Brief History of Cod Fishing

The cods importance to American history is undeniable. It was cod that attracted Europeans to North America for short-term fishing trips and eventually enticed them to stay. The cod became one of the most sought-after fish in the North Atlantic, and it was its popularity that caused its enormous decline and the precarious situation today. Native Americans Long before Europeans arrived and discovered America, Native Americans fished along its shores, using hooks they made from bones and nets made from natural fibers. Cod bones such as otoliths (an ear bone) are plentiful in Native American middens, indicating they were an important part of the Native American diet. Earliest Europeans The Vikings and Basques were some of the first Europeans to travel to the coast of North America and harvest and cure cod. Cod was dried until it was hard, or cured using salt so that it was preserved for a long period of time. Eventually, explorers such as Columbus and Cabot discovered the New World. Descriptions of the fish indicate that cod were as big as men, and some say that fishermen could scoop the fish out of the sea in baskets. Europeans concentrated their cod fishing efforts in Iceland for awhile, but as conflicts grew, they began fishing along the coast of Newfoundland and what is now New England. Pilgrims and Cod In the early 1600s, John Smith charted out New England. When determining where to flee, the Pilgrims studied Smiths map and were intrigued by the label Cape Cod. They were determined to profit from fishing, although according to Mark Kurlansky, in his book Cod: a Biography of the Fish That Changed the World, they knew nothing about fishing, (p. 68) and while the Pilgrims were starving in 1621, there were British ships filling their holds with fish off the New England coast. Believing they would receive blessings if they took pity on the Pilgrims and assisted them, the local Native Americans showed them how to catch cod and use the parts not eaten as fertilizer. They also introduced the Pilgrims to quahogs, steamers, and lobster, which they eventually ate in desperation. Negotiations with the Native Americans led to our modern-day celebration of Thanksgiving, which would not have occurred if the Pilgrims did not sustain their stomachs and farms with cod. The Pilgrims eventually established fishing stations in Gloucester, Salem, Dorchester, and Marblehead, Massachusetts, and Penobscot Bay, in what is now Maine. Cod was caught using handlines, with larger vessels sailing out to fishing grounds and then sending two men in dories to drop a line in the water. When a cod was caught, it was pulled up by hand. Triangle Trade Fish were cured by drying and salting and marketed in Europe. Then a triangle trade developed that linked  cod to slavery and rum. High-quality cod was sold in Europe, with the colonists purchased European wine, fruit and other products. Then traders then went to the Caribbean, where they sold a low-end cod product called West India cure to feed the burgeoning slave population, and bought sugar, molasses (used to make rum in the colonies), cotton, tobacco, and salt. Eventually, New Englanders also transported slaves to the Caribbean. Cod fishing continued and made the colonies prosperous. Modernization of Fishing In the 1920s-1930s, more sophisticated and effective methods, such as gillnets and draggers were used. Commercial cod catches increased throughout the 1950s. Fish processing techniques also expanded. Freezing techniques and filleting machinery eventually led to the development of fish sticks, marketed as a healthy convenience food. Factory ships started catching fish and freezing it out at sea. Fishing Collapse Technology improved and fishing grounds became more competitive. In the U.S., the Magnuson Act of 1976 prohibited foreign fisheries from entering the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) - 200 miles around the U.S. With the absence of foreign fleets, the optimistic U.S. fleet expanded, causing a greater decline in fisheries. Today, New England cod fishermen face strict regulations on their catch. Cod Today The commercial cod catch has decreased greatly since the 1990s due to strict regulations on cod fishing. This has led to an increase in cod populations. According to NMFS, cod stocks on Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine are rebuilding to target levels, and the Gulf of Maine stock is no longer considered overfished. Still, the cod you eat in seafood restaurants may no longer be Atlantic cod, and fishsticks are now more commonly made of other fish such as pollock. Sources CC Today. 2008. Deconstructing Thanksgiving: A Native American View. (Online). Cape Cod Today. Accessed November 23, 2009. Kurlansky, Mark. 1997. Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World. Walker and Company, New York. Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Brief History of the Groundfishing Industry of New England (Online). Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Accessed November 23, 2009.

The Founding And Spread Of Buddhism, Hinduism,...

Often in history, when something is done right and praised by the masses, it is mimicked in some way in future instances. This can be seen in the variety of religions that have sprung up over time and gained large followings. Although they are all unique in their own way, certain aspects connect them and allow one to see how they all, in some way, influence each other. When analyzing the founding and spread of Buddhism, Sikhism, Confucianism, and Hinduism, it is evident that although there are many distinguishing differences between the four religions, there are multiple similarities that link them all with each other. The word Buddhism is derived from the word â€Å"budhi†, to awaken, so it makes sense that the creation of the religion begins with its founder’s awakening. It is said that Buddhism started in the 6th century due to the actions of its founder, Siddhartha Gautama, the wealthy warrior son of a king and queen in Lumbini (now Nepal). When Siddhartha was young , a soothsayer predicted that he would become a renouncer and his father showered him in luxuries, hoping to change this prediction. However, as a young man, Siddhartha went on a series of chariot rides in which he witnessed a variety of suffering people and came to the realization that material pleasures, such as his own, only serve to mask human suffering. After entering a period of severe and damaging renunciation and realizing that it only added suffering, Siddhartha meditated under a tree and woke up theShow MoreRelatedBuddhism : Life And Teachings Of Buddhism Essay1476 Words   |  6 PagesBuddhism is based on the life and teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha, who was a spiritual master who lived in the fifth century B.C.E. in what it is today Nepal and northeastern India. Even though the roots of Buddhism are in the Indian subcontinent, so that is shares many of the concerns of the complex of religions known collectively as Hinduism, it seeks to rise above all cultures and traditio ns and to lead all being (humans, deities, animals) up to perfect enlightenment and complete liberation fromRead MoreReligion And Its Role Within Societies 600 B.c11006 Words   |  45 Pagespeople that did it, because if it’s written down, it’s much easier to spread your beliefs and it’s harder to forget specifics of your religion or law. Writing down religious and political texts has greatly facilitated the religions’ diffusion and spread throughout the globe, and consequently, brought together and apart many more religious people and governments. What also helped currently popular and dominant religions spread was that most of them build upon the religious beliefs already acceptedRead MoreExamination of Cultural Diversity in America Essay2061 Words   |  9 Pagesa very important part of African American culture and remains important today. Their music such as ragtime, blues, and swing conveyed hidden messages, stories, and expressed feelings, much like music continues to do today. African American music spread across the country and the world and has been adapted into other cultures. The Black Power movement slowed the acculturation process and increased the growing interest of African culture; Healey states, â€Å"Beginning in the 1960’s, on one hand, thereRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagespoor in Jamaica in the early 1930s, the Rastafarian movement has progressed from being an obscure group of protesting outcasts in the ghettos of West Kingston to being a movement ï ¬ rmly entrenched in Jamaican society.1 From Jamaica, the movement has spread around the world, especially among oppressed people of African origin.2 Beyond people of African descent, Rastafari has been embraced by persons from numerous other ethnic groups around the world, especially by those who perceive themselves as suffering

Reflection on Law Enforcement and Advancement of Policing Free Essays

The police system in today’s society and back during the seventeenth century both have the same agenda which is enforcing the law and keeping the peace amongst the people and the city, state or town. Although the two different time frames adopted the same mission they also demonstrated police corruption. The differences between modern day policing and the police system back in history is that, in today’s society they have access to better transportation, outlets for communication, better technology, and different divisions of the police force that specializes in specific crimes. We will write a custom essay sample on Reflection on Law Enforcement and Advancement of Policing or any similar topic only for you Order Now In the early seventeenth and eighteenth century the police system usually consisted of rangers, sheriffs, deputies. The sheriff offices back then had limited effectiveness in crime prevention and controlling those that broke the law. As stated in the text â€Å"the sheriff’s responsibility was for conduct of civil processes, administration of the county jails, and in some cases the collection of taxes† (Inciardi. , 2010, p. 158). Whereas in modern day society there are so many divisions that specialize in a certain police force such as, SWATS, Tactical Units, Specialized Police Units, Homicide Detectives, Web Police and others. With all the advancement in a new era of technology it is much easier to detect criminals while maintaining some form of control throughout the city and or town. I’ve never had an encounter with any police, but I’ve seen how they treat others and how they target and even profile certain ethnicities. Many times the law enforcement will turn the other cheek when crime is being committed depending on ethnicity. Now days many police officers utilize force to get a handle on situations and sometimes take their forcefulness too far. In maintaining peace the police have rules that they must follow that will not go against citizen’s rights. Law enforcement have evolved from the way crimes and criminals were handled many years ago, and I think that in some circumstances the police approach in controlling order is designed to protect civilians but can also contradict some rights that civilians have. How to cite Reflection on Law Enforcement and Advancement of Policing, Essay examples