GEOG 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 29: Popular Area, Overfishing, Catch Points
Geog 102
Cultural Geography
Halabi
GCC
1500s – Europeans discover Canadian cod stocks
● John Cadot landing on the shores of Labrador in 1497, wrote in journal of great quantities
of cod astounded by what he found in the waters saw this supply of fish as being
able to plentiful for world
● 1500s – By the late 1500s, both France and England (colonial superpowers) were sending
up to 150 ships each to fish for cod off the coast of Newfoundland (Cadot reported back
to EU of immense supply of fish) attracted fishermen huge profits industry,
accumulation of wealth beginning this capitalist industry
○ Fishing lured Europeans to the Atlantic coast, which became a popular area for
European fishers
● 1600s – Cod fishing takes place out of dories (small fishing boats for 1 or 2 people) using
long lines in addition to single-baited hooks Cod catches were less than 25 000 metric
tonnes
● 1700s – Newfoundland’s prosperity is based on cod fishing; schooner is used for fishing
larger boats, more efficient means, longer times
○ By the 1750s there were over 7000 permanent residents, mostly English, living in
hundreds of small fishing communities along the shores of NFLD spurring
further development of the coast
● 1800s – Annual cod catches were about 150 000 to 400 000 metric tonnes
○ wealth increase on the Atlantic coast
○ cod and transatlantic trade (with Britain and British colonies in the Caribbean) –
not just supporting local pop. but being exported part of colonial trade e.g.
trade fish for rum, factor in growth of global economy
○ *Cod fishing is the first successful industry in colonial America (North America)
on east coast on Canada and the economic mainstay of the region for 500 years
embedded into the region
○ What other resource being exploited on the coast? Lumber/forestry products
used to build, develop, infrastructure, including ship building (crucial to
international trade)
● Early 1900s – Steam trawlers enter the scene. Cod catches were nearly 1 million metric
tonnes.
○ Rather than schooners more energy, more catches die to larger boats and
capacities
○ An early warning
■ “While the facts before us show no proof or presumption of any depletion
of the fisheries on the banks frequented by American over trawlers, it is
possible that the seeds of damage already have been sown and their fruits
may appear in the future or that the development of a wholly unregulated
fishery eventually may result in injury where none exists.” - 1914 Report
of the U.S. Commissioner of Fisheries
Document Summary
Fishing lured europeans to the atlantic coast, which became a popular area for. 1600s cod fishing takes place out of dories (small fishing boats for 1 or 2 people) using long lines in addition to single-baited hooks cod catches were less than 25 000 metric tonnes. 1700s newfoundland"s prosperity is based on cod fishing; schooner is used for fishing. Larger boats, more efficient means, longer times. By the 1750s there were over 7000 permanent residents, mostly english, living in hundreds of small fishing communities along the shores of nfld spurring further development of the coast. 1800s annual cod catches were about 150 000 to 400 000 metric tonnes. Cod and transatlantic trade (with britain and british colonies in the caribbean) not just supporting local pop. but being exported part of colonial trade e. g. trade fish for rum, factor in growth of global economy.
