Schooners on the Grand Banks, 29 April 1894
Newfoundland and Labrador residents were engaged in the offshore banks fishery by the 1860s, in part to compensate for declining inshore stocks. This industry typically ran from March until October, although the fishing season could vary from one community to another. Wooden schooners, sealing steamers, and other ocean-going vessels made three or four trips to the banks each season and often remained there for weeks before returning home.

Pencil drawing by Henry Ash. “Schooners cod fishing on the Great Bank of Newfoundland.” Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada (00056).