fishmonger displaying cod, by
Joachim Beuckelaer Cod has been an important economic commodity in
international markets since the
Viking period (around 800 AD).
Norwegians travelled with
dried cod and soon a dried cod market developed in southern
Europe. This market has lasted for more than 1,000 years, enduring the
Black Death, wars and other crises, and is still an important Norwegian fish trade. The
Portuguese began fishing cod in the 15th century.
Clipfish is widely enjoyed in Portugal. The
Basques played an important role in the cod trade, and allegedly found the
Canadian fishing banks before
Columbus' discovery of America. The North American east coast developed in part due to the vast cod stocks. Many cities in the New England area are located near cod fishing grounds. The fish was so important to the history and development of
Massachusetts, the state's House of Representatives hung a wood carving of a codfish, known as the
Sacred Cod of Massachusetts, in its chambers. Apart from the long history, cod differ from most fish because the fishing grounds are far from population centres. The large cod fisheries along the coast of
North Norway (and in particular close to the
Lofoten islands) have been developed almost uniquely for
export, depending on sea transport of
stockfish over large distances. Since the introduction of salt,
dried and salted cod (clipfish or 'klippfisk' in Norwegian) has also been exported. By the end of the 14th century, the
Hanseatic League dominated trade operations and sea transport, with
Bergen as the most important port.
William Pitt the Elder, criticizing the
Treaty of Paris in
Parliament, claimed cod was "British gold"; and that it was folly to restore
Newfoundland fishing rights to the
French. In the 17th and 18th centuries in the New World, especially in
Massachusetts and Newfoundland, cod became a major commodity, creating trade networks and cross-cultural exchanges. In 1733, Britain tried to gain control over trade between New England and the British
Caribbean by imposing the
Molasses Act, which they believed would eliminate the trade by making it unprofitable. The cod trade grew instead, because the "French were eager to work with the New Englanders in a lucrative contraband arrangement". On July 2, 1992,
John Crosbie, Canadian
Federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, declared a two-year
moratorium on the Northern Cod fishery, a designated fishing region off the coast of
Newfoundland, after data showed that the total cod biomass had suffered a collapse to less than 1% of its normal value. The minister championed the measure as a temporary solution, allowing the cod population time to recover. The fisheries had long shaped the lives and communities on Canada's Atlantic eastern coast for the preceding five centuries. Societies which are dependent on fishing have a strong mutual relationship with them: the act of fishing changes the ecosystems' balance, which forces the fishery and, in turn, the fishing societies to adapt to new ecological conditions. The moratorium, initially lasting for only two years, == See also==