How did the traditional dried salt cod fishery change after the 1940s?

Following the 1940s, the traditional fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador underwent a fundamental transformation. The long-standing practice of producing dried salt cod for international markets effectively disappeared, replaced by a capital-intensive, technologically advanced industry focused on processing groundfish into frozen products for North American consumers.1

This shift was characterized by the introduction of industrial-scale trawlers and advanced technologies like sonar, which allowed for significantly higher catch volumes. However, this rapid industrialization led to severe overfishing and the eventual collapse of the cod population. By 1992, the depletion of stocks forced the Canadian government to impose a moratorium on commercial cod fishing, resulting in the closure of numerous fish plants and widespread job losses across the province.231

In the aftermath, the industry has diversified into shellfish harvesting—primarily crab and shrimp—and expanded into aquaculture, though fishing now accounts for a much smaller portion of the provincial economy than it did historically.1