500 Years of the Once Largest Fishery in the World:A Comprehensive Catch Reconstruction for the Newfoundland Cod Fishery (1508-2023)

In 2024, the Canadian government lifted the moratorium on fishing on what was once the world’s largest single-species fishery. Over the last thirty years, fisheries scientists and historians have debated the role of long-term exploitation in the fisheries' collapse, but a lack of accurate historical catch data has hampered these discussions. This study introduces a groundbreaking new reconstruction of historical cod catches in Newfoundland from 1508 to 20231. This dataset is the longest, most comprehensive, and accurate reconstruction created to date and serves as a crucial tool for unravelling the complex dynamics of the fishery's rise and fall. The data illuminate the historical trajectories of diverse national fishing fleets and maps the evolving spatial dimensions of the fishery. The paper warns that the staggering decline gives cause for concern about recent optimism of the return of abundance.