Page:  of 258
 

CHAPTER FIVE
EPIC OF THE SEAL FISHERY
The rise of the Seal Fishery in the second half of the eighteenth
century was in every respect favourable to the Island's economy.
I. Every whit as much as codfishing it bred hardy seamen: and
eventually even more so. For whereas in codfishing the
sequence was from overseas adventure to in-shore fishing, in
sealing it was from land nets to sea-going vessels, which, being
built to contend with ice, extended the codfishery on the
Labrador.
II. It relieved the economy from dangerous dependence on a
single export "crop."
III. In its time-table it was complementary to the fishery--sealing
in the early spring, followed by fishing later in the year.
IV. Owing to the early start and all the preparations therefor it
required a resident population. In the seventy years from
1760 to 1830 that population rose, say, from 10,000 to 70,000:
and in the same period the seal catch rose from a trifle to the
half million mark in 1830.
V. It yielded products in keen demand in the home market--seal
skins and seal oil.

The seal skins were not of the soft fur type of which our grand-
mother's seal-skin jackets were made. They were hair seal of the
hard type and serviceable for footwear and upholstery. To-day
they are in common use for the lining of chairs and office tables.

The great use of seal oil was as an illiminant. It was also used
as an ingredient of paint and for softening of textiles. To-day it is
a constituent of margarine.

In the Poole Customs Records there are numerous references to
seal skins and seal oil, seal skins being frequently grouped with other
furs.

Thus December 1, 1760, "S. Coward, Master of the Sally of this
port, reported from Newfoundland, whose cargo consists of train
oil ['train' because 'trained' or 'drawn' out of the whale or seal
as the case might be], fish, furs and seal skins. She is a new sloop
built in Newfoundland and never in England before."

-56-

Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com

Publication Information: Book Title: Life and Labour in Newfoundland: Based on Lectures Delivered at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. Contributors: C. R. Fay - author. Publisher: University of Toronto Press. Place of Publication: Toronto. Publication Year: 1956. Page Number: 56.
    
This feature allows you to create and manage separate folders for your different research projects. To view markups for a different project, make that project your current project.
This feature allows you to save a link to the publication you are reading or view all the publications you have put on your bookshelf.
This feature allows you to save a link to the page you are reading, which you can later return to from Projects.
This feature allows you to highlight words or phrases on the publication page you are reading.
This feature allows you to save a note you write on the publication page you are reading.
This feature allows you to create a citation to the page you are reading that you can paste into your paper. Highlight a passage to include that passage as a quotation.
This feature allows you to save a reference to a publication you are reading for your bibliography or generate a bibliography you can paste into your paper.
This feature allows you to print the page you are reading, including your notes or highlights (IE users must have "print background colors and image" setting selected.)
This feature allows you to look up words in encyclopedia.
  About Questia Tools
Close Window  
Questia's powerful research tools allow you to highlight, take notes, bookmark and even create instant citations and bibliographies. To use these features and save hours of work, you must create a Questia account.
Need a Questia account?
Sign up for a FREE trial now. Save time, stress and hassle, and get better grades with trusted, online research.

» Click here for our free trial

Already have a Questia account? Login now!
Error
Working...
Printing Preferences
Format for black and white printer: On Off
Print highlights: On Off
Print notes: On Off
Choose one of the options for printing:
Print this page (No Charge)
Print pages to