Newfoundlanders

The cod fishery

The cod fishery represented an important economic activity. The great fishery was practiced on the open sea on the banks. Two types of fishing were distinguished: green cod fishing, known as wandering fishing, and dry cod fishing, which was practiced sheltered from the winds and currents. The working conditions in the cold and humidity were obviously very difficult.

The green cod fishery

The ships left for a 6 to 7 month fishing season with crews of about thirty men. The vessels embarked dories, flat-bottomed boats that were maneuverable and easily stacked on deck. Once the ship arrived on the banks, the dories were put out to sea with two crewmen. They fished all day with drift lines. Once brought back to the boat, the cod was opened, washed, salted and stacked. The fish was then called “green cod”.

Dry cod fishing

This fishing technique required about 100 men to be on the ships. Once there, they would anchor in a Newfoundland harbor and build shacks on land to store and prepare the fish. They lived in these basic facilities. Each evening, the fish was brought ashore and dried on the shore. The conservation was better and back in France the export to the Mediterranean was facilitated.