The Cod Fishing
Industry
The Role of Fishing Merchants
The Seal Fishery
Trapping, Shipbuilding and other Land-based Occupations
Key Terms
100

Once the fish were processed, who were they sold to?

Fish Merchants

100

Why did merchants often face financial risk as well?

Merchants often faced financial risks as well, because of the fluctuations in the price of fish.

100

Seals were hunted with long iron-tipped sticks called _________.

Gaffs

100

Who came from a long line of renowned Trinity Bay shipbuilders. He settled in Green Bay, where he built the Fleetwing, a vessel known for its speed?

Jonas Newhook

100

The method of trade that existed between fishermen and merchants was called the __________  ______________.

Truck System

200

What other types of fish were harvested in the nineteenth century?

Other types of fish that were harvested in the19th century included salmon, herring and lobster.

200

Fishermen and their families received _________ at the merchant’s store.

Credit
200

What was the name of the sealing vessel that was lost tragically in 1914?

The Southern Cross

200

In the 1830’s, the ____________  _______  __________________, which was by that time a sixty-year-old fur trading company, expanded into Labrador and quickly put small traders out of business.

Hudson's Bay Company

200

The ___________  ______________ took place near the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador, with fishermen operating small boats.

Inshore Fishery

300

What process involved cutting the throat of the fish, removing the head, taking out the guts, removing the sound-bone and washing the fish?

Splitting

300

DAILY DOUBLE

How many grades of fish were there?

Seven

300

Seal skinners could “de-fat” or “skin out” about _____ harp seal pelts in a ten-hour work day.

450

300

Why was life so lonely for a trapper’s wife?

Life for a trapper’s wife was so lonely because trappers often left home often and for long periods of time, leaving their young wives home to tend to their houses, take care of babies and livestock and cook and clean. Women were alone most of the time in these families and had to learn how to cope with that. They were also always worried that their husbands had been hurt in the woods, as trappers were also alone and the woods could be dangerous.

300

There were two branches of the ________  ____________: the “landsman’s hunt” and the “offshore hunt”

Seal Fishery

400

What are the three fisheries that took place in Newfoundland and Labrador?

The three fisheries that took place in Newfoundland and Labrador are inshore fishery, the bank fishery and the Labrador fishery.

400

Merchants were often referred to as villains. Why?

Merchants were often referred to as villains because they had control of all of the money, therefore giving them power. Some merchants were good, however some were not and they took advantage of the fishermen by grading their fish low and paying them little credit, often putting them in debt.

400

Describe the process of killing and cleaning a seal.

 A seal is killed with a gaff, a long stick and a sharp end that kills the seal instantly and almost painlessly. Next, the seals are cleaned and sculped and towed back to the ship, where they are brought back to shore to be skinned-out and sold. Sculping in the process of removing the fat and skin from the meat of the seal.

400

DAILY DOUBLE

Who is Michael Kearney and what did he do?

Michael Kearney was a famous shipbuilder from Ferryland, and may be considered Newfoundland’s finest shipbuilder. He was born in the 1800’s and he was known for making many ships of strength, speed and beauty. He built many famous ships that took famous voyages, such as the Ida and the Gauntlet, both known for their speedy trips across the sea.

400

In the Newfoundland ________  _____________, large vessels called schooners carried crews and dories to the banks.

Bank Fishery

500

What are the four steps in harvesting and preparing cod fish for sale? 

The four steps in harvesting and preparing cod fish are Hauling cod traps, Splitting cod fish, drying the fish on flakes and then grading and weighing in at the merchant.

500

How could people tell the difference between merchants and fishermen on the wharves?

You could tell the difference between merchants and fishermen because fishermen would often be wearing rougher looking clothes and be dirtier, thinner and look less fortunate. Merchants would look richer with nicer clothes and fuller bellies.

500

Why did they make sealing vessels cheaper?

Sealing vessels were made cheaper because sealing was a dangerous business and many vessels were being lost and getting damaged by the ice, and needed to be rebuilt often. To save on the rebuilding costs, shipbuilders used cheaper materials and built lesser quality ships so that the financial loss was not as great when a ship was damaged or wrecked.

500

Were the HBC and the Moravian mission stations different from the fish merchants? Explain.

Yes, merchants were different from Moravian mission stations and the HBC because merchants often treated fishermen unfairly and did not pay them well, resulting in fishermen often being in debt to the merchants. The Moravian missions also did not provide people with harmful substances.

500

The ______________  ______________ refers to a migratory fishery conducted by non-residents.

Labrador Fishery