Fishery industry or fisheries industry?

[Jack_Rose]

Dear all,

Would you please tell me if the bold noun phrase in the following sentence is actually "the fishery industry"?

"More important is the fisheries industry and the vital issue of freedom for trade through some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world - 80% of China's energy imports pass through these waters."

(Reference: BBC News - Why are South China Sea tensions rising?)

If "the fisheries industry" is correct, why is the plural form of a noun put in front of another noun?

As far as I have known, a countable noun functioning as an adjective is in its singular form.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours truly,

Jack

[Tdol]

a countable noun functioning as an adjective is in its singular form

Not always- if the noun is normally plural, then it can remain in the plural (a sports hall), plurals are often used with words related to people (women judges), etc. I would use fisheries too.

[Jack_Rose]

Not always- if the noun is normally plural, then it can remain in the plural (a sports hall), plurals are often used with words related to people (women judges), etc. I would use fisheries too.

Thank you very much for your comment. Would you tell me if "fisheries industry" and "fishery industry" mean the same or differently?

Your examples are interesting, at least to me. "women judges" seems better "woman judges". But why is "bus stops" but not "buses stops"? And the same question is for many other cases.

I am curious to know more about this. It seems there are not unified rules for compound nouns from nouns?

[Jack_Rose]

I found in a letter from my friend, an English-speaking one, that she wrote "a woman-doctor" and "two women-doctors". I have quite been confused. Please share your knowledge with me

[konungursvia]

In Newfoundland, I believe, the lobster fishery is a very different business from the cod fishery, etc.

[Tdol]

I found in a letter from my friend, an English-speaking one, that she wrote "a woman-doctor" and "two women-doctors". I have quite been confused. Please share your knowledge with me

Your friend is right to use the singular and the plural. I wouldn't use a hyphen there. This is an area where it's not always 1000% clear and different people may use different forms, but as a tendency, we often use men/women in plural compound nouns.

[5jj]

To me, 'two woman-doctors' sounds as if someone who doesn't know the word is talking about two gynaecologists.

[Jack_Rose]

Your friend is right to use the singular and the plural. I wouldn't use a hyphen there.

Thanks. I see. It is different with a hyphen.

[eddy143]

Why not fishery industries?

[konungursvia]

Why not fishery industries?

They are the same industry, serving the same clientele, but employ different fishery methods, e.g. lobster traps, drift nets, etc.