of the ocean for fishing. This is due to sunlight penetrating deeper into the water column and nutrient-rich waters building out the food web.