Migratory Fishery of Labrador

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[edit] Nineteenth Century Newfoundland Fishery

The province of Newfoundland and Labrador had three main types of fishery in the nineteenth century: sealing inshore and migratory fishery.

Sealing

Sealing was a type of fishey that involved getting a berth or "ticket" on a ship that travelled to ice floes near Newfoundland and Labrador. Teams would then sent out onto the ice to kill seals. This used to be done with a tool called a gaffe hook but is now performed with a large club. There was escalating controversey about the industry in the seventies leading to the industry being banned. It was legalized recently for population control. Although itis not the staple it once was, the industry is still quite profitable

Migratory Fishery

Migratory fishery involved people from Newfoundland sailing to Labrador to fish there. Migratory fishers either stopped at land they owned and fished from there(stationers)or stayed on the ship and moved to different fishing grounds(floaters). The floaters were more mobile than the stationers, but their fish had to be heavilysalted because they couldn't dry their fish until they got home .This fishery's season lasted from early summer to early fall, but even then conditions were harsh.

Inshore fishery

The inshore fishery, although the staple of the industry, wasn't as interesting as the other types of fishery. It simply involved getting in your boat, catching the fish, curing them and selling them to a fish merchant for store credit.