The salt cod saga: Examining drivers of decline in the Pacific cod fishery (1915-1940)
| dc.contributor.author | Moore, Karoline I. | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | McClenachan, Loren | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-10-02T20:25:55Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-10-02T20:25:55Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.degree.department | School of Environmental Studies | |
| dc.degree.level | Master of Arts MA | |
| dc.description.abstract | Marine historical ecology and environmental history aim to reconstruct past fisheries to reveal ecological changes and human-ocean relationships. Most existing research emphasizes prominent fisheries with lasting economic and cultural impacts, often overlooking lesser-known fisheries, such as the early 20th-century Pacific salt cod fishery. This fishery operated in the shadow of the dominant Atlantic cod, failing to gain similar significance, and has remained largely understudied. This research investigates the sociopolitical factors influencing the decline of the Pacific salt cod fishery in the 1930s, while also examining the changing relative abundance of Pacific cod during its operation. Utilizing the historical journal Pacific Fisherman, which documented contemporary fishery operations, this research identifies key constraints: limited markets, shifting consumer preferences, and high operational costs hindered mechanisation and product competitiveness in a changing societal landscape. Furthermore, localized depletions and a trend of decreasing fish body size occurred during the fishery's lifespan. The results suggest that the fishery's failure was profoundly shaped by its societal, political, and temporal contexts, particularly as it declined while other fisheries industrialised. This thesis addresses the gap in literature concerning the decline of the Pacific cod fishery and contributes to the understanding of lesser-studied, pre-industrial fisheries. It offers valuable insights into the importance of reconstructing historical fisheries data, especially when such data are scarce. | |
| dc.description.scholarlevel | Graduate | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1828/20466 | |
| dc.language | English | eng |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.rights | Available to the World Wide Web | |
| dc.subject | Pacific cod | |
| dc.subject | Marine historical ecology | |
| dc.subject | Environmental history | |
| dc.subject | Fisheries | |
| dc.subject | Pacific fisherman | |
| dc.title | The salt cod saga: Examining drivers of decline in the Pacific cod fishery (1915-1940) | |
| dc.type | Thesis |