Canada High Sea

Southeast of Newfoundland, the Grand Banks form broad shallows where the continental shelf approaches the deep Atlantic. The Labrador Current brings cold water southward into the region of the warmer Gulf Stream, creating rich fishing grounds and frequent fog. By the late sixteenth century French ships had begun to fish for cod on the offshore banks, salting their catch at sea. Far from land, the crews worked amid the uncertain weather and long swells of the North Atlantic.