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Historical Materials

Historical Materials  »  Maritime & Other Industries & Facilities  »  Grand Bank, Newfoundland, Canada

Grand Bank, Newfoundland, Canada

The Grand Bank, or Great Bank of Newfoundland, is the largest of the fishing banks off eastern North America. Known to Portuguese fishermen since pre-Columbian times, it was regarded as the most fertile fishing ground in the North Atlantic, if not the world.

Prior to revival of the Georges Bank fisheries (1830s), the Grand Bank was the fishing ground referred to when Cape Ann fishing vessels set sail for "the banks" (referred to by fishermen in the plural). The long passages to and from those grounds, combined with the time consumed to fill the fish hold, meant voyages of considerable and uncertain length. The stresses imposed by an uncertain waiting time, coupled with the size and quality of the catch, posed a major hardship on fishermen's families whose women were only too aware of the prospect of becoming widows.

– Erik Ronnberg

Also filed under: Other Locales »  //  Maritime & Other Industries & Facilities »

chart
Fishing Banks: Cape Cod to Grand Bank, northeastern portion
T. Van de Bogert
n.d.
U.S. Bureau of Fisheries Mem. S-244
16 x 8 1/2 (original probably larger)
Private collection (published source unidentified)

Chart outlines principal fishing grounds. This section shows the location of the Grand Bank (of Newfoundland) relative to the southern coast of Newfoundland.

Also filed under: Maps »

PDF
view ]
publication
Maine Register (Fisheries)
George Adams, publisher
1855

Details about Maine's fishing industry, see pp. 256–57.

Also filed under: Castine »   //  Statistics »

Citation: "Historical Materials." Fitz Henry Lane Online. Cape Ann Museum. http://fitzhenrylaneonline.org/historical_material/index.php?section=Grand+Bank%2C+Newfoundland%2C+Canada (accessed December 6, 2024).
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