Hauling a cod trap, pre-1901

Three men in a dory hauling a cod trap. Some Newfoundland and Labrador inshore fishers began using cod traps in the late 1800s to compensate for declining catch rates. The cod trap is a large, box-shaped, stationary net that can fish unattended once fixed in the water. Fishers usually haul the trap in during low tides.

Photographer unknown. Reproduced by permission of the Archives and Manuscripts Division (Coll. 137 24.02.001), Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL.