Fishing has been the main source of income for the Newfoundlanders ever since the island was officially discovered in 1497 by John Cabbot (Almost 500 years after the Vikings). He also discovered that the coastal waters and the offshore banks contained a vast quantity of cod fish. Fishermen from England, France, Portugal and Spain crossed the Atlantic to harvest to goods from the rich waters, and these men also started to settle the island.

Local economy tribed becaouse of the huge ammount of fish they caught and sold to thers. A major change to the traditional Newfoundland life happened in the 1950s and 1960s. The small family-run operations werereplaced by large fisheries and canneries, and people started to move from the smaller villages to the larger towns.

In 1977 the Canadian government extended the its fishery jurisdiction to 200 miles around the coast of Newfoundland in an attempt to gain better control. fishing boats from other counties had started to fish outside the coast, and they were concearned about over fishing. This move seemed to work during the 1980s, but in 1989 scientists revealed that over fishing had dangerously minimized some key groundfish stocks. Since that period the government has reduced the quotas and fishing moratoria. 
 
 

A lot of local fishermen had to give up fishing all together or settle with reduced income because of the reduced quotas and the industrialisation by big companies. They were therefor forced into unemployment, or to find work elsewhere. The government promised to create jobs, but many projects nwere never completed. Then they found oil outside the coast of Newfoundland.  This rescued a lot of people. They retraind and started working in the oil industry.
 
 

Page 32: "How many had come here, leaning on the rails as she leaned now. Staring at the rock in the sea. Vikings, the Basques, the French, English, Spanish, Portugese. Drawn by the cod, from the days when massed fish slowed ships on the drift for the passage to the Spice Isles, expecting citites of gold."

Page 33:"But now the hard life was done. The forces of fate weakened by unemployment insurance, a flaring hope in offshore oil money."

Page 64: "Oh yar, Joey Smallwood said 'Boys, pull up your boats, burn your flakes, and forget the fishery; there will be two jobs for every man in Newfoundland'"

Page 65:"And the fishing's went down, down, forty years sliding away inot nothing, the goddamn Canada government giving fishing rights to every country on the face of the earth, but regulated us out of business."

Page 198:""Like I say, the hope of this place," Tert Card, digging at wax in his ear with the nail of his little finger, "is oil." (...) "We're all going to be rich. Jobs all over the place, dividends for stockholders, manufacturing, housing and supplies. The biggest development project in the country. It's going to de the golden days."

Page 199: "I seen the cod and caplin go from millions of tons taken to two or three bucketsful. Seen fishing go from saesonal, inshore, small boats to hte deep water year-round factory ships and draggers- Now the fish is all gone.."

Page 200: "'I'll say it to anybody!' Tert Card bellowed. 'Oil is strong and fish is weak. There's no contest. The whole world needs oil. There is big money in oil. There's too many men fishing and not enough fish. That's what it comens down to."