Grand Banks of Newfoundland

TheGrand Banks of Newfoundlandare a series of underwaterplateaussouth-east of the island ofNewfoundlandon the North American continental shelf. The Grand Banks are one of the world's richest fishing grounds, supportingAtlantic cod,swordfish,haddockandcapelin,as well as shellfish, seabirds and sea mammals.

Significance

The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a group of underwaterplateaussouth-east of Newfoundland on the North Americancontinental shelf.These areas are relatively shallow, ranging from 15 to 91 metres (50 to 300 ft) in depth. The coldLabrador Currentmixes with the warm waters of theGulf Streamhere, often causing extremefoggy conditions.^[1]

The mi xing of these waters and the shape of the ocean bottom lifts nutrients to the surface. These conditions helped to create one of the richestfishinggrounds in the world.Fishspecies includeAtlantic cod,swordfish,haddockandcapelin;shellfishincludescallopandlobster.The area also supports large colonies ofseabirdssuch asnorthern gannets,shearwatersandsea ducksand various seamammalssuch asseals,dolphinsandwhales.^{[citation needed]}

Overfishing in the late 20th century caused the collapse of several species, particularly cod, leading to theclosure of the Canadian Grand Banks fisheryin 1992.^{[citation needed]}

History

Extensive glaciation took place in the area of the Grand Banks during thelast glacial maximum.By approximately 13,000 years ago the majority of the ice had melted, leaving the Grand Banks exposed as several islands extending for hundreds of kilometres. It is believed thatrising sea levelssubmerged these around 8,000 years ago.^[2]

Historic chart including the Grand Banks.

While noarchaeologicalevidence for a European presence near the Grand Banks survives from the period between the short-livedGreenland Norsesettlement atL'Anse aux Meadowsin 1000 CE andJohn Cabot'stransatlantic crossingin 1497, some evidence suggests that voyagers from theBasque Region^[3]^{[need quotation to verify]}and England (specifically fromBristol)^[4]and others^[5]preceded Cabot.^[6]In the 15th century some texts refer to a land calledBacalao,the land of the codfish, which is possibly Newfoundland. Within a few years of Cabot's voyage the existence of fishing grounds on the Grand Banks became generally known in Europe. Ships fromFranceandPortugalpioneered fishing there, followed by vessels fromSpain,while ships fromEnglandwere scarce in the early years.^[7]This soon changed, especially afterBernard Drake'sNewfoundland Expedition in 1585,which virtually wiped out the Spanish and Portuguese fishing-industries in this area.^[8]The fish stocks became important for the early European-settler economies ofeastern CanadaandNew England.^{[citation needed]}

On 18 November 1929, the1929 Grand Banks earthquakestruck the southwestern part of the Grand Banks bordering theLaurentian Channel,causing an underwater landslide which resulted in extensive damage totransatlantic cablesand generated a rare Atlantictsunamithat struck the south coast ofNewfoundland,claiming 29 lives on theBurin Peninsula.^[9]

Technological advances in fishing (such as using largefactory-shipsandsonar), as well as geopolitical disputes overterritorial seaandexclusive economic zone(EEZ) boundaries, led tooverfishingand a serious decline in thefish stocksof the Grand Banks from around 1990. The Canadian Grand Banks fishery was closed in 1993.^[10]

Canada's EEZ currently^[update]covers the majority of the Grand Banks except for the lucrative "nose" (eastern extremity, near theFlemish Cap) and "tail" (southern extremity) of thefishing bank.The1783 Treaty of Parisgave the United States shared rights to fish in these waters, but that section of the Treaty is no longer in force. The exclusive economic zone of the French territorySaint Pierre and Miquelonoccupies a pin-shaped section at the west edge of the Grand Banks, with the 22 kilometres (12 nmi; 14 mi) radius head of the pin surrounding the islands and the needle heading south for 348 km (188 nmi; 216 mi).^{[citation needed]}

Geological research

Canada is performing thehydrographicandgeologicalsurveys necessary for claiming the entirecontinental shelfoff eastern Canada, as allowed by the terms of the latestUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS).^[11]

Petroleumreserves have also been discovered and a number of oil fields are under development in this region, most notably theHibernia,Terra Nova,andWhite Roseprojects.^[12]However, the harsh environment on the Grand Banks also led to theOcean Rangerdisaster.^[13]

Climate change

Station 27

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The Station 27 Oceanographic Monitoring Station records water temperatures in the Newfoundland Shelf, including the Grand Banks.^[14]

The Northwest Atlantic Ocean is undergoing long-term warming fromclimate change.The surface water temperatures of the Newfoundland Shelf have increased by 0.13 °C per decade from 1950 to 2016.^[15]Depth-averaged ocean temperatures (0–175 m) have not shown a warming trend during that same period.^[15]

Culture

Semi-fictional depictions of fishermen working on the Grand Banks can be found inRudyard Kipling's novelCaptains Courageous(1897) and in Sebastian Junger's non-fiction bookThe Perfect Storm(1997). The Grand Banks are also portrayed in the 1990 filmThe Hunt for Red October.Herman Melvilledescribed passing through the Banks as a young sailor on his first voyage in his autobiographical novelRedburn: His First Voyage(1849), where he saw whales and a haunting shipwreck with weeks-dead sailors still on board. It is also featured inThe Grey Seas Under,a non-fiction book by Canadian authorFarley Mowatabout the ocean-going maritime salvage tugFoundation Franklin.^{[citation needed]}

The Canadian patriotic song "Something to Sing About"opens with the line" I have walked 'cross the sand on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. "However, as the banks are underwater, it is impossible to walk across them in reality.^[16]

References

^Hayward, Philip (2023)."Extraordinarily Hazardous: Fog, water, ice and human precarity in the aquapelagic assemblage of the Grand Banks".Coolabah(34):7–24.doi:10.1344/co2023347-24.S2CID 259958943.
^Shaw, John (2006). "Palaeogeography of Atlantic Canadian Continental Shelves from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Present, with an Emphasis on Flemish Cap".Journal of Northwest Atlantic Fishery Science.37:119–126.CiteSeerX10.1.1.584.1310.doi:10.2960/J.v37.m565.
^Kurlansky, Mark (1997)."The Race to Codlandia".Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World.Penguin Books. pp.16–26.ISBN 978-0-14-027501-8.
^"European Exploration: From Earliest Times to 1497".Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site Project.Retrieved2012-01-05.
^Seaver, Kirsten (2004).Maps, Myths, and Men: The Story of the Vinland Map.Stanford University Press. pp.75–86.ISBN 978-0-8047-4962-6.
^Kurlansky, Mark (1997)."The Race to Codlandia".Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World.United States: Penguin Books. pp.18–31.ISBN 978-0-14-027501-8.
^"European Exploration: From Earliest Times to 1497".Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador.Retrieved28 January2019.
^Prowse, D. W (2007).A History of Newfoundland from the English, Colonial and Foreign Record.Heritage Books. pp.79–81.ISBN 978-078-842310-9.
^Yalçiner, Ahmet C.; Pelinovsky, Efim N.; Okal, Emile & Synolakis, Costas E., eds. (2003).Submarine Landslides and Tsunamis.Istanbul, Turkey: Springer Science+Business Media. pp.177–178.ISBN 978-1-4020-1349-2.Retrieved28 January2019.
^ Zugarramurdi, Aurora; Parin, María A. & Lupin, Hector M. (1995).Economic Engineering Applied to the Fishery Industry.Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. p. 11.ISBN 92-5103738-8.Retrieved8 November2019.In 1993, fishing in the Grand Banks off Canada was closed due to overfishing.
^"Sovereignty and UNCLOS".Government of Canada. 8 May 2019.Retrieved14 April2022.
^"Significant Discoveries"(PDF).Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.Retrieved14 April2022.
^"The Loss of the Ocean Ranger, 15 February 1982".Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador.Retrieved14 April2022.
^Colbourne, E. B; Fitzpatrick, C."Station 27 Oceanographic Monitoring Station—A Long History"(PDF).engr.mun.ca.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2022-01-19.Retrieved2021-02-10.
^^a ^bBush, E.; Lemmen, D.S., eds. (2019).Canada's Changing Climate Report(PDF)(Report). Government of Canada. p. 362.
^"CanadaInfo: Symbols, Facts, & Lists: Anthems and Other Patriotic Songs".craigmarlatt.Retrieved2023-09-10.

External links

The Grand Banks and the Flemish Cap
Government response to the standing committee on fisheries and oceans' tenth report
WatchCries from the Deep—a Jacques Cousteau documentary on the Grand Banks

45°14′13″N50°59′21.2″W/ 45.23694°N 50.989222°W/45.23694; -50.989222

[1] Hayward, Philip (2023)."Extraordinarily Hazardous: Fog, water, ice and human precarity in the aquapelagic assemblage of the Grand Banks".Coolabah(34):7–24.doi:10.1344/co2023347-24.S2CID 259958943.

[2] Shaw, John (2006). "Palaeogeography of Atlantic Canadian Continental Shelves from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Present, with an Emphasis on Flemish Cap".Journal of Northwest Atlantic Fishery Science.37:119–126.CiteSeerX10.1.1.584.1310.doi:10.2960/J.v37.m565.

[Cod:_A_Biography_of_the_Fish_that_Changed_the_World-3] Kurlansky, Mark (1997)."The Race to Codlandia".Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World.Penguin Books. pp.16–26.ISBN 978-0-14-027501-8.

[4] "European Exploration: From Earliest Times to 1497".Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site Project.Retrieved2012-01-05.

[5] Seaver, Kirsten (2004).Maps, Myths, and Men: The Story of the Vinland Map.Stanford University Press. pp.75–86.ISBN 978-0-8047-4962-6.

[6] Kurlansky, Mark (1997)."The Race to Codlandia".Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World.United States: Penguin Books. pp.18–31.ISBN 978-0-14-027501-8.

[7] "European Exploration: From Earliest Times to 1497".Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador.Retrieved28 January2019.

[8] Prowse, D. W (2007).A History of Newfoundland from the English, Colonial and Foreign Record.Heritage Books. pp.79–81.ISBN 978-078-842310-9.

[9] Yalçiner, Ahmet C.; Pelinovsky, Efim N.; Okal, Emile & Synolakis, Costas E., eds. (2003).Submarine Landslides and Tsunamis.Istanbul, Turkey: Springer Science+Business Media. pp.177–178.ISBN 978-1-4020-1349-2.Retrieved28 January2019.

[10] Zugarramurdi, Aurora; Parin, María A. & Lupin, Hector M. (1995).Economic Engineering Applied to the Fishery Industry.Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. p. 11.ISBN 92-5103738-8.Retrieved8 November2019.In 1993, fishing in the Grand Banks off Canada was closed due to overfishing.

[11] "Sovereignty and UNCLOS".Government of Canada. 8 May 2019.Retrieved14 April2022.

[12] "Significant Discoveries"(PDF).Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.Retrieved14 April2022.

[13] "The Loss of the Ocean Ranger, 15 February 1982".Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador.Retrieved14 April2022.

[14] Colbourne, E. B; Fitzpatrick, C."Station 27 Oceanographic Monitoring Station—A Long History"(PDF).engr.mun.ca.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2022-01-19.Retrieved2021-02-10.

[cccr2019-15] Bush, E.; Lemmen, D.S., eds. (2019).Canada's Changing Climate Report(PDF)(Report). Government of Canada. p. 362.

[16] "CanadaInfo: Symbols, Facts, & Lists: Anthems and Other Patriotic Songs".craigmarlatt.Retrieved2023-09-10.

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