Charlotte Wong, age 12, of Utica, N.Y., for her question:

WHERE ARE THE GRAND BANKS?

Grand Banks is the name of a stretch of shallow water southeast of Newfoundland, Canada, that is known to be one of the world's best fishing grounds.

Grand Banks curves in a 200 mile arc of shallow water around the Newfoundland coast starting about 100 miles from Cape Race at the southeastern tip. The area extends as far as 300 miles out into the Atlantic Ocean.

The waters over the banks lie from 50 to 1,000 feet deep. The area is covered with fish, especially cod.

Thousands of sea birds circle over the schools of fish that live in the Grand Banks. The birds often act as guides for the fishermen.

The fishermen must brave storms, icebergs, dense fogs and the danger of hitting rocks when they fish the waters of the Grand Banks. But the risks are worth it since fishing is almost always great.