The cod fishery has played a major role in the economic development
of eastern Canada. Here's a sampling of what people have said
about cod over the years...
From the Dictionary of Newfoundland English (Edited
by G.M. Story, W.J. Kirwin and J.D.A. Widdowson, University of
Toronto Press, 1987):
COD: The common North Atlantic salt-water fish (Gadus
morhua), since the 16th century the principal object of the
commercial fishery in Newfoundland where the common synonym is
FISH.
With incredible quantities, and no lesse varietie of kindes
of fish in the sea and fresh waters, as Trouts, Salmons and ...
also Cod, which alone draweth many nations thither, and is become
the most famous fishing of the world.
- 1583, Richard Hayes, a captain for Sir Humphrey Gilbert
who claimed Newfoundland for England (From: The Voyages and
Colonizing Enterprises of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, ed D.B. Quinn,
1940)
But the chiefe commodity of New-found-land... is the Cod-fishing
upon that Coast, by which our Nation and many other Countries
are enricht.
- 1620, Sir Richard Whitbourne, Newfoundland settler and explorer(From:
1579?-1628, A Discourse and Discovery of New-found-land)
The middle or end of June came the capling, a small sweet
fish and the best bait, and when they come we have the best fishing,
the cods pursuing them so eager that both have run ashore.
- 1663-1670, James Yonge (From: The Journal of James Yonge,
Plymouth Surgeon, ed F.N.L. Poynter, 1963)
From Colombo's Concise Canadian Quotations
(Edited by John Robert Colombo, Hurtig Publishers, 1976):
Some people may care to discuss this case from the point
of view of England, others from the point of view of the United
States, but I shall discuss it from the point of view of the
fish.
- Robert Benchley, American humorist about 1905 who was speaking
extemporaneously on the Newfoundland-United States cod-fisheries
dispute.
From Bartlett's familiar quotations (Edited
by John Bartlett and Justin Kaplan, Little, Brown and Company,
1992):
The codfish lays ten thousand eggs,
The homely hen lays one.
The codfish never cackles
To tell you when she's done.
And so we scorn the codfish,
While the humble hen we prize,
Which only goes to show you
That it pays to advertise.
-It pays to advertise, Anonymous
 This
engraving adorned a Map of North America prepared by Herman Moll,
1718 (National Archives of Canada), and is based on the original
vignette entitled La Pesche des Morues in Nicolas de Fer's 1698
map of North and South America. Moll's engraving first appeared
in Canadian Geographic in April 1949, when it was still
the Canadian Geographical Journal. It accompanied a story
entitled "Newfoundland Pictorial," part of the journal's
celebration of Newfoundland becoming Canada's tenth province.
The key to the engraving reads as follows: A View of a
Stage & also of ye manner of Fishing for, Curing & Drying
Cod at NEW FOUND LAND. A. The Habit of ye Fishermen. B. The Line.
C. The manner of Fishing. D. The Dressers of ye Fish. E. The
Trough into which they throw ye Cod when Dressed. F. Salt Boxes.
G. The manner of Carrying ye Cod. H. The Cleansing ye Cod. I.
A Press to extract ye Oyl from ye Cods Livers. K. Casks to receive
ye Water and Blood that comes from ye Livers. L. Another Cask
to receive ye Oyl. M. The manner of Drying ye Cod.
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