Newfoundland Heritage Web Site

Economy

Although it is often described in different terms, the expedition that led to the discovery of Newfoundland was primarily an economic enterprise.
Lifestyle of Fishers, 1600-1900

European fishers had been working off Newfoundland and Labrador's coasts for about 100 years by the turn of the 17th century.
Fisheries

It became advantageous for Great Britain to have a fishery based in Newfoundland as conditions of market and competition changed.
French Involvement in the NL Fishery

France was one of the earliest European nations to engage in the migratory fishery and dominated the industry throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.
French Migration in NL, 1504-1904

French migrations to Newfoundland and Labrador began in the early 16th century and lasted for approximately 400 years.
French Settlement in NL, 1504-1904

Newfoundland and Labrador's cod fishery was the major pull factor attracting French settlers to the colony from the 16th through 19th centuries.
Irish Involvement in the Fishery

The Irish played an important role in both the migratory and resident fisheries at Newfoundland and Labrador.
West Country

The seasonal migrations from England to Newfoundland, begun in the 1500s, endured for nearly four centuries and involved hundreds of thousands of individuals.