How fishing shaped Fogo Island
From the first European migratory fishers to today’s community-owned fishery, cod has shaped Fogo Island’s economy, culture, and identity. It has always been more than a fish; it is a representation of communities uniting to protect the future of their home and of a fishery that continues to adapt while honouring its past.
They came for cod
The Atlantic cod is intrinsically linked to the history of Fogo Island.
The inshore, or salt-cod, fishery has roots in the English migratory fishery of the 1500s, when Europeans sailed across the Atlantic in search of rich fishing grounds. By the early 1800s, geopolitical conflicts – the Napoleonic and Anglo-American wars – had diminished French and American fisheries, making Newfoundland’s fish more valuable in international markets. This shift drew more English and Irish settlers to permanently settle in Newfoundland, where cod became the foundation of livelihood and community.
Fishing was seasonal and family-based: men went out daily in small boats, catching cod by handline, using one hook and one line. They would then return to shore where the entire household would work together to split, salt, and dry the catch. For weeks, hundreds of fish would cover wooden flakes in the sun, becoming salt cod ready to trade.
By the late 1800s, however, declining catch rates led some fishers to adopt new, more efficient gear, like cod seines, trawl lines, gillnets, and cod traps. These innovations strained the inshore fishery, leaving small-boat fishers unable to compete. Many had to adapt to the changing times or leave the fishery altogether.
The Formation of the Fogo Island Co-operative Society
We cannot discuss the origins of the Fogo Island Co-operative Society, the island’s largest employer, without talking about film.
In the 1960s, Fogo Island was struggling with the collapse of the inshore fishery. Facing the threat of resettlement, Fogo Islanders had to develop a new system of collaboration to hold on to their home.
Challenge for Change was a participatory film and video project created by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) that used film to promote community collaboration and social change. The 27 short films known as The Fogo Process became a model for using media as a tool for community development.
Colin Low (documentary filmmaker with the NFB), Donald Snowden (Director of Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Extension Department), and Fred Earle (MUN Field Officer on Fogo Island), came to Fogo Island to talk with the people who lived there.
Through these recorded conversations, Fogo Islanders discussed several issues: the inability to organize, the need for communication, the resentment felt towards resettlement, and the anger that the provincial government were making decisions about their future, with no consultation. Colin Low decided to show the films to the people of Fogo Island, and they quickly realized that all communities on the island were experiencing the same problems.
These films were the catalyst for discussion. Representatives from all of Fogo Island’s communities came together to make their own decisions about the future of their island, and from this collaborative spirit, the Fogo Island Improvement Committee was formed. This committee soon led to the formation of the Fogo Island Co-operative Society.
The Cod Moratorium of 1992
On July 2, 1992, the Canadian government imposed a moratorium on fishing Northern cod along the country’s east coast.
Decades of overfishing had depleted cod stocks, and the government hoped that this ban would help the species’ numbers increase. This moratorium ended almost five centuries of cod fishing in Newfoundland & Labrador, with cod being a mainstay in the economy and culture of the province.
On Fogo Island, the Co-op turned its focus to other species – most notably Atlantic Snow crab and Northern Pink Shrimp, investing in processing facilities, and developing new markets to sustain local employment. This shift allowed the Fogo Island Co-op to navigate one of the most difficult chapters in Newfoundland’s fishing history, but affirmed its role as the backbone of Fogo Island’s economy.
Read more about the Cod Moratorium:
Today's fishery
The fishery is still the main cornerstone of the island’s economy. Through the Fogo Island Co-operative Society, our fishery remains community-owned and community-driven, operating three processing plants in Fogo, Seldom, and Joe Batt’s Arm.
The Co-op has expanded its processing beyond cod to include Atlantic snow crab, coldwater shrimp, turbot (Greenland halibut), mackerel, herring, capelin, and sea cucumber. Fishers work with modern inshore vessels, but in recent years, some have returned to their roots of fishing in small boats, catching cod with one hook and one line.
Shorefast’s social business Fogo Island Fish is a community-based, handline cod fishery that works directly with fishers and the Fogo Island Co-op. Using ethical harvesting practices, they procure the highest quality of North Atlantic Cod and other wild-caught seafood to wholesalers, chefs, and restaurants in Canada. Their mission is to rebuild the connection between Fogo Island’s foodways and the community, while revitalizing the local economy and continuing a proud legacy of fishing.
Plan Your Stay
Cod fishing has played an essential role in Fogo Island’s economy for centuries and continues to influence our island’s traditions and way of life, including at Fogo Island Inn and in our approach to place-based hospitality.
Ask our Guest Itinerary Advisors or our Guest Experience team about activities that incorporate our fishing heritage like Fish & Ships, Introduction to Boat Building, and Cod Fishing during your stay.